NMB Cable

This is a generic brand of cable that can be made by a number of different manufacturers. This kind of cable is used all throughout homes and buildings. It brings power to outlets, lights, and even appliances from the electrical box the house or building has. The wire is made with a PVC jacket and typically these cables are only used indoors or outside when they are used in conduit. This cable should not be used for jobs where the cable needs to be directly buried in the ground.

Romex Cable

Romex is a Southwire brand. The Southwire Company is well known and it has been a recognized brand for years. The cables use SIMpull technology making them easier to install than normal cables. The Romex NMB cable is tear resistant and has reduced burn-thru. These qualities help to make the cable last longer. Each different gauge size usually has a different colored jacket associated with it as well. This helps to be able to easily identify what size the cable is when a customer needs it to be replaced. These cables are approved to be handle temperatures reaching as high as 90°C. Customers also have the option of having the cables come with a different number of conductors. The number of conductors depends greatly on the gauge of the cable.

Both Cables

The cables generally are fairly similar because they both need to adhere to the same NEC code. But keep in mind that the cables can be enhanced. So each brand name cable you buy can have other different characteristics on top of the basic ones. Brands that cost more sometimes can last longer than the other cheaper brand options.

There aren’t many differences between the generic NMB cable and the Romex cable. However, the Romex cable does have added features and attributes that the generic cable does not have. The Romex cable by Southwire is made to be better than the average cable. No matter which cable you pick either one will be able to get the job done.

Written by: WesBell Wire and Cable

Olflex® Servo Control Cable

Servo control cables help to control every part of a machine independently. These cables are continuous flex cables; this means that even as the machines parts are moving the cable will continue to work. They will even be able to move with the machine. Servo control cables come in both a continuous and a standard flex option. The standard flex option cables are generally used in stationary applications. They can be used as supply and feedback cables. They also have an exceptional braid shielding in the CY version of the Servo cable to help with both EMI and RFI interference. The shielded versions of these cables have copper braids around them to help give added protection. Servo cables are also composed of smaller cables that have 2 different gauge sizes.

VFD Robotic Cable

The VFD cables have been reinforced with added security. This is because the cables are exposed to an enormous amount of pressure regularly. With the flexion and torsion the wires need to be strong and durable to be able to endure this kind of environment. The communication features of the VFD cable will still perform at its highest ability and you won’t have to worry with all the side effects of exposure to elements. It’s important to keep in mind that because these cables are expensive that you should make sure to keep repairs up to date. You don’t want to put off fixing something wrong with the wire. Depending on your machines specific needs there are two options for wiring, they can be run either internally or externally.  Most VFD cables that are made by Olflex® usually come in sizes ranging from a size 18 AWG to a size 2 AWG.

Robotics cables are expensive. They aren’t exactly easy to replace either. Plus the cables have a very important job to do. They have to make sure the entire machine or robot is running perfectly and that every piece or element of the robot is talking to each other. Keeping your robotics cables in great shape is necessary because it can help to prevent costly repairs later on down the road.

Written by: WesBell Electronics, Inc.

14 AWG

The THHN electrical wire is also known as the three circuit sizes of electrical wire. They are rated to be able to handle 15 AMPS. These wires are made either with a stranded or a solid copper conductor. The THHN wires also can be made with the CSA approval upon a customer’s request.

12 AWG

All three are very similar besides the AMP levels. The copper gets slightly thicker for each wire so it can handle more each time. So for instance the 12 AWG size THHN wire is able to handle 20 AMPS instead of the 15 AMPS the 14 AWG size wire can handle because the copper in the wire is slightly thicker.

10 AWG

Spools come in a standard 100’, 500’, or 1000’. But most whole sellers or manufacturers will cut the wire to length for you. Regularly there are 10 color options available for customers to be able to choose from. This kind of wire is the most commonly used type of single conductor wire used in the industry. It is considered to be a universal building wire now.

