RJ45 TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001 Category 5E and 6 colour code & pin out
VDC, in common with the majority of the UK, defaults to the T568-B wiring standard. Holding the RJ45 connector with the latch underneath and contacts facing away from you, pin 1 is on the left hand side.
Home Smart Ask Technical
Van Damme Colour Code IEC 60189-2
Most Van Damme audio multicore cables; such as Blue Series Studio Grade, Black Series Tour Grade and Green Series Digi Grade, use the IEC colour code shown below to define the multicore pair's channel number.
Home Smart Ask Technical
Def-Stan (Defence Standard 61-12) & Overall Screen Data Cable (Belden Equivalents)
Home Smart Ask Technical
Product summary
Home Smart Ask Technical
Crimp Tooling Summary
Van Damme recommend Greenlee Paladin Crimp tool frames and die sets.
Crimp tool frames
Die set table
Home Smart Ask Technical
Connector crimp dimensions summary
The following table lists the accurate crimp dimensions for the connector range should you wish to source your own tools, use a centre contact crimp tool or use a combination of alternative crimp dies.
Home Smart Ask Technical
Product summary
Home Smart Ask Technical
Crimp Tooling Summary
Van Damme recommend Greenlee Paladin Crimp tool frames and die sets.
The following table lists the accurate crimp dimensions for the connector range should you wish to source your own tools, use a centre contact crimp tool or use a combination of alternative crimp dies.
Home Smart Ask Technical
Van Damme Digital Coaxials Transmission Length Guidelines
Calculated transmission lengths have been reduced (safety factor) as jitter and other errors are more likely to occur in the last 10% of a cable run. The safety factor is increased for flexible and multicore coaxes as they are frequently deployed rather than installed. The use of precision 75 Ohm components throughout the signal chain is imperative, and the use of cable or bulkhead couplers will reduce the transmission length. Transmission length is not guaranteed, and may also be exceeded, as it is co-dependant on the equipment being used.
For ST 2082 12 Gb/s single link use 268-875-000 Van Damme Enhanced HD Vision, maximum cable length 50 m.
Van Damme UHD coaxial cable range is in development.
Home Smart Ask Technical
Van Damme Tourcat Transmission Length Guidelines
The transmission lengths below have been derived from Fluke DTX series cable verifier tests, apart from the TourCat Cat 6A hybrid range where the Cat 6A element’s specifications and field tests have been used. Test criteria and additional information are below:
Category 5E Channel Link Gigabit data rates (1000BaseT). Also applies to 100Mbit Category 6A Channel Link 10G data rates (10GBaseT)
Channel link testing in a network environment comprises a permanent link of up to 90 metres (e.g. patch panel to wall outlet), plus up to 5 metre patchcords at each end (e.g. patch panel to network switch, wall outlet to computer). As the Van Damme TourCat range is designed for touring applications channel link tests have been conducted on a single cable run without patch panels or patchcords. In most cases assemblies would be used from device to device – e.g. Digital Console Stage Rack to Control Surface; DVI-D Cat X converter transmitter to receiver.
If using patch panels and patchcords in a system precision components and high quality patchcords, preferably terminated to length rather than ‘off the shelf’, are strongly recommended.
*Terminated with Cat 6A RJ45 connectors
See the relevant product datasheet for Fluke DTX test result graphs Longer transmission lengths may be possible but are not guaranteed
Common digital audio networks protocols
Digico Cat 5E and Madi C
Digico’s Cat 5E and MADI-C are not based on Ethernet connectivity, although they both use RJ45 Neutrik EtherCon connectors and Cat 5E/6/6A cable. Note that both protocols require screened cable and connectors.
The importance of headroom
The majority of Digital Audio network protocols referenced earlier are capable of running around 100 metres over a Cat 5E cable that meets the standard defined in ANSI/TIA-568-C2 at 100 metres. This standard defines the attenuation from 1 to 100 MHz. The table below shows this attenuation (insertion loss) and NEXT (Near End Crosstalk) at 100 MHz for Cat 5E, Cat 6 and Cat 6A cables:
Attenuation and crosstalk figures for Cat 6 and Cat 6A cables are generally much better than for Cat 5E. Put simply upgrading your cable from Cat 5E to Cat 6 or Cat 6A for longer runs will give you more headroom for the signal, resulting in less potential for bit errors and signal degradation.
This is particularly relevant for tactical cables in a live environment where electrical interference is outside your control and there is more likelihood of the cable being deformed or exceeding the recommended bend radius; all of which can contribute to attenuation and crosstalk being compromised.
Van Damme’s TourCat cable range is designed to be used in a live environment with better protection against crushing and rigging/derigging fatigue than standard cables; even so touring professionals would agree that live use can provide some extreme environmental challenges for cabling. It makes sense to maximise your cable’s performance.
The use of quality RJ45 connectors that match the cable’s category rating, are specified for solid and/or stranded conductors as appropriate and using the correct crimp tool will also ensure the best possible performance.
Using stranded ‘patch’ cables
It is important to appreciate the difference between stranded conductor patch cables and solid conductor cables. A patch cable can be described as a Cat 5E, Cat 6 or Cat 6A cable but this does not mean that it will meet Category performance at 100 metres. It simply means that at a certain length it will meet the relevant criteria.
If a network protocol advises that it will work up to 100 metres with Cat 5E cable, check that the cable you are thinking of using actually meets the specifications for Cat 5E at 100 metres.
As an example Van Damme TourCat Cat 5E Flexible F/UTP cable has a recommended transmission length of 53 metres for Gigabit data rates (1000BaseT). As a stranded ‘patch’ cable it can be described as Cat 5E even though it doesn’t meet the defined attenuation at 100 metres.
Also consider PoE (Power over Ethernet) when specifying a stranded cable. Some devices, for example PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras and Wireless Access Points, may need higher power PoE – 30W, 60W or even 90W. Using a smaller conductor stranded cable with high power PoE over longer lengths could mean that the cables’ resistance will cause a significant voltage drop resulting in not enough power being delivered to the device.
What is 350MHz Cat 5E cable?
VDC’s technical department are often asked if Van Damme Tourcat Cat 5E and other stocked Cat 5E cables are ‘350 MHz’ rated. Short answer: they aren’t, because it doesn’t mean anything!
The specifications for Cat 5E define parameters up to 100 MHz only; Cat 6 parameters only go to 250 MHz.
Sweep testing to 350 MHz does not necessarily mean that the cable is better quality, above 100 MHz there are no figures set down in the standard to compare the results to.
Question Why is this sometimes referenced?
Looking at the Fluke DTX cable verifier test result (attenuation/insertion loss) for Van Damme Tourcat Cat 5E should make it obvious…
Answer Because with certain test equipment you can test to 350 MHz. And it’s ‘good’ marketing. (The red line in the graph denotes the performance limits for Cat 5E).
Home Smart Ask Technical
Van Damme Stage and Wallbox Dimensions
Add 10 mm to the depth for a stagebox (fitted with rubber feet)
Home Smart Ask Technical
Van Damme Low smoke zero halogen cables IEC Classification glossary
IEC 60332.1 Fire retardancy of a single cable
A single vertically suspended cable is subjected to direct flame from a Bunsen burner for a pre-specified time dependant on the overall diameter of the cable. To pass this test the cable must stop burning when the flame is removed and evidence of charring or burning of the cable must not extend 50mm beyond the directly flame exposed section of the cable.
Criteria Overall diameter ≤ 25mm time under flame 60 seconds. Overall diameter >25mm and ≤ 50mm time under flame 120 seconds
IEC 60332.3.24 Fire retardancy of a bunched cable
IEC 60332.1 proves the fire retardancy of a single cable under flame; where cables are bunched together as in a typical installation IEC 60332.3 is the test used. Cables which are individually proven as fire retardant may, when bunched together, still propagate flame.
Test cables (minimum installed length 2.5 metres) are vertically suspended on a ladder within a fire test cabinet 1 metre wide by 4 metres high by 2 metres deep A propane burner is used to subject the bottom of the bunched cable run to flame. Air within the cabinet must be refreshed at a rate of 5000 litres ± 500 per minute and the temperature maintained at 750°C.
IEC 60332.3.24 definitions for this test are for cables with 1.5 cubic litre of insulating material per 1 metre of cable; time under flame is 20 minutes. To pass this test the cables must self-extinguish when the burner is removed and the flame must not have propagated over 2.5 metres.
IEC 60754.1 Determination of the amount of halogen gases
A sample of the cable (500 – 1000mg) is burned in a ventilated combustion furnace at 800oC for 20 minutes and the resulting fumes are forced into gas washing containers. Using chemical titration it is then possible to determine the amount of halogen gas relative to the original mass of the sample. This test requires the relative amount of halogen gases to be ≤ 0.5%; however with halogen free materials a result of ≤ 0.3% is usually expected.
IEC 60754.2 Determination of the degree of acidity of gases A 1000mg sample of the cable is burned in a ventilated combustion furnace at 935oC for 30 minutes and the resulting fumes are forced into gas washing containers. Using the relevant laboratory test equipment the acidity of any gases present and their conductivity is measured. To pass this test pH value must be ≥ 4.3 and conductivity must be ≤ 100μS/cm.
IEC 61034.2 Measurement of smoke density under defined conditions
A sample of the cable is suspended over a tray containing 1 litre of alcohol in a test chamber that contains a light source on one side and a photovoltaic cell on the other. The alcohol is ignited, air is allowed to circulate and smoke will be emitted. The test finishes either after 40 minutes or when the density of the smoke within the cabinet has not increased over a 5 minute period. Using the light source and photovoltaic cell light intensity is measured and to pass this test the light transmittance factor must be ≥ 60%.