Twisted Pair Color Schemes

The two conductors of a pair are twisted together so they won't separate and to enhance electrical properties. The colors are referred to as "Tip" and "Ring", terms which originate with the old plug-and-cord based switchboards. The plug was a phono jack type with a tip element, an insulating disk, and the shaft, or ring, of the plug. The conductors of the pair were terminated in their respective elements of the plug. Tip Colors White Red Black Yellow Violet Ring Colors Blue Orange Green Brown Slate (gray)

To make 25 different pairs, each tip conductor color is combined with each ring conductor color. Pair 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Tip White White White White White Red Red Red Red Red Black Black Ring Blue Orange Green Brown Slate Blue Orange Green Brown Slate Blue Orange Pair 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Tip Black Black Black Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Violet Violet Violet Violet Violet Ring Green Brown Slate Blue Orange Green Brown Slate Blue Orange Green Brown Slate

Using this method an installer can navigate pretty effectively in a 25 pair group of pairs and be able to tell one pair from another. A 25 pair group becomes the basic building block for bigger cables. Each 25 pair group, or unit, as they are also called, is loosely bound with colored binders. The binder color sequence is the same as that of the pairs, i.e., the binders for group one are colored White/Blue, for the second group are colored White/Orange, and so on. This system allows up to 600 pair cables (violet/slate binders are never used; 25 pairs x 24 units = 600 pair) to be made.

Positive Identification A bandmark is a ring of ink encircling the conductor at regular intervals. A longitudinal stripe is a narrow mark either painted down the length of the conductor or included in the color of the insulation during extrusion. Bandmarked Striped

In a white/blue pair the white conductor would have blue bandmarks (or a blue stripe) and the blue conductor would have white bandmarks (or a white stripe). Note that in a cable smaller than 6 pairs, it may only be necessary to apply bandmarks or stripes to the tip conductor (all the ring conductors will be a unique color)

Types of Coaxial Cables

Coaxial cables have been associated with the data communication industry for a long time. These cables consist of a copper conductor surrounded by layers of dielectric insulator. RG-6 RG-6 (radio grade-6) cable is the most frequently used and distributed coaxial cable around. It is also known as home cable, since it is used in connecting a television set to a cable television (CATV) signal distributor. This cable has a single copper conductor surrounded by a copper braided dielectric insulator contained within an outer protective covering. With a standard impedance of 75 ohms, RG-6 is a successor to RG-59 cable, which was used in applications like audio and video transmission.

RG-8 RG-8 cable, also called 10Base5 Thicknet cable, has a very rugged design, carrying several layers of dielectric material and shielding over its core conductor. RG-8 cables are available with a standard characteristic impedance of 50 to 52 ohms. The central copper conductor has a core diameter of 2.17 mm and frequency response range as high as 500 MHz, making it suitable for radio applications. Compared with RG-6 and RG-59 coaxes, RG-8 cables are not ideal for carrying audio and video signals. RG-8 coaxial cables were succeeded by RG-58 or 10Base2 Thin-net cables, which served as a standard medium in local area networks for a long time.

Twinaxial This type of coaxial cable has two copper or aluminum braids parted by an insulating material. In addition to that, a twinaxial cable has a pair of plastic-coated solid conducting wires at the core, which carry two differential electric voltages in order to fulfill maximum transmission and reception requirements. Different manufacturers have their own standardized twinaxial cables for their particular devices. Twinaxial cables are commonly used in computer networking environments. Triaxial Triaxial or triax is a form of coaxial cable which has three protecting shields for a single copper conductor contained at the core. These shields include two copper or aluminum layered meshes, parted from each other through a dielectric insulator. This set of coverings increases the cable's efficiency and effectively decreases the amount of signal leakage and external noise interference. Triaxial cables come in different varieties with respect to impedance and gauges, which makes them highly suitable for electronic applications requiring minimum electromagnetic interference in transmission. Semi-Rigid Semi-rigid coaxial cables are inflexible cables with solid conductor covering over the insulator-packed internal conductor. This solid covering provides an additional benefit at higher frequencies, especially on microwave frequencies where skin effect takes place. Skin effect is the quality of electrical signal to flow at the outer levels of a conductor on high frequencies. Semi-rigid coaxial cables are widely used in applications like long-haul data links, which require collection of microwave signals on a physical medium. Coaxial Cable Standards
type impedanc e ohms 75 core Dielectri c Type Dielectri c in OD in shields comments max attenuation @ 750 MHz 5.65dB/100 f t

RG-6/U

1.0 mm

PF

0.185

0.27 0

double

RG-6/UQ

75

PF

0.29 8

quad

RG-7

75

1.30 mm

PF

0.225

0.32 0

double

Low loss at high frequency for cable television, satellite television and cable modems This is "quad shield RG-6". It has four layers of shielding; regular RG-6 only has one or two Low loss at high frequency for cable television, satellite television and cable

5.65dB/100 f t

4.57dB/100 f t

RG-8/U RG-8X

50 50

2.17 mm 1.0 mm

PE PF

0.285 0.185

0.40 5 0.24 2

modems Amateur radio; double A thinner version, with the electrical characteristics of RG-8U in a diameter similar to RG-6.

