CABLES AND TYPES OF CABLES

An electric cable is a set of wire that are covered in plastic or rubber. It is used to transmit
and distribute electricity to homes, businesses, and other facilities. Electric cable is made of three
main components, namely, conductor, dielectric, and sheath. The conducting path for the current
in the cable is provided by the conductor. The insulation or dielectric withstands the service
voltage and isolates the live conductor with other objects. The sheath does not allow the
moistures to enter and protects the cables from all external influences like chemical or
electrochemical attacks and fire.
Electric cable identification is highly important because it differentiates what insulation
was used, how many cables are there, and how long they are. Identifications mostly inscribed on
cables are; THHN, THWN, THW and XHHN.
T – Thermoplastic insulation which is fire resistant
H – Heat-resistance materials, can endure temperature of up to 750C (167F)
HH – Highly Heat-resistance and can withstand temperature of up to 900C (194F)
W – Wet, used in dry environments
X – Flame-retardant
N – Nylon-coated, it protects against oil and gasoline
CLASSIFICATION OF CABLES AND COLORS
Different colors of wires are used for different purposes. In DC circuits, the colors are,
Brown or Red: Wires for positive current.
Blue or Black: Wires for the negative current.
White or Grey: Ground wires.
For AC circuits
Blue or Black: Phase 1 lines are colored black or blue. These wires are for power generation.
Red: Phase 2 or transmission wires.
Blue: Phase 3 or power distribution wires.
White: Neutral wires.
Green or Green with Yellow Stripes: Ground wires.
TYPES OF CABLES
Electric cable can be classified into
1. Electrical cable
2. Power cable
 3. Computer cable
Electrical Cables
An electrical cable is a term for the cable that is used for the transportation and
distribution of electrical energy. These cables are used where high voltage transmission is done,
and overhead power lines are impractical to utilize. Electrical cables are classified into 5 types
depending upon their purpose as follows:
1. Shielded Cables: They are utilized in high voltage transmission applications, such as
security systems deployed in public areas. It consists of one or more insulated wires made
of braided copper or aluminium strands that are woven together, as well as a polymer
conducting layer, which is then completely encased in a jacket.
2. Ribbon Electric Cables: This cable is made up of several insulated wires that run side-
by-side and are used to transmit multiple data signals at the same time. It is generally
used for interconnection of networking devices and also commonly used to connect the
CPU with the motherboard.
3. Twisted Pair Cables: Cables with twisted pairs are typically used in telephone cables to
withstand outside disturbances. This cable has two or more insulated wires that are
twisted together and coded with color
4. Coaxial Cables: These cables are used to transmit high-frequency signals with minimal
energy loss in several devices like televisions, radio transmitters, antennas, and many
more.
5. Fibre Optics Cables: These types of cables which transport optical data signals from an
attached light source to the receiving device.
Power Cables
Power cables are mainly used for electric power transmission from substations to
necessary locations. These cables can be used as underground or overhead based on the
requirement. These cables include several conductors which are protected through an external
coating known as insulation. These cables are available in different types such as;
1. Belted Cables: This cable consists of three conductors that are bunched together &
enclosed with an insulating paper ‘belt’ which is coated dielectrically. These cables are
used where the voltage range between 11-22KV.
2. Screened Cables: These cables are applicable for up to 33KV of voltage range, however,
in some cases, the voltage range can be increased up to 66KV.
3. Pressurized Type Cables: These cables come in two varieties: oil-filled and gas
pressurized. Oil-filled cables are suitable for up to 500 kV, whereas gas pressure cables
are suitable for up to 275 kV.
Computer Cables
These are cable plug or cord which consists of one or more wires coated with plastic
materials used to transmits data or power to various electronic devices. There are different types
of cables in the market, like
1. High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable for transmitting high-definition
video and audio
2. Video Graphics Array (VGA) cable used for sending video signals and also used for
establishing the connection between the CPU and monitor of a computer system.
3. Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable used to connect an LCD monitor to a video card.
These cables deliver high-resolution video data to monitors
4. Ethernet cable is used in a wired network to connect different devices like PCs, routers &
switches in a LAN. If this cable length is not long or not durable then the connection
quality will be reduced.
5. Personal System/2 (PS/2 ) cable is available with a round connector with 6 pins. These
cables are mainly used to connect the keyboard & mouse to the computer system.
6. USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable is used to attach various peripherals to a computer
device.
7. Computer power cord are cables used for supplying electricity to devices, and countless
others.
8. Audio cables generally used for connecting a PC sound card, small stereo audio device,
or small CD player to any speaker.
9. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a protocol that allows electronic musical
instruments, computers, and other devices to communicate with one another.