Electrical Wire & Cable Specialists

You may have heard of security alarm cable if you’ve spent an appreciable amount of time researching electrical infrastructure, but have you ever heard of shielding? Just like other specially engineered types of electrical equipment, security cables are no different. Marine cable and welding cable need to be flexible. Solar cable needs to be resistant to UV light. These are just facts of life for certain classes of cable. While not all cables are shielded, many are, and it’s a term you’re liable to come across if you deal with them on a regular basis. With that in mind, what does shielding mean with respect to cables? It’s not like a type of physical armor, but it does serve a similar purpose, although not against mechanical stress. For many types of wire, shielding takes the form of a special or reflective foil insulation that protects the cables against a specific type of interference known as EMI or electromagnetic interference. Electromagnetic interferen...

Belden is a long-standing manufacturer of networking, security and electrical cable products that, despite its official location in the United States, has a multinational presence. It is one of those companies that has achieved the desired status of brand-equivalency-to-products, whereby some network, security and fire alarm cables are simply referred to as Belden cables. Because of that, it’s fairly common to see searches for Belden fire alarm cables instead of simply for fire alarm cables. As Belden has set the standard for reliability and operability in the industries for instrumentation and alarm cable, many other producers have capitalized on this level of quality by creating “Belden equivalents.” If you’re in a situation wherein you’re having a hard time finding Belden fire alarm cable but need to source high quality fire alarm or instrumentation cables, including those shielded against electromagnetic interference (EMI), visit EWCS Wire at EWCSWir...

When you year the term battery cable wire , you’re probably working with battery cable, since wire is a single conductor and cable is made up of many small conductors braided together. Most so called battery wire is actually battery cable for one (or more) of the reasons that will be covered below. If you’re looking for battery cable (wire), it probably means you have a problem with your battery or electrical connections. This could be a problem with the wire but it could also be a problem with the battery or the connection. Test the battery’s health using a multimeter and if the reading indicates low voltage, you may want to try charging the battery. If the battery will not hold a charge, it may be time to replace the battery itself. That is to say, your wire or cable may not be the culprit. In that case, check the battery terminals and the connections. Corrosion may also cause issues with power; if there is corrosion on the terminals, you may want to try cleaning ...

You probably knew that household wiring was usually made from copper conductors. Copper has excellent conductivity, low resistance, and is fairly ductile, so it can be bent into shape mechanically where necessary. It’s also fairly affordable, making it a useful material for wiring. What you may not have known was that household wiring is limited in its scope of applications, and that there are many other specialized forms of wiring that are useful within their scope of use. For example, photovoltaic cables are, among other things, resistant to weathering and UV light so that they can be used outside with solar arrays. Welding cables that are meant to be used with welding equipment have to be made as flexible as possible while still remaining resistant to the widest range of environmental stressors possible. Another specialized form of electrical wiring is marine electrical wire , also known as marine grade cable or wire. While marine grade wire and battery cables are also made...

Fire alarm cables are the cables that carry power and information to and from the nodes on a fire alarm system. When one alarm node sounds off, the system communicates that information with the other sensors on the network as well as with any control center that operates them. These systems are a critical component of the safety of manmade infrastructures and are regulated as a matter of law. That makes alarm wire and cable another matter that falls under this same umbrella of importance. Because an operable fire alarm system is so important to security as well as with legal compliance, it helps to understand the nature of the cables and wires that feed and service these systems. Here are some of the terms you are liable to come across in your search. Riser rated vs. plenum rated - Riser rated cables are rated for use in the vertical spaces between the floors of a building, and plenum rated cables are rated for use in plenum space - the space above a drop ceiling. Shielded vs. uns...

Fire alarm cable is a specific type of alarm cable or instrumentation cable that possesses certain features that make it suitable for its use. Unsurprisingly, and as you could have guessed, fire alarm cable is the cable that is used to monitor and control a fire alarm system. As these systems are regulated and prescribed by law, it is imperative that they function as intended and that only components that are well designed for their use are put into place. As the security of inhabited buildings is of the utmost importance, these special cables can often be found classified accordingly in order to ensure their fitness for an application. Power Limited vs. Non Power Limited - The basis of the difference between power limited and non power limited alarm cables has to do with their compliance according to the National Electric Code. To keep things as simple as possible, power limited cables can only be used with power limited circuits whereas non power limited cables can be used with ci...

Alarm and security systems require a certain grade of wire according to the National Electric Code (NEC) that differs from other kinds of common wiring in several ways. Proper security alarm cable is designed for installation in various Power Limited Control Circuits, as well as an array of different intercom and fire alarm systems. The main defining element when it comes to security alarm cables are their smaller gauge, and the specially designed insulation that is meant to reduce interference from potential frequencies that could throw off the system and send false alarms. This would obviously create a variety of problems, so the integrity of such wires needs to be high in quality in order to fully prevent potential mishaps. The Importance of High-Quality Security Alarm Cables Regardless of the nature of the job, you need quality cables that are up to the right specifications and won’t fail when the time comes. Depending on the system, whether it is a fire alarm system or anothe...