Serial Cable Assemblies

Serial cable assemblies are used for the serial transmission of data. Serial type, cable construction, features, and applications are important specifications to consider. Choices for serial type include: RS232, RS422, RS485, Fibre Channel, IEEE 1394, USB 1.1, and USB 2.0. RS232, RS422, and RS485 are serial standards approved by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA). RS232 uses a serial binary data interchange to interface data terminal equipment (DTE) to data communications equipment (DCE). RS422 and RS485 are balanced serial interfaces for the transmission of digital data. They provide greater immunity to noise and are designed for greater distances and higher Baud rates. RS485 can also be transformed into a multi-point application. Serial cable assemblies that use Fibre Channel incorporate links of twisted-pair, coaxial, or fiber optic cable. Small computer system interface (SCSI) devices can use fibre channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL), the most popular Fibre Channel typology. IEEE 1394 or FireWire^® (Apple Computer, Inc.) is a serial interface standard adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for very fast digital data transfers such as streaming video. There are two universal serial bus (USB) standards for serial cable assemblies. The original standard, USB 1.1, supports data transfer rates of up to 12 Mbps. USB 2.0 is faster than USB 1.1 and supports data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps.

Cable construction is an important parameter to consider when selecting serial cable assemblies. Choices for cable type include: Cat 3, Cat 5, Cat 6, coaxial, fiber optic, RG6/11, triaxial, type 1 and twisted pair. Cat 3 cables meet the EIA-568 commercial building telecommunications standard and are designed for transmissions up to 16 MHz. Cat 5 cables are unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling that offers speeds up to 100 MHz and data transfer rates up to 100 Mbps. Standards for Cat 6 cable are still under review. Coaxial cables consist of two cylindrical conductors with a common axis. Fiber optic cables provide near-infinite bandwidth and perfect immunity to noise. RG6/11 cables are relatively inexpensive and used mainly in cable television applications. Triaxial cables have one conductor in the center, a second circular conductor shield concentric with the first, and a third circular conductor shield insulated from and concentric with the first and second. Type 1 cables are used in local area networks (LAN). Serial cable assemblies that use twisted pair designs consist of two wires twisted together to reduce susceptibility to radio frequency (RF) noise. 

Serial cable assemblies differ in terms of cable length, gender, connector type, applications, and features. Choices for gender include: male-male, male-female, and female-female. Choices for connector type include: Centronics 36 and Centronics 50; high density 15; Bayonet Neil Concelman (BNC); DB9, DB15, DB25, DB37, DB50, and DB68; Header 26, Header 40, Header 26, Header 40, and Header 50; internal 50-pin SCSI and internal 68-pin SCSI; micro-Centronics 36, micro-Centronics 50, micro-Centronics 60, and micro-Centronics 68; Mini DIN 4; RJ-11, RJ-12, and RJ-45; Telco 50, RCAM; and USBA and USBB. Some serial cable assemblies are used in audio, camera, computer, military, or medical applications. Others are designed for networking, telecommunications, or video. In terms of features, suppliers of serial cable assemblies may provide products that are shielded, designed for extreme environments, constructed for cleanroom use, or incorporate a hydra assembly.

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Part Numbers for Serial Cable Assemblies