Why are some conductors tinned and others are not?

Tinned conductors resist corrosion and are therefore very

suitable for marine applications. It is also necessary to tin
conductors where a rubber insulation comes in direct contact
with the conductor. The use of tinned conductors also assist
in making the conductor easier to solder.
What's the purpose of the screens in instrumentation cables?

The presence of large machines, welders and other

processes in industrial environments create a lot of electrical
interference (noise). This noise has the potential to distort
the clarity of signals that are transmitted between
equipment, which may lead to false readings. For example, a
system monitoring the temperature of a boiler may not
report the correct temperature. A metallic screen will shield
the cores of a cable from interference, improving the clarity
of a signal.
Why individually screen pairs or triples as well as overall
screen?

The overall screen will protect the interior of the cable from
external interference, however individual pairs or triples
may create interference between themselves, which has the
potential to distort signals in adjacent pairs. The use of
individually screened pairs reduces this distortion.
Data cables have screens - what's the difference between a
data cable and an instrumentation cable?

Dekoron instrumentation cable is in fact a "heavy duty" or

industrial type of data cable. The wires are larger and the
cable tends to be more substantial making the whole
assembly less fragile. In addition, the high level of noise in
an industrial environment places extra demands upon the
screening that is required. Hence pairs are often individually
screened as well as overall screened.
Why is solid copper conductor preferred over copper clad
steel conductor in closed circuit television applications?

The copper clad steel conductor was specifically developed

for use in coaxial cables intended for RF use. RF implies that
the signal being carried by the coax is of "high frequency".
All conductors that carry alternating currents have losses
that are associated with the conductor's resistance. Due to
skin effects the resistance increases when an alternating
current flows in it. This effect causes the current to flow
more in the outer region of the conductor and not in the
centre and is due to inductive effects. This effect also
increases with the magnitude of the frequency of the
alternating current. So much so that at RF, only the very thin
surface layer is useful for carrying RF currents. Therefore to
reduce the cost of the cable the centre of the conductor, is
replaced with a low cost material such as steel. Closed circuit
television applications employ the base video signal, which
consists of alternating currents of much lower frequency
than RF. At these frequencies the skin effect is not as
significant so a greater proportion of the conductor can be
utilised for carrying the video signal current. Therefore the
solid copper conductor will have a lower loss for video signal
when compared to a copper clad conductor, so it is preferred
for CCTV applications.
Are Orange circular PVC cables suitable for use outdoors
exposed to sunlight? Is the Orange PVC "UV stabilized"?

Yes, orange circular PVC cables are suitable for use

outdoors, since they have an outer sheath which protects the
core insulation. Whilst some fading of the color of the sheath
is expected over time, this is restricted to just the outer
surface layer and does not penetrate into the bulk of the
sheath material. Therefore the sheath will continue to
provide protection of the core insulation. In addition
AS/NZS3000:2000 states in Note 1 to Clause 3.3.12
"Sheathed cables exposed to direct sunlight do not require
further protection from ultraviolet radiation as the sheath is
considered to provide the necessary protection."

The term "UV stabilized" has an understanding in the cable

industry to mean the addition of a minimum amount of
carbon black to a material (2%). In reality this is only
essential for Polyethylene exposed to UV, such as in XLPE
Aerial Bundled cable or in high density PE in High Voltage
cables. This will obviously render the material black and is
regarded as the best means of UV protection of a material.
Even black PVC sheathed cables, using only 0.5% carbon
black, will not suffer from fading. The orange circular PVC
cable does not contain carbon black, but the material is still
"UV resistant".

What is the correct lug for use on compacted conductors?

Compacted conductors have a smaller diameter compared to

standard stranded conductors, but their nominal cross
sectional area is equivalent and a lug designated for the
same cross sectional area must be used on the compacted
conductor. Even though the lug will appear to fit more
loosely, when crimped in accordance with the lug
manufacturer’s recommendations, the end result is the
equivalent to the crimping of a standard conductor.
Compacting the conductor by the cable manufacturer is just
the action of pushing all the wires together, getting rid of the
air gaps, ahead of time.