My question relates to those regular RCA cables that come with DVD players or whatever you find at Best Buy. Like this:
RCA Patch Cable 6 ft. Nickel Plated
My question is if these cables shielded? The cables are pretty thin so it doesn't seem like there is shielding to me. If it's not shielded then what purpose does the grounding on an RCA connector serve?
RCA Patch Cable 6 ft. Nickel Plated
My question is if these cables shielded? The cables are pretty thin so it doesn't seem like there is shielding to me. If it's not shielded then what purpose does the grounding on an RCA connector serve?
But these fine strands are surrounded by thin aluminium foil that wraps around the cable is that shielded?
You don't really have to have a return path with a shield if you use an earth ground.
the "thin cable" will have a core conductor.
Around that conductor will be a tight fitting sleeve of insulation.
Around the insulation will be a conducting layer.
This conducting layer could be a loose bunch of woven wires (screen/shield), or a bunch of wires twisted into a group (drain wire), or a metal foil or a plastic film with a metalised layer (HF screen/shield), or a combination of these.
Finally, there is an outer insulation.
These 4 parts make up a coaxial cable. The outer diameter of the coaxial can be from 1mm to 100mm, most of our audio coax are from 3mm to 8mm.
The core conductor carries the equivalent of the Hot or Flow part of the Signal.
The outer conductor carries the equivalent of the Cold or Return part of the Signal.
EVERY signal has the Flow and Return parts of the Signal.
The RCA part is the connector at the ends of the cable. It is also called phono connector.
The RCA is a very cheap way of connecting the cable to the equipment.
DIN does it better.
XLR does it better.
BNC does it better.
There are dozens of connector styles that transfer the signal from the cable to the equipment better than RCA.
Around that conductor will be a tight fitting sleeve of insulation.
Around the insulation will be a conducting layer.
This conducting layer could be a loose bunch of woven wires (screen/shield), or a bunch of wires twisted into a group (drain wire), or a metal foil or a plastic film with a metalised layer (HF screen/shield), or a combination of these.
Finally, there is an outer insulation.
These 4 parts make up a coaxial cable. The outer diameter of the coaxial can be from 1mm to 100mm, most of our audio coax are from 3mm to 8mm.
The core conductor carries the equivalent of the Hot or Flow part of the Signal.
The outer conductor carries the equivalent of the Cold or Return part of the Signal.
EVERY signal has the Flow and Return parts of the Signal.
The RCA part is the connector at the ends of the cable. It is also called phono connector.
The RCA is a very cheap way of connecting the cable to the equipment.
DIN does it better.
XLR does it better.
BNC does it better.
There are dozens of connector styles that transfer the signal from the cable to the equipment better than RCA.
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No foil in these cheap 'shoe lace' type interconnects.
You would be surprised to see how little copper is used.
Dan.
It is often the thin shield in cheap cables that gives rise to ground loops when the equipment has protective earth connections, as the lower frequency signals will use this instead of the shield.....
Good point! The path of least resistance or, to be more precise, least impedance.
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Yep this is where the fun starts, the lower frequencies follow a n impedance path that's dominated by resistance, as the frequency gets higher it likes an impedance path with lower inductance...luckily🙁 for us audio covers frequencies that are just changing from least resistance to least inductance causing many a happy hour chasing buzzes and rumbles etc....😀
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