Each letter of the THHN wire stands for a specific feature of the wire. T is for the thermoplastic insulation. H is for heat resistant and high heat resistant. And the N stands for the nylon coating around the wire. No matter what size THHN wire you buy they all come in the same insulation as well as jacket. The insulation is made out of PVC, which is common for electrical wire. They also have a nylon jacket wrapped around them for added protection. These wires also are resistant to gasoline as well as oil. The wires can be used both indoors and outdoors and also in conduit. However they cannot be used for direct burial applications.

Written by: WesBell Wire and Cable

XTRA Guard Cables

There are six different kinds of XTRA Guard cables. Each one has different ideal uses, as well as slightly different features to each. They each have slightly different temperature ratings. Most of the cables however are usually rated to be able to handle either 300 or 600 volts of electricity. Some are even more flexible than others are. The XTRA Guard Flexible Cable is even a continuous flex cable meaning it will still work even with machines that have moving parts. These cables each also have a different list of substances that they are resistant to.

FIT Heat Shrink Tubing

The Alpha tubing is made with premium materials. This tubing is constant in having excellent physical characteristics. The tubing is sure to have low longitudinal shrinkage as well as wide temperature ranges. All while providing an elegant appearance for customers. FIT tubing comes in a variety of sizes. This ensures that customers will get the perfect fit for whatever their needs are. The tubing is great for organizing and so customers can easily identify what cable or wire is what just based off of the color of the heat shrink tubing.  All of the tubing also gives the wire added protection from things like heat and water.

EcoWire and EcoWire Plus

The EcoWire and the EcoWire Plus is an engineering breakthrough. Never before has there been a wire that has been made with recyclable materials. The entire process of manufacturing the EcoWire is entirely eco-friendly. The wires are made with a stranded or solid tinned copper conductor. They have modified polyphenylene ether insulation around them as well. The wires have been rated to be able to handle 600 volts of electricity and have a temperature range of -40°C up to 105°C. The wires don’t contain any halogens, phthalates or heavy metals. The EcoWire Plus has better water resistance than the EcoWire.

No matter what products you choose to buy from Alpha Wire just remember that they are all of the best quality. There will be a kind of XTRA Guard product that will be perfect for any job you have at home. The FIT heat shrink tubing is good for bundling wires together, organizing, and even repairing wires with splits. Then the EcoWire is good for customers who are concerned about going green, and still want the same high level of protection a normal PVC wire has to offer.

Written by: WesBell Wire and Cable

Long Barrel

The long barrel compression lugs give the customers a better and more secure hold onto the welding cable. This is because the lug is crimped twice instead of only once on to the welding cable. Long barrel lugs have two crimps and lengthen the amount of times its connected even with severe pulling and tugging. Long barrels are more effective when there are multiple people using the cable or it’s in an industrial setting. If a welding machine is going to be used all day then you want to make sure that you buy long barrel lugs to help prolong the life of the connection between the welding cable and the compression lug.

Short Barrel

As the cable gets tugged and pulled around the shop the crimp connection between the lug and the cable is breaking. Eventually you will pull the cable out of the short barrel lug all together. Short barrel crimps last plenty of time if you’re careful to limit the tugging and pulling. Now this does not mean that the short barrel lugs are not effective it just means that the short barrel cannot handle a lot of tough wear and tear.

Costs

The long barrel lug is obviously a little more expensive than the short barrel lug. This is because the long barrel has more material to it as well as additional planning and design that the short barrel does not. In the long run however the long barrel can save customers money if the welding machine is in an industrial setting. The long barrel will last longer than the short barrel and won’t have to be preplaced or fixed as often.

Long barrel lugs are better off to be used in environments that will require a strong and durable connection. These lugs are perfect to be used in places such as a shop with lots of people using the same machine, or industrial settings. The short barrel lugs are good for a customer who is going to be careful with the connection and where there are not going to be multiple people sharing one machine.

