Although all custom cables are different in their design, there is one characteristic they all share; they were all designed to solve some kind of problem a normal cable couldn’t address. Custom cables work where other cables simply can’t, whether that’s because a standard cable lacks the required power or simply isn’t long enough to reach whatever it is it needs to power.

The latter is actually one of the most common issues a cable designer has to contend with; a great deal of applications involve some form of height – think security cameras or flood lights. This is the same with high level masts, which again can feature some kind of video camera, a standard camera or even just lamps.

Building a cable to fulfil the core functions of these applications seems difficult. Not only does the cable need to be long enough to actually reach the equipment it needs to be connected to, but it also has to combine multiple functions, like powering the equipment while transmitting audiovisual data to a screen elsewhere. For lighting, a single cable is often required to light multiple lamps in a reliable manner.

There are other practical issues to consider too. Having multiple cables crawling up a mast can lead to those cables getting entangled, potentially leading to damage. This means that cable designers are often tasked with creating a single cable rather than having the luxury of two separate cables. The cable also needs to be strong and resilient enough to operate in occasionally adverse outdoor weather conditions.

The Solution

Most cables intended for use on high level masts and with CCTV cameras make use of multicore cables combining power, data and coaxial elements. This cable will be responsible for powering the equipment as well as ensuring that the data captured by the device (in this case, video data) is transmitted in a reliable manner. As the cable is to be used outdoor, a degree of cable screening is required to negate the ill-effects of electromagnetic interference and ensure that a smooth transmission of data is achieved. A cable jacket can also protect the cable against tampering and any environmental damage. Multicore cables are most commonly deployed for high altitude applications; the types of core the cable consists of, however, depends on the particular application. For lighting towers using more than one lamp, a multicore cable will usually consist of multiple power cores, each powering a different lamp. For adjustable masts, a solution will have to be devised with the manufacturer of the mast itself in order to ensure that the cable isn’t damaged when the mast is lowered or extended. In some cases, this will involve designing some kind of way to lower the cable separately to the mast, or to remove the cable altogether. For more information on custom cables for security and high-level purposes, contact Custom Designed Cables. Image credit: freefotouk