This webinar will concentrate on the electrical and physical considerations for cable assemblies. An area of focus will be on cable assembly performance criteria of conductors and insulators to help distinguish the best combination for meeting required performance levels. Safety certifications and connector performance for various applications will also be reviewed. As well as determining the best combination of physical and electrical performance for an application without over designing and over-pricing your assembly.

1.  DELIVERING QUALITY SINCE 1952.
Selecting the Proper Cable
Assembly for Your Application

2. 2
Installation Environment
 Is This A Static Or A Dynamic Installation?
 Flexible vs. Flexible
– There Is A difference
• Flexible = Easily Routed During Installation
• Flexible = Able to Withstand Continuous Movement
– Cable Design Impacts Both Flexible and Flexible
• Conductor Strand Count = More Strands = Improved Flexibility = Higher Cost
• Flexible Insulations = Improve Flexibility = Softer Compounds = Flammability
Concerns/ Easily Compromised
• Tapes – Woven (Paper) vs. PTFE
– PTFE Provides More Flexibility at a Higher Cost
• Outer Sheath Application
– Material Selection
– Application Method Tube-On vs. Pressure

3. 3
Installation Environment
 Is The Assembly Going To Be
Used In Harsh Environments?
– Industrial
• Oil, Water, Fluid Resistant
• Crush Proof
– Medical
• Autoclavable
• Intrusive
• Patient Contact
• Triboelectric Noise
– Datacomm/Telecomm
• UV Resistant
• Exposure to Elements
 What Type Of Signal Will The
Assembly Be Exposed To?
– Power
– Low voltage
– High Frequency

4. 4
Safety Authorities
 What Safety Certifications Will Be Needed For The Installation?
– NEC (National Electric Code)
• “Recommended Standard”
– Becomes law when officially adopted by state or local governments
– Local inspector has responsibility of enforcing
– UL (Underwriters Laboratories)
• Safety Consulting and Certification
• Tests cables and components to set standards
– CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
• Develops standards that enhance public safety
• Test cables and components to set standards
– ETL (Intertek Testing Services)
• Electrical performance and reliability testing service

5. 5
Cable Strain Relief
 Is A Strain Relief Needed To Protect The Assembly?
– Provides transition point from cable to connector or connection point
– Prevents load applied to cable from being transferred to terminations
• Point of termination most likely point of failure in applications needing flexibility
• Well designed strain relief will isolate termination points
– Strain Relief Available as pre-manufactured or over-molded designs

6. 6
Cable Strain Relief
 What are The Types Of Strain Reliefs?
– Pre-manufactured
• Typically slipped on cable before connector is terminated
• Glued or screwed onto the connector assembly
• Most off-the-shelf connectors have corresponding strain reliefs
– Over-molded
• Superior flex life
• Increased tensile strength
• Increased moisture protection
• Design may include strain relief and grommet
– Designed to be captured and held in place by
opening in enclosure

7. 7
Cable Strain Relief
 Over-molded Strain Reliefs Should Bond to Cable Outer
Insulation and Connector Body
– Increases tensile strength
– Increases moisture resistance
 Strain Reliefs Available In Solid/Smooth or Segmented
– Smooth design less flexible but easier to clean
• Ideal for environments such as Medical applications
– Segmented design uses spaces and walls
• Provides greatest amount of bend relief
• Segment closest to termination
point closes first
• Segment furthest away from
termination point closes last

8. 8
Cable Strain Relief
 Strain Reliefs Designed to Flex As Unidirectional or
Multidirectional
– Cable design limits flexibility
• Ribbon cable, bonded cable, lamp/power cord
 Length of Strain Relief Contributes to Performance
– Longer strain reliefs more effective

9. 9
Assembly Shielding Concerns
 Does The Assembly Need To Be
Shielded To Control EMI/RFI?
– Types of Shielding
• Foil Shield
– Low cost
– Ease of termination
– Good flexibility
– Excellent at high frequencies, less effective at
low frequencies
– Short flex life
• Braid Shield
– Higher cost
– More difficult to terminate
– Best at low frequencies
– Increased flex life
• Spiral Shield
– Excellent flexibility
– Long flex life
– Poor at high frequencies
– Difficult to terminate
• Foil and Braid Shield
– Best at all frequencies
– Ease of Termination
– Highest Cost

10. 10
Assembly Electrical Performance
 What Electrical Performance Issues Might Need To Be Addressed?
– Ampacity – Maximum Current Rating
• Conductor Size
• Circuit length
– Attenuation – Signal Reduction
• Conductor size
• Conductor material
• Insulation material
– Cross-talk – Signal From One Component Effects Another Component
• Pair twist
• Shielding of pairs
– High Frequency = Silver Plated Copper
• Silver conductivity better than copper
• Skin effect
– High Frequency = High Performance Compounds
• Foamed dielectrics

11. 11
Connector Choices
 What Methods Are Used To Attach Cables To Connectors?
– Crimp
• Connection achieved using solderless electrical connector
• Mechanically deformed / compressed (crimped) tightly around the wire
– Push/Press
• No tools required
– Solder
• Utilizes Solder Cup, Solder Eyelet,
Solder Hook, or Solder Tail for connection
– IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector)
• Connection process which forces a selectively sharpened blade or blades
through the insulation of a wire, bypassing the need to strip the wire of
insulation before connecting

12. 12
Assembly Choices
– Environment Concerns
• Vibration or Movement
– Locking Connectors
• Exposure to Fluids
– Sealed Connectors
– Performance Concerns
• Industry Standards
– HDMI
– SFP+
– QSFP
– Etc.
 What Are The Main Issues To Be Concerned With?

13. 13
Summary
 Many Options Available For Specific Installations
– Cable
– Connectors
– Strain Relief
 Type Of Signal and Installation Environment Drives ALL Options
– Cable
– Termination Method
– Connector Type
 Epec can work with you to design and build an assembly that is
suitable for you specific application and exceeds your
expectations.

14. 14
Our Products
Battery Packs Flex & Rigid-Flex PCB’s User Interfaces
Fans & Motors Cable Assemblies Printed Circuit Boards

15. 15
Design Centers & Technical Support
 Battery Pack & Power Management – Denver, CO
 User Interfaces – Largo, FL
 Fans & Motors – Wales, UK
 PCB’s – New Bedford, MA & Shenzhen, China
 Flex & Rigid Flex – Toronto, Canada
 Cable Assemblies – New Bedford, MA
 Our Engineering and Design teams are ready to help
our customers create world class and cost effective
product solutions.

16. 16
Q&A
 Questions?
– Enter any questions you may have
in the Control Panel.
– If we don’t have time to get to it, we
will reply via email.

17. 17
Thank You
Check out our previous webinars at www.epectec.com.
For more information email sales@epectec.com.
Stay Connected with Epec Engineered Technologies
Follow us on our social media sites for continuous technical updates and information: