To use Cat 6 or Cat 5e wiring is the question?

Is it better to run C-Bus wiring for switch plates (NEO) in Cat 6 or the older Cat 5e ?

On longer runs will Cat 6 have less voltage drop for the C-bus?

I am getting ready to pull the low voltage wiring & the cost between is minimal if consider better long term benefits and a more up-to-date system.

Just wondering as I was in Tokyo 3 months ago and Cat 7 is now out & available, so I purchased a few meters to try.

Alan Dobbs

 

Is the pink c-bus cable available in both Cat5e and Cat6?

You should only be using the pink cable for C-Bus.

Voltage drop is governed mainly by cable size, so I would not expect the voltage drop to change significantly between the two.

Mick

 

Use the Pink Cat5E

There is no (tested and certified mains V rated) Cat6 cable I'm aware of. There is some cheap(er) cat5E pink cable available off-shore (not in Australia) but it has not been tested and approved and therefore does not comply with installation into mains rated enclosures (electrical switchboards).

There are some small changes on the way with regards to C-Bus cable....

Cheers

 

As the guys pointed out, the pink cable is important for two reasons. First and foremost the pink sheath (on the clipsal cable) is certified for isolation at 240 volts. In reality probably all CATx cable is OK to isolate 240 volts but most probably won't be tested and certified as such.

The second very important reason is pink is readily distinguishable from any other piece of structured cable. This is very important in commercial environments.

Forget questions regarding comms speed and voltage drop differences between Cat5, Cat6 Cat7 etc. C-Bus has a baud rate of approx 4500 baud, so it will work well on two bits of fence wire as long as you keep the two apart. With that in mind Cat5 is about 100 times more that you need speed wise.

If you start to get a little more technical and start thinking - double up pairs - double cross sectional area = half resistance = less voltage drop, be careful because it also means double capacitance which is more important than the others.

Stick to the recommended cabling and it will work until the cows come home

 

Correct - The wording I should have used is "certified for use in 240v installations". The test voltages for certification are much higher (low current though).

BTW Ashleigh works for Alliance Insurance - you could never tell. Ashleigh is pretty technical for an insurance guy - I'm impressed.

I thought you might have a go at me about the "two bits of fence wire" statement, one of these days when I have a moment I am going to test that assertion.

 

When using wet string for C-Bus communication please make sure you use salt water. The saltier the better. If you use salt water that is not salty enough you may experience communication difficulties on long runs, or at the very least require re-wetting of the string on a very regular basis, which is not what you want to hear from the missus when you're away for the weekend.

 

I can see the marketing literature now....

"Clipsal C-Bus, so True Blue Aussie that it'll run on a couple of bits of fencing wire, or in a pinch, some wet string!"....

 

Newman,

Would the salty string cause corrosion on the screw contacts?

 

I would assume that you're following 'best installation practices' with your salty wet string and using bootlace crimps, so I wouldn't expect much corrosion on the screw terminals. If you try and tin the ends of the salty wet string with a soldering iron to stop them fraying all you'll end up with is a smell that's akin to vigorously swabbing the deck of a tall ship with a wet Chihuahua.

 

You guys are getting a bit carried away and seeing as I started this I feel obliged to put some sense to it.

The two bits of fence wire is a given - pretty sure we are all OK with that one.

Now on the two bits of wet string (almost silly suggestion compared to the above) how about we consider using beer as the wetting agent to assist with conductivity. Not just any beer but Fosters Lager...

Now that is a win, win, win scenario. Firstly we cover Darpa's true blue Aussie aspect, Fosters is known and available internationally and last but not least, we find a good use for Fosters Lager, because you sure as hell wouldn't drink the stuff

P.S. I won't even go near trying to deal with the wet Chihuahua aspect

 

No doubt it will work as in my house which is solid stone i have used the existing twin switch wires which are chased into the plaster as I have retro fitted c-bus. problem its not my house so when i move out just pop on the old switches and away i go.

 

Wet string

Will it still need a burden?