Written by: WesBell Wire and Cable

Olflex® 110 and 110CY

These cables feature thinly woven strands of copper multi conducting material that is designed to work even in harsh conditions. The Olflex® 110 cable is unshielded while the Olflex® 110CY cable has a shield around it. That is the only difference between the 110 and the 110CY cables. The cables also are color coded with black and white numbers; they also have green and yellow indicators for ground wires. Now the 110 and the 110CY cables are only CE approved. It is also the cheapest wire out of the types of control cables.

Olflex® 190 and 190CY

The Olflex® 190 and the 190CY series are very similar. The only difference between the two is that the 190 is the unshielded version of the cable, while the 190CY is the shielded version of the cable. These cables are designed to be able to resist water based oils as well as artificial and mineral oils. The stranding of the inside conductor is considered Class 5 VDE 0295 of fine wire. The 190 and 190CY cables also have the same black wires with white numbers, and the green or yellow colored ground wires. The 190 and the 190CY cables UL, CSA and CE approved. They also have added flexibility and protection that the 110 cables do not have.

Olflex® 890

The Olflex® 890 and the 890CY cables are different from the 190 and the 110 cables. That is because the 890 series cables are continuous flex cable, which means that the cables are able to be used in machinery. The 190 and the 110 cables are flexible, but are not able to withstand moving while they are bent. The 890 and the 890CY can be used in robotics, cable pathways, machine powered tools, conveyor belts, flexing applications and other automatic tools. The 890 series has been approved to be able to handle up to 600 volts of electric power. The 890 cables are also approved by the UL, CSA and CE. With these cables being continuous flex, they are also more expensive than both the 190 and the 110 series cables.

The Olflex® cables no matter what kind you buy are made to be high quality. They are made with the best materials and are recommended by most professionals. The 110 cables are the cheapest and only have the CE approval. The 190 cables are more expensive but are also made better and have the UL, CSA and CE approvals. And the same goes for the 890 series cables. Even though the 110 cable does not have the same approvals does not make it a lesser quality.

Written by: WesBell Electronics, Inc.

The first thing to remember is that battery cable is inferior to welding cable and therefore slightly cheaper. It’s less flexible and has a PVC jacket rather than a rubber jacket. Battery cable is used for automotive applications because engineers designed the insulation to protect the copper from automotive type conditions. Welding cable, on the other hand, has a tough rubber insulation engineered to protect against welding conditions. Those conditions are typically in shops and garages where some moisture, oils and gasses might come in contact with it.

The next thing to understand is that some suppliers are SKETCHY! They manufacture welding cable with TPE insulation instead of rubber which also makes it inferior and cheaper. One reason for doing this is to sell a more cost effective product to those that are able to use it for their application. The sketchy reason is to imitate welding cable with a cheaper version to trick people into buying something less expensive when they might need the real thing.

If you’re unsure you should make a phone call to determine exactly what you’re buying. You should ask for welding cable with rubber EP insulation. Sometimes the description will show you what the insulation is manufactured with so read all of the fine print or simply buy from a reputable supplier to begin with!

Written by: Chris Bell
www.weldingcable.net
(800) 334-8400
ISO 9001 Certified
chris@wesbellinc.com

Certain types of electrical wire are designed to be installed indoors only while other types are designed to be used directly underground. Obviously, the cost of the underground cable will be higher than the indoor wire because a higher amount of protection is needed. THWN wire is used indoors, outdoors and in conduit applications but it cannot be buried underground without conduit.

If your dog fence wire is staying above ground you can save some money and use the THWN electrical wire for your installation. However, if you would like to hide the wire completely underground you will have to upgrade to another type of wire with more protection. There is a wire meant for underground use that has a different insulation which is a bit harder to find.

You’re best off using the electrical wire given to you in the box because it’s obviously meant for the exact application. Any information online tells you to bury the wire a few inches into the ground in which THWN wire is not approved to handle. It’s manufactured for indoor and outdoor use but not for installations underground unless it’s inside of conduit.

