What wire am I looking At? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: _rushin_or_draggin_
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 06:11:19 pm
content: Hey all,I have been watching CuriousMarc's series on the Apollo AGC and Unified S-Band transponder series and I notice the wire they use when making the crimp connections to connect the units are twisted pairs. The closest thing I have been able to find that is similar is CAN wire...I also notice that CAN wire (at least what I was looking at) isn't really the cheapest cable out there. I was wondering if anyone could confirm whether this is CAN wire and if not if they could point me in the right direction. I've attached a screenshot from the video. Thanks!

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 06:34:09 pm
content: It could be Ethernet cable. 4 pairs with color codes of blue, orange, green, and brown. One lead in the pair is mostly or all the main color (e.g. blue) while the other lead has small sections of the associated color on a white background. The cable is relatively cheap, easily available, and suitable for high bitrate connections.

author: _rushin_or_draggin_
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 06:44:27 pm
content: I was thinking that as well, but I see other colors than the regular orange green blue and brown. But for what I would do with it, Ethernet cable wouldn’t be a terrible option (especially since I have 1000s of feet that I use for side jobs.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 07:33:26 pm
content: Possibly telephone cablehttps://www.caledonian-cables.co.uk/Telephone/order/Colour%20Codes.htm

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 07:48:52 pm
content: Quote from: oPossum on August 24, 2024, 07:33:26 pmI was going to say this as well, based on the color banding in the screenshot. This video shows similarly coded cable and talks about the coding (with bonus wire wrapping + cable lacing on actual telephone exchange hardware):https://youtu.be/WUcAhoReuM0?t=943

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2024, 03:47:41 pm
content: Quote from: oPossum on August 24, 2024, 07:33:26 pmX2. That looksexactlylike the wires from the 52 pair telephone cables that I used to install. It was great stuff and literally made to last forever but it's solid conductor so you can't use it where there will much flexing or it will work harden and break. 52 pair cable has many color combinations such as green/red, yellow/black, etc but in the photo it looks like he's only using the white/(pick you color) wires.

author: Conrad Hoffman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2024, 06:45:37 pm
content: Sure looks like phone pairs. If solid, not good for flexing. OTOH, it's usually untinned plain copper and will give low thermoelectric voltages in measurement applications. I use it for calibration setups. It's also cheap, if you work for some business that has a ceiling full of the stuff that's no longer in use.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2024, 07:18:08 pm
content: Definitely old copper solid core telephone wire. Great stuff to have around, especially if you had a box of it that was yanked out of a building and got it for cheap, but for hookup wire, not so much for cables.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2024, 03:33:26 am
content: It looks like the same stuff as thishttp://bellsystempractices.org/telephones/ColorCodes/colors.htmtelephone wire

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2024, 07:12:19 pm
content: I used to have a buddy that worked for the phone company and he brought to me the end scraps of cables well over an inch in diameter. Lots of strands of wire of many colors, most of which is 26 AWG. Some cables have 28 AWG. One 4 ft piece lasts forever. It's especially good for breadboards.

author: _rushin_or_draggin_
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2024, 11:19:21 pm
content: Went ahead and ordered some 24 AWG cross connect cable real cheap. Unfortunately, I don’t have any old installs I can rip the stuff from or anyone that has a lot of it laying around. I’m gonna try it out and see if it works for what I want. 26 might be better. Thanks for all the help guys!