RG-9/U RG-11/U RG-58/U

51 75 50 1.63 mm 0.81 mm

PE PE PE 0.285 0.116

0.42 0 0.41 2 0.19 5

Triple/Qua d single

RG-59/U

75

0.81 mm

PE

0.146

0.24 2

single

3C-2V

75

0.50 mm

PE

single

5C-2V

75

0.80 mm

PE

0.181

0.25 6

double

RG-60/U

50

1.024 mm

PE

0.42 5

single

RG-62/U

92

PF

0.24 2 0.24 2 0.10 0 0.09

single

RG-62A RG-174/U RG-179/U

93 50 75 7x0.16 m m 70.1 mm

ASP PE PTFE 0.059 0.063

single single single

Used for long drops and underground conduit Used for radiocommunication and amateur radio, thin Ethernet (10BASE2) and NIMelectronics. Common. Used to carry baseband vide o in closed-circuit television, previously used for cable television. Generally it has poor shielding but will carry an HQ HD signal or video over short distances. Used to carry television, video observation systems, and other. PVC jacket. Used for interior lines for monitoring system, CCTV feeder lines etc. Used for highdefinition cable TV and high-speed cable Internet. Used for ARCNET and automotive radio antennas. Used for NIM electronics Common for wifi pigtails VGA RGBHV

3.65dB/100 f t

6.97dB/100 f t

RG180B/U

95

RG-213/U

50

0.0120 in (Ag plated Cu clad steel) 70.0296 in Cu

PTFE

0.102

0.14 5

single Ag covered Cu single

VGA RGBHV

PE

0.285

0.40 5

RG-214/U

50

70.0296 in

PE

0.285

0.42 5

double

For radiocommunication and amateur radio, EMC test antenna cables. Typically lower loss than RG58. Common. Used for high frequency signal transmission.

Fiber Optic Connectors Fiber Optic Connectors have traditionally been the biggest concern in using fiber optic systems. While connectors were once unwieldy and difficult to use, connector manufacturers have standardized and simplified connectors greatly. This increasing user-friendliness has contributed to the increase in the use of fiber optic systems; it has also taken the emphasis off the proper care and handling of optical connectors.

Figure 1 - Parts of a Fiber Optic Connector

Fiber optic connector types are as various as the applications for which they were developed. Different connector types have different characteristics, different advantages and disadvantages, and different performance parameters. But all connectors have the same four basic components. The Ferrule: The fiber is mounted in a long, thin cylinder, the ferrule, which acts as a fiber alignment mechanism. The ferrule is bored through the center at a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the fiber cladding. The end of the fiber is located at the end of the ferrule. Ferrules are typically made of metal or ceramic, but they may also be constructed of plastic. The Connector Body: Also called the connector housing, the connector body holds the ferrule. It is usually constructed of metal or plastic and includes one or more assembled pieces which hold the fiber in place. The details of these connector body assemblies vary among connectors, but bonding and/or crimping is commonly used to attach strength members and cable jackets to the connector body. The ferrule extends past the connector body to slip into the coupling device. The Cable: The cable is attached to the connector body. It acts as the point of entry for the fiber. Typically, a strain-relief boot is added over the junction between the cable and the connector body, providing extra strength to the junction. The Coupling Device: Most fiber optic connectors do not use the male-female configuration common to electronic connectors. Instead, a coupling device such as an alignment sleeve is used to mate the connectors. Similar devices may be installed in fiber optic transmitters and receivers to allow these devices to be mated via a connector. These devices are also known as feed-through bulkhead adapters.

Types Of Optical Connectors Connector Insertion Loss 0.50-1.00 dB 0.20-0.70 dB FDDI 0.15 db (SM) 0.10 dB (MM) 0.30-1.00 dB 0.2 dB SM, MM High Density Interconnection Repeatability >0.20 dB Fiber Type SM, MM Applications Datacom, Telecommunications Fiber Optic Network

FC 0.20 dB SM, MM

LC

0.25 dB

SM, MM

High Density Interconnection

MT Array 0.20-0.45 dB SC 0.20-0.45 dB SC Duplex Typ. 0.40 dB (SM) Typ. 0.50 dB (MM) Typ. 0.40 dB (SM) Typ. 0.20 dB (MM) SM, MM Inter-/Intra-Building, Security, Navy 0.10 dB SM, MM Datacom 0.10 dB SM, MM Datacom

ST