Will the wire burn or explode by putting it a few inches in the ground? No, of course not. It may shorten the life expectancy by a few years but, ultimately, you will be able to get the same conductivity that the other 20 AWG of 18 AWG dog fence wire will give you as well. The insulation is just a bit tougher for chemical and moisture protection than standard above ground wire can guarantee.

Speak to your wire and cable supplier about the different options you have for burying your wire underground. Hopefully, they won’t just tell you to use THWN wire because they would be wrong, but they might give you a similar explanation as to a shorter life expectancy. Ultimately, once you have all of the information you need, it’s up to you which type of wire you buy. Having the knowledge will help you better understand why it didn’t last as long as you thought it was going to.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400
Free Shipping Over $250
chris@wesbellinc.com

The first step is to cut the lengths from a large spool of 20 AWG hook up wire. A company will most likely have a machine that cuts all of the wires to the desired length the operator inputs. The machine can also strip the ends off both sides for the assembler to solder or terminate a connector to each end. Once terminals are applied they can be inserted into a plastic housing to complete the wire harness.

A company could get an order for 1000 pcs of XYZ assembly for Joe Shmoe or General Electric. Joe Shmoe may not car about a tight tolerance but GE definitely will. They will ask for 6 inch wires with a tolerance of 1/8 inch which means it cannot be longer or shorter than 6 inches by more than 1/8 inch.

If you’re a buyer of cut to length wire and cable than you should strongly consider choosing a vendor with an ISO 9001 certification. The certification proves that you have a system in place that is audited four times per year and re-certified once every three years. The auditor will go into the facility and review all of the processes in place and be sure that they are being followed. Any company can put a process in place but they may not follow it as closely as they should. The audit review will catch such things.

As a customer buying hook up wire cut to length you will receive quality product more often and better service if products need to be returned. It doesn’t sit well with a company, that paid a lot of money to be ISO 9001 certified, when products need to be returned due to a process that went amiss in the production line. They will review it in detail to be sure it doesn’t happen again. Not only that, they will also supply you with new cut to length 20 AWG hook up wire manufactured to the correct specifications.

If a company is ISO 9001 certified it shouldn’t take too much digging to find out. They will probably have it posted on their website and all other documentation sent your way.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400
Free Shipping Over $250

As you look at multi conductor cables you will see that THHN THWN wires are still used in most types. SER cable is a common type of multi conductor electrical cable with THHN THWN conductors and a bare copper ground wire. It’s an acronym for Service Entrance Round and it’s used to bring power from a telephone pole to the electrical box of your home or building. From there it’s dispersed throughout the home with smaller wires to give power to the lights and outlets.

Another cable that is manufactured with multi conductor 3/0 wires is tray cable. PLTC stands for Power Limited Tray Cable and that is not what you need because it’s only rated for 300 volts, hence “power limited”.  Type TC-ER 600 volt tray cable is a direct burial underground cable installed without conduit or raceway. It comes with all black conductors that are numbered for identification. It’s engineered and manufactured with a very strong outer jacket for use directly in the ground when needed.

A different type of cable is Type W or Type G portable power cables. These are similar to an extension cord on steroids and used in very high power applications that bring power to job sites. They are manufactured with very flexible copper strands, flexible rubber insulation and a rubber jacket. They power tools and machines on industrial job sites that don’t yet have power. They also power up generators and very large machinery.

There are all different types of electrical wire and cable on the market so you should explain exactly what you need to your wire and cable supplier in order to pay the lowest amount and have a cable with all the approvals that you need to pass inspection. Many times cables need UL, CSA, CE, RoHS or MSHA approvals on their cable in order to pass inspection so be sure to request everything you need up front. Ask questions that will help you in your venture to find the correct wire or cable for your application.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400
Free Shipping Over $250