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What are electrical cables ?

 

The function of electric cables is to get the electrical energy to the point where we want to connect a load to do work for us. They have to be suitably arranged and insulated from each other and you the user so electricity is not lost through leakage or create a danger to any one or animal or premises. They are usually made of good conductors of electricity to minimize losses. There are many types of cables made for many purposes so the appropriate type and size of cable needs to selected for the intended purpose. The types of the cables depends on three primary factors: conductor, insulation and environmental protection. (To protect the cable from the environment, not to protect the environment from anything).

The conductor is the part of the cable that carries the electrical current and is available (primarily) in aluminum or copper; copper is a better conductor and more flexible, aluminum is lighter, cheaper and slightly stronger. Conductors come in a wide range of sizes, from hundredths of an inch to several millimeters (measured in mm and American Wire Gauge). They can be stranded for more flexibility or solid for more strength-but at a certain size. That's where it stops for electrical cables used in high-voltage overhead power lines, which are almost exclusively stranded, heavy aluminum with no insulation. The power lines over the road, over the sidewalk, over your back yard carry thousands of volts and have no insulation, because they use the air as insulation. While not ideal, it's functional and cost effective.

For interior and underground electrical cables, there are one to five more layers. Medium voltage (1000 volts) and above generally have a thin layer of semiconductor. The next layer outside the conductor is the insulation. The thickness of the insulation depends on the voltage the cable will carry. The insulating material can be rubber, polyethylene, oil-soaked paper or fabric, or any other flexible dielectric material the manufacturer decides to use. Some electrical cables have a shielding system (to protect the cable and surrounding systems from faults, surges and electromagnetic interference) which consists of another thin layer of semiconductor surrounded by either helically wrapped wire or wire or ribbon shielding, typically copper. Finally, the outermost layer, the jacket, protects the cable's components from environmental damage: heat, moisture, ultraviolet radiation, cuts and abrasions from rocks, gravel, even animal and some human damage. This is a very rough outline of the function of electrical cables.  

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Type of cables used for AUDIO purposes

 

There are 2 main types of cables: data cables and power cables. In our product line we have the following types:

In our product line, we have the following types.

Power cord ( High Power )

Connecting cable RCA ( data )

Connecting cable XLR ( data )

Digital XLR ( Data )

Digital RCA ( data )

Speaker cable ( Low voltage )

Phono cable (Low voltage)

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The Electron Velocity

 

The electron velocity is related to the length of the cable. Does drift velocity vary with length? Since drift velocity of electrons is inversely proportional to the resistance of the wire, it becomes one half. The length of the wire is doubled and thus cross section of the wire gets halved. In this case the resistance of the wire increases by 4 times and thus drift velocity becomes one fourth. But the electron velocity is also related to the diameter of the wire. From this, it is clearly visible that the drift velocity is inversely proportional to the length of a wire, so if the length of the wire doubles, the drift velocity is halved. It also depends upon the area of the cross-section of the wire.

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