Wires and Cables: The Ultimate Playlist

It may not be at the top of everyone’s download list or not make number one in the album charts, but this is the definitive guide of songs and artists relevant to wire and cables. The ultimate playlist, so why not take a listen:

Artist                                                                                                                            Song

Athlete                                                                                                                    Wires

Haim                                                                                                                     The Wire

Chumbawumba                                                          Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire

Electric Wire Hustle                                                         Numbers and Steel

Leonard Cohen                                                                      Bird on the Wire

Kanye West                                                                         Through the Wire

Wire                                                                                  I Should Have Known Better

Adrenaline Mob                                                              The High Wire

Razorlight                                                                      Wire to Wire

Basic Cable Preachers                                                The View

Marty Robbins                                                              Jumper Cable Man

Eddy Grant                                                                      Electric ‘Wire’ Avenue

In Focus: The Bootlace Ferrule

 

Using the bootlace ferrule acts as a reliable electrical connection and protects the outer conductors and wire strands of flexible stranded wire from ‘bending’ and splaying. Ferrules are available uninsulated and insulated with colour coded plastic sleeves for single or dual wire applications.

Used in various components from terminal blocks, motor drives and a range of circuit breakers, the insulated bootlace ferrule prevents conductor breakage and allows for a simple insertion into final products. Generally used as an alternative to tinning or soldered connections, the bootlace ferrule is becoming the leading choice for wire and cable termination.

At Express Assemblies Ltd, bootlace ferrules are used daily with a variety of ferrules suited for customer specifications. From uninsulated to insulated collar and twin ferrules, the need for ferruling a wire or cable is now essential for our business prospects.

Choosing the correct ferrule therefore is critical to ensure a quality connection. There are two basic versions; French and German. Categorised by colour, the ferrule is determined by the size of the wire or wire gauge [AWG].  Both systems are equally good and to be honest unless specified by the customer, go with the simplest.

1

“Insulated ferrules also come in twin entry versions making a 2-1 termination quick and simple and we in the cable assembly business like them because they are not messy and require very little labour” 2

1.  https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=insulated+ferrule+colour+chart
2. http://www.electronicsweekly.com/electro-ramblings/industry-comment/only-connect-a-guide-to-insulated-ferrules-2013-02/#sthash.QaCdkzXl.dpuf 

 

We are well equipped to deal with any ferruling enquiry.

Express Yourself: Make Us Your Manufacturer

Choosing a custom wire or cable assembly supplier is a huge decision. With so many companies who specialise in this niche of the electronics manufacturing industry, out there, it is difficult for a potential customer to differentiate between them.

Ultimately you want a supplier that is efficient, good value for money, productive, reliable and that can meet the requirements of your job specification.

However, finding one that exceeds your requirements, and offers an impeccable quality of product, combined with the most competitive of lead times is often a tricky task.

That’s where we come in.

Express Assemblies has been trading for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in this industry. With a vast product portfolio, modern production plant and an unbeatable customer service record, we like to think we are working at the ‘cutting edge’ of wire and cable manufacturing and aim to be your number one choice for all your assembled product requirements.

So what makes us stand out?

E = Evolutionary: from humble beginnings on the kitchen table to now being a certified, accredited wire and cable business, operating to over 250 customers, the company has evolved into a huge force in the wire and cable assembly market.

X = eXcellence: Working to the pinnacle of quality excellence, Express Assemblies offers a range of services to add value to your business

P = Performance: catering our business to deal with any enquiry means we are flexible and adaptable in our approach. Not only this but we strive to meet production deadlines and demonstrate consistent work process performance from start to finish.

R = Reputation: As our product portfolio continues to expand and with a rapid rate in the growth of our business, we are achieving a strong reputation as one of the leading companies in the wire and cable assembly industry. We work hard to ensure our name reaches the masses and with repeat orders from over 97% of our customer base, our reputation speaks for itself.

E = Expertise: we have experienced, extremely capable staff on hand to deal with any questions or issues you may have regarding your wire and cable assembly.

S = Skilful: Express Assemblies can help bring a concept or idea to reality using highly skilled methods and training practice.

S = Successful: We like to think we are, 20 years and still going strong.

Without you, the customers, we would have no business. We want to work with you and offer you a process that provides simple, yet highly effective solutions to all your wire and cable assembly needs.

So why not Express yourself today and choose Express Assemblies Ltd, where we make the right connections!

In Focus: The Thermistor

 

PURPOSE

A thermistor is a semiconductor device with an electrical resistance proportional to temperature. The name is formed from a combination of the words “resistor” and “thermal.” Thermistors come in two types: one type is PTC, which stands for positive temperature coefficient of resistance; the other is NTC, which stands for negative temperature coefficient of resistance.

SIGNIFICANCE

All conductors have an electrical resistance proportional to their temperature. Everyday devices such as toasters, heaters, hair dryers and light bulbs operate on this principle. Thermistors are created to deliberately optimise this property and are more temperature sensitive than regular resistors. This sensitivity enables them to determine thermal measurements to within ranges of plus or minus .05 per cent to plus or minus .02 per cent. This accuracy makes them very effective as thermometers and sensors.

 FEATURES

Thermistors make excellent thermometers because they are small, very stable and long lasting, in addition to being accurate. They are better at measuring certain temperatures than thermocouples. The disadvantage is that like typical semiconductors they are non-linear, so circuits must be designed with this limitation in mind. Also, unlike thermocouples, they cannot be used at extreme temperatures and are usually confined to those from zero to one hundred degrees Celsius

NTC

NTCs are the most common type of thermistor. Their temperatures vary inversely with their resistance. When the temperature increases, their resistance decreases, and when the temperature decreases, their resistance increases. Another role is that of current suppressors. Additional tasks include temperature compensation, control and indication. NTCs are made from oxides of materials such as nickel, manganese, copper, iron and cobalt. Some are also made from silicon, germanium or a combination of both.

 PTC

PTC thermistors are the opposite of NTCs. When the temperature increases so does their resistance; when the temperature decreases, their resistance does the same. They are used as thermometers or switches and also for circuit overload protection. Other uses are for light switching, heating regulation, starting motors and telecoms. PTCs are constructed using semiconductors combined with ceramics or polymers.

 USES

Thermistors have important roles in circuit operations. In medicine, thermistors are used as clinical temperature sensors, in stethoscopes and as probes during surgery. They are found in other devices where temperature detection and control is vital, such as in controlling water, steam and air. In the food service industry, this ability is used in food safety and cooking equipment. Since they regulate temperature and provide protection against overheating in circuits, they can be found in cars, cell phones, computers, amplifiers, home appliances and more.

 

 

 

In Focus: The Electrolytic Capacitor

 

DEFINITION

“An electrolytic capacitor is a polarized capacitor which uses an electrolyte to achieve a larger capacitance than other capacitor types”

 

WHAT IS AN ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR?

An electrolytic capacitor is a type of capacitor that uses an electrolyte to achieve a larger capacitance than other capacitor types. An electrolyte is a liquid or gel containing a high concentration of ions. Almost all electrolytic capacitors are polarized, which means that the voltage on the positive terminal must always be greater than the voltage on the negative terminal

Electrolytic capacitors can be either wet-electrolyte or solid polymer and are commonly made of tantalum or aluminum.

 

Capacitance drift

 

The capacitance of electrolytic capacitors drifts from the nominal value as time passes, and they have large tolerances, typically 20%.  Tantalum electrolytic capacitors can be made with tighter tolerances, but their maximum operating voltage is lower so they cannot be always used as a direct replacement.

 

Polarity and safety

 

Due to the construction of electrolytic capacitors and the characteristics of the electrolyte used, electrolytic capacitors must be forward biased. This means that the positive terminal must always be at a higher voltage than the negative terminal. If the capacitor becomes reverse-biased (if the voltage polarity on the terminals is reversed), the insulating aluminum oxide, which acts as a dielectric, might get damaged and start acting as a short circuit between the two capacitor terminals. This can cause the capacitor to overheat due to the large current running through it. As the capacitor overheats, the electrolyte heats up and leaks or even vaporizes, causing the enclosure to burst. This process happens at reverse voltages of about 1 volt and above. To maintain safety and prevent the enclosure from exploding due to high pressures generated under overheat conditions, a safety valve is installed in the enclosure. It is typically made by making a score in the upper face of the capacitor, which pops open in a controlled manner when the capacitor overheats. Since electrolytes may be toxic or corrosive, additional safety measures may need to be taken when cleaning after and replacing an overheated electrolytic capacitor.

