FULL COPPER VS. COPPER CLAD ALUMINUM TWISTED PAIR PATCH CORDS
                     https://www.gbic-
FULL COPPER VS. COPPER
CLAD ALUMINUM 
TWISTED PAIR
In today's worldP oAf teTchCnoHlog iCcaOl inRnoDvaStion, maintaining the right path
has become a challenge. Keeping up with the latest trends and
technological advances and choosing the most suitable product for a
project is essential, even more so to save lives from an engineer's point
of view.
When it comes to network cable, the biggest problem is choosing
between aluminum copper cables (CCA) (Figure 1) or rigid copper cables
(Figure 2). This dilemma has also become a growing problem in the
network equipment market. Copper is an electrical conductor used in
electrical installations since the 1920s. Copper is good for wiring
systems due to its properties. It is a solid material that can withstand
great forces and stresses. It can be bent, twisted or pulled without
breaking or stretching. However, copper has always been expensive for
most companies, so they are trying to find an alternative. An alternative
is copper aluminum cables.
Aluminum copper cables are cables that use a copper-coated aluminum
conductor for transmission, as shown in Figure 1. The process of making
these cables is cheaper than the process of making complete copper
cables. As a result, it gives companies that use it a huge financial
advantage. These cables are more commonly used for voice coils in
headphones and speakers. They are lighter than fully copper cables, but
stronger than aluminum cables. Due to their cost, they are also used in
network environments, although they do not meet UL and TIA standards,
which require solid copper conductors.
Figure 1:
Copper Clad Aluminum Cable
Figure 2:
Full Copper Cable
Their main problem with aluminum copper cables is their properties.
They have low flexibility, so they are prone to breakage. Another big
problem is the fact that aluminum oxidizes over time when in contact
with air. In the end, they will fail and cause the entire network to
function as a giant problem-solving center. Aluminum cables with
copper have a higher resistance to direct current, which is about 50%
greater than all-copper cables. As a result, they are almost impossible to
use in PoE solutions because they can generate more heat and provide
less power at the other end of the connection. Their bending radius is
smaller than that of fully copper cables, which means that they do not
bend like copper, which makes it difficult to work with them during
installation and maintenance. Excessive pulling or bending can damage
the wire.
When buying equipment for a network project, it is important to know
how to distinguish these cables. The first and most important difference
is their price. Aluminum copper cables are cheaper than copper cables.
In addition, a clever trick to identifying a copper-coated aluminum cable
is to scrape off the thin copper surface of the wire to expose the
aluminum. Finding a silver end under a copper coating is also a
guarantee feature of an aluminum cable with copper. Another indicator
is their weight. If you buy copper cables, you will not fail, but note the
weight of their boxes when sending them. However, the weight of
aluminum boxes with a copper shell is less heavy than the weight of full
copper boxes.
We must keep in mind that, like others, there are many counterfeit
cables on the market that are offered as all-copper cables and instead
are copper-sheathed cables. Although these cables are marked
exclusively as copper as cat5 and cat6, they do not meet industry
performance and fire standards. Whenever you buy copper-coated
aluminum cables, it is important to consider the percentage of copper in
the CCA cable. However, intentional purchasing and deployment in a live
network environment is risky and should be avoided at all costs.
https://www.gbic-shop.de/
CONTACT
CBO GmbH
Friedhofstr. 25
45478 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Phone:
0208 - 777 247 - 0
Email:
[email protected]