Concept to Reality – It’s Easy Right?

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You never know when an idea will come to you. It may occur during a lunchtime discussion or in bed as you’re slipping in and out of consciousness. Quickly, you do a sketch of the idea on a napkin or a piece of paper while it is still fresh in your head. The rest is easy, after all it’s just a cable right? Not always.

Cable Selection

Selection of the appropriate cable may not be as simple as initially thought. The obvious factors that need to be considered are the current, voltage and shielding requirements for the application. Other factors that need to be considered are:

1. Temperature range. Depending on the application you may have a requirement for extreme temperature resistance in either direction. This will determine the type of jacket and insulation required for the composition of the cable.
2. Emissions. When dealing with applications in the field of public transportation, whether it is land, sea or air, there will be a requirement for low toxic emissions. This will also put limitations on the materials used in the construction of the cable.

Connection Points

Ultimately, your cable or harness will be a bridge between two or multiple interfaces, connecting them to give power and receive information. These interfaces are most commonly drives, controllers, feedback sensors and peripherals. In general, interfaces will come with a point of connection so connector selection will be based on the mate required for the interface. This makes selection easy. There are two main factors to consider when sourcing connectors.

1. The availability of the connector which could affect the lead time of the assembly if the connector is not a stock item.
2. The tooling required for a proper and reliable crimp which could impact the initial cost.

If you know the regulations that govern your end user, this is the first step to developing your cable or harness. The information contained in the regulation will greatly narrow your filed when selecting cables and connectors.