 

There is a special type of electrolytic capacitors for AC use, which is designed to withstand reverse polarisation. This type is called the non-polarized or NP type.

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are made of two aluminum foils and a paper spacer soaked in electrolyte. One of the two aluminum foils is covered with an oxide layer, and that foil acts as the anode, while the uncoated one acts as a cathode. During normal operation, the anode must be at a positive voltage in relation to the cathode, which is why the cathode is most commonly marked with a minus sign along the body of the capacitor. The anode, electrolyte-soaked paper and cathode are stacked. The stack is rolled, placed into a cylindrical enclosure and connected to the circuit using pins. There are two common geometries: axial and radial. Axial capacitors have one pin on each end of the cylinder, while in the radial geometry, both pins are located on the same end of the cylinder

Read more http://www.capacitorguide.com/electrolytic-capacitor

 

 

In Focus: The Ferrite Bead

 

A ferrite bead is a passive electric component that suppresses high frequency noise in electronic circuits. It is a specific type of electronic choke. Ferrite beads employ the dissipation of high frequency currents in a ferrite ceramic to build high frequency noise suppression devices. Ferrite beads may also be called blocks, cores, rings, EMI filters, or chokes

Large ferrite beads are commonly seen on external cabling. Ferrite beads are one of the simplest and least expensive types of interference filters to install on pre-existing electronic cabling. For a simple ferrite ring, the wire is simply wrapped around the core through the centre. The introduction of the ferrite core around the wire increases the wire’s self-inductance, and thus still absorbs energy from noise in the wire.

Ferrite beads prevent interference in two directions: from a device or to a device meaning that the energy is either reflected back up the cable, or dissipated as low level heat.

The Ideal ‘Route’ for your Wires and Cables

Wire and cable routing is a significant point of product design and specification and one that is often overlooked. Choosing the right route for your wires and cables not only improves the aesthetic appeal of the product but also improves system performance and product maintenance.

Good routing allows for a longer product shelf-life, ease of assembly solutions and provides an improved solution to repairing and maintaining routes for access around cables.

Most products connect a variety of components together to make the complete product. Connecting a PCB, switches, relays, motors, and other components together often includes a number of cables that must be positioned to allow for final assembly at a minimum for the product to work and be visually appealing.

Choosing Express Assemblies Ltd: The ‘Ideal Route’

At Express Assemblies Ltd, we are often asked to help customers with the routing of their wires and cables. With a number of ‘routing’ measures, the company ensures to meet all project demands and offers a number of solutions, to what for some can cause a real headache and lead to complete project redesigns.

Why not consider:

• Wire or Cable Loom/Harness: A wiring loom or cable harness is a very useful solution to help with the routing of wires and cables. Harnesses and looms can be created in a number of ways from using off the shelf components to strategic placement of cable ties or electrical tape. The advantage of a proper cable harness is that all of the wires and cables share a common path through the product that can be easier to secure and protect the wires from damage, vibrations, and the environment. Also using a single-routing path is often a better use of space, the risk of wires shorting is reduced, and installation becomes simpler.
• Cable Identification Methods: Using Express’ cable-identification methods such as single-character wire markers or heat-shrinkable labels offers an ideal way to trace and identify any wires and cables.
• Wire and Cable Cut and Strip Length: As a wire cut and strip business, Express is very knowledgeable of the fact that the less wire you use [i.e. the length of wire] in your wiring routes, it offers a significant cost saving but also reduces opportunity for RF and EMI noise to get in and disrupt electronic pulses and signals.
• Wire and Cable Types: With Express Assemblies stocking a wide variety of wire and cable types, we can also advise what types of wire and cable would be the best choice for your routing enquiries. The current a wire will carry as well as the voltage of the signal are two of the key wire selection factors that must be taken in to account.
• Routing Channels: Express Assemblies offers a number of ‘routing channels’ that offer a flexible and adaptable approach for any wire and cable routing problem. Using tubing and sleeving, as well as a large range of cable management techniques, we can approve and apply our designs to most applications.
• Fasteners and Fixings: With our extensive inventory of fasteners and fixings, we can provide an easy and quick installation approach to secure and fasten any wire or cable route.

 

Man v. Machine

So as reported in this month’s Assembly Magazine,” a new generation of robots are redefining man-machine interaction and rewriting the way that automation can be used in manufacturing environments. Collaborative robots can perform a variety of repetitive assembly tasks—all while safely and intelligently working next to people without the need for traditional safety barriers; soon there will be no need for humans on the manufacturing line”.

http://www.assemblymag.com/articles/91862-human-robot-collaboration-comes-of-age

This is an interesting point. Can OEM’s operate without direct human interaction and can manufacturing processes simply be left to robotic machines and automated techniques.

Since robots first started appearing in factories 50 years ago, research suggests that robots have been put in place to deliver 100% perfection and eliminate human error. All very well in theory, but in practice, a working relationship is built on communication face to face with a customer and supplier.

No matter how sophisticated the machine we are talking about, there will always be a need for the human touch in manufacturing plants and assembly factories. I understand the benefits of using autonomous measures: cost effectiveness in the future, improvements in accuracy and efficiency and a more thorough and detailed analysis of work procedure, but if the assembly process becomes entirely ‘robotic’ then working practice becomes flawed.

What if the machines break down, how do they repair if there is no need for human contact?

With the machines now commercially available, it seems the only reason that a company would use these robots is purely technology-driven. Robotics will definitely have a massive part in our lives in the future, but I cannot help thinking what a sad day it will be when man gets replaced with machine!

‘GAUGING THE RIGHT WIRE’

When considering various engineering projects and electrical applications, it is safe to say that you are going to be using some sort of electrical wire.  When choosing your wire of choice, it is therefore important to know how to determine the size of wire you require.

But where to begin? When choosing wire all sizes are determined by the American Wire Gauge scale or AWG for short. This defines a wire size based on a set of wire cross-sectional areas. The different gauges are used to determine the amount of current available to pass through the wire.

The important thing to remember is that the larger the diameter of the wire, the more current the wire can handle, but the lower the gauge size.

Choosing the correct electrical wire gauge is critical because using underrated wire creates a fire hazard and can cause repetitive and annoying circuit breaker trips

At Express Assemblies Ltd we generally handle standard wire gauges ranging from 2AWG to 24AWG, but can cut cable up to 30AWG. This clearly shows that we are very flexible in our manufacturing process and adapt to a diverse range of requirements.

WIRE SIZE	WIRE GAUGE [AWG]
0.25mm	24
0.5mm	22
0.75mm	20
1.0mm	18
1.5mm	16
2.5mm	14
4.0mm	12
6.0mm	10
10.0mm	8
16.0mm	6
25.0mm	4
35.0mm	2-3

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY CRIMPING

Used as a means to improve connection between a terminal and a wire or cable, crimping technologies have revolutionised the wire and cable manufacturing market, with many companies opting to include this procedure in their daily business.

Where connecting and joining wires used to be simply soldered terminations, it is now perceived that crimping methods are the correct technique to use when terminating wires or cables.

Using both automatic and manual processes, and using both insulated and uninsulated components; the importance of quality crimping is vital to ensure that a product does not ‘short’ or fault during electrical installation.

So why is crimping the best choice?

• EFFICIENT: It is a time-saving exercise; instead of painstakingly terminating all wires by hand, the use of automated crimping methods is a much improved method of efficiency and also with the correct set-up ensures that all wires/cables are produced to the same quality.
• CHEAP: Terminals are often very cheap to buy and also if there happens to be a problem with some of the crimps, they are very easy to repair or replace.
• CONVENIENT: Crimps and crimping materials are extremely easy to get hold of. There are literally thousands of places to source crimps and crimping equipment.
• PERFORMANCE: Crimps are put through rigorous testing process before you [the customer] receives them, meaning that you can rely on their performance for final installation.

I hope this post has been helpful, and don’t forget we want to hear your views and comments, so please get in touch.