|
Date
|
Story title |
| (09.01.06) |
Get Wise to the Ways of Plenum
You know about plenum cables; in many installs, they are now required.
|
| (05.24.06) |
A Vacuum-Filled Brain
In the March 29 issue we talked a bit about those high-end "home theater" stores, with their speaker cables that are $10 per foot.
|
| (03.29.06) |
Do You Need Bigger Conductors?
Oh, I'm sorry, they're not hi-fi stores anymore. They're "Home Theater Specialists" or "Entertainment Centers." Anyway, if you've spent more than five minutes in one, you probably had an argument about speaker cable.
|
| (01.04.06) |
About Those 'Other' Cables
Remember the old days? When you hooked up your audio with a shielded twisted pair? Some veterans will remember when it was all braid shield, and big bulky cable, before there was even foil shielded cable.
|
| (12.07.05) |
A Tribute to Norm Abrahamson
Norman Abrahamson changed your world, or soon will. |
| (05.25.05) |
A Star Glimmers in the Night
We've talked about how balanced lines reject noise because the two wires are as close together as possible. |
| (03.16.05) |
Balancing Act
Balanced circuits require that the two wires must be the same length, the same size and as close to the same place as possible. You can see why we twist wires together: to keep them close. |
| (02.02.05) |
A Perfect Balanced Line
Here starts my 60th column for Radio World. I have been writing about wire and cable on and off for eight years now. |
| (12.01.04) |
I'll Take Differential for $5, Alex
I always like $5 terms. You can use these terms to browbeat unruly customers (or general managers). Just use a few of them and they're sure to leave you alone and realize that you know your job! |
| (10.06.04) |
Some Basic Wire & Cable Terminology
In reviewing my collection of Radio World columns, it occurs to me that although I've written about a thousand things, I've not written a column of basics. |
| (11.05.03) |
Is There
an Ideal Impedance?
We left our story about the history of wire and cable (RW, Sept. 1) with Bell Labs testing thousands of cables of different impedances.
|
| (09.01.03) |
Bell
Labs and Coaxial Cable
Gather 'round, children. I know it's way past your bedtime,
but Grandpa Steve is not yet finished talking about the history
of wire and cable. But count your blessings. At least we're
into the 20th century.
|
| (07.02.03) |
Radio
Pioneers Enter Story of Wire
Let us continue our story of the history of wire, which we began
in September and discussed recently in the May 7 issue.
|
| (05.07.03) |
Voice
Over Wire: Imagine That
Come gather 'round, little ones, as Old Mr. Steve blathers on
about the history of wire. We left off in the April 7 issue just
as the telephone was being invented. |
| (04.07.03) |
The
Development of Wire Gages
Where did the idea of wire sizes come from? Even ancient wire
came in various sizes, and there are dozens of systems, many
still in use. As late as the 1800s, there were no useful standards.
|
| (03.12.03) |
Up for a Quick Game of Ttlachtli?
Come, children, and sit as Grandpa Lampen continues his story
of wire, which we began to tell in September and discussed most
recently in the Jan. 15 issue. |
| (01.15.03) |
Brunel's
Ship Makes Cable History
We left our last installment talking about Isambard Kingdom
Brunel, the obsessed mad genius.
|
| (11.20.02) |
Pop
Goes the Cable: More History
Over the last few months, most recently in the Oct. 23 issue,
we've been looking at the history of wire and cable. |
| (10.23.02) |
The
History of Wire and Cable
Gather 'round, boys and girls, as Grandpa Lampen continues his
journey through the history of wire and cable.
|
| (09.25.02) |
Dipping
Into the History of Wire
We left our Sept. 1 column talking about VGA (video graphics),
S-VGA (super video graphics) and RGB cables, variations of multiple
coaxes for supporting analog or digital monitors. (S-VGA cables
include pairs for other uses.)
|
| (09.01.02) |
From
Regular to Super Graphics
We left our July
3 column talking about VGA (video graphics) cables and
RGB (red, green, blue) cables. These are multiple coaxes used
to display progressive-scan computer monitors or analog component
video, respectively.
|
| (07.03.02) |
USB
& FireWire, Fired Up for Data
Both of these trademarked protocols use "plug-and-play"
architecture - you can attach or disconnect devices while the
network is running.
|
| (06.19.02) |
Data
Cables, Moving Audio Around
We left the subject of "category" cables in the April 24
issue, talking about return loss.
|
| (04.24.02) |
Is This Cat Really a Dog?
So we arrive at the emerging Cat-6 ... As of this writing, the
TIA/EIA 568 committee is on Draft 10a. How many drafts until
they are finished? Well, it took until Draft 14 to finish work
on Category 5e, so don't hold your breath.
|
| (03.01.02) |
Are
You a Data Commander?
Today’s headline recalls Commander Data, the android
on the TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." I
recently toured Paramount Studios and saw workers building the
sets for the coming Star Trek movie "Nemesis." I also
had a chance to see some of the sets for the "Enterprise"
TV series. |
| (10.24.01) |
Speaking
of Speaker Cable, by Steve Lampen
We’ve been talking about speaker cