Author Topic: CAT5e cable lengths from Freestyle to SSR4 and USB Dongle  (Read 2447 times)

Offline Iced

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Hello Everyone, it's about that time of year and I have a few questions!

For CAT5e between the USB Dongle and the Freestyle:
  • How long of a run can I have?
  • I assume it should be treated as any other data cable and to keep it about 12" away from high voltage wires and cross perpendicular if you have to, is this correct?
For CAT5e between the Freestyle and the SSR4 (non-DMX):
  • How long of a CAT5e cable run can I have?
  • If I understood correctly, the CAT5e isn't actually carrying data but is a low voltage (5volts on each twisted pair?).  What guidelines do I need to follow when laying out the cable?
    • Does it need to stay away from high voltage lines by 12"? 
    • Can it run in parallel with other low voltage lines?
    • If it does need to cross high voltage lines, do it perpendicular?
Thanks in advance!
--Iced
« Last Edit: October 06, 2014, by Iced »

Offline tbone321

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Hello Everyone, it's about that time of year and I have a few questions!

For CAT5e between the USB Dongle and the Freestyle:
  • How long of a run can I have?
  • I assume it should be treated as any other data cable and to keep it about 12" away from high voltage wires and cross perpendicular if you have to, is this correct?
Even though it is a fairly slow data signal, we try to follow the Ethernet cat5 standard of 300ft but you probably could go further and yes, treat it as any other data cable.

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For CAT5e between the Freestyle and the SSR4 (non-DMX):
  • How long of a CAT5e cable run can I have?
  • If I understood correctly, the CAT5e isn't actually carrying data but is a low voltage (5volts on each twisted pair?).  What guidelines do I need to follow when laying out the cable?
    • Does it need to stay away from high voltage lines by 12"? 
    • Can it run in parallel with other low voltage lines?
    • If it does need to cross high voltage lines, do it perpendicular?
You are correct, in this case the cat5 is only carrying trigger signals for the opto's in the SSR4's.  Cable length in this case is pretty much as long as you need within reason of course.  I'm not sure exactly what you mean by high voltage lines but if you are referring to 120V, then there is not much issue in this case.  I believe that the impedance here is low enough to prevent induced voltages that will affect the SSR4 so you can run them close to 120V lines and can easily run them with other low voltage lines.[/list][/list]
If at first you don't succeed,
your not cut out for sky diving

Offline Iced

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Good to hear from you tbone321!  It's been awhile

This is the exact information I needed.  Thank you!  p.s. yes, by high voltage I meant a 120v system.

--Iced

Offline RJ

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The DMx from the dongle can run over 1000 ft and we have had users do it. Some where in a very old post you can find me testing at extreme distance while wrapping the cat5 in power cords with no issues so it's not too sensitive. Best to try to avoid having them together but it is fairly tolerant.

RJ
Innovation beats imitation - and it's more satisfying

Offline Iced

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Thanks for the additional info, RJ.  This helps, knowing some of the tests that were done.  I'll search for the old post!