subject: Surprising Facts About Coiled Cables [print this page] Surprising Facts About Coiled Cables Surprising Facts About Coiled Cables
Coiled cables have been around for nearly a century. Their most notorious use comes with the traditional dial telephone. Such cables make connecting two electronic devices a snap and are highly practical since they have the ability to stretch and not tangle as much as ordinary straight cable. Likewise, coiled cables prevent the need of having feet of excess cable lying around.
Coiled cables have an advantage over straight cables since the coil up and act as a spring. To make this possible the type of conductors used must be appropriate. Not only must their strands be adequately chosen, twisted, and bundled properly. This, of course means using only the right materials for their insulation.
Before one jumps right into building a coiled cable, this person must have plans on how the cable is to be used. This means planning for the type of climate the cable is to be used in and how many cycles the cable should have. For example, coiled cables made to be used indoors may be unsafe outside or in damp areas. Also cables with too wide or too narrow of coils can be more inefficient than good.
Furthermore, how many conductors a coiled cable must have as well as the inside diameter must be taken into account. While the most basic types of cables may use only one conductor, the more complex ones can require as many as 18. "Twisted pair" is a term that is applied to groups of conductors bound together. Whatever type of rod selected to wrap the cable around then determines the inside diameter of the cable. This may be as small as 1/4th inch up to 4 inches. Keep in mind, the larger the rod chosen, the less spring action the cable will have.
Finally, the heat treatment process is applied to the newly wrapped coiled cable. Just the right amount of heat is used to soften the outer layer (thermoplastic coating), while too much heat will cause it to melt and too little will have no effect. This phase is necessary to ensure the cable will remain coiled. The last step applied is what is called the "reverse winding." This is done by expanding the outer layer of the cord while shrinking the inside layer. Once the cord receives this treatment the coils are then forced inward giving the new coiled cable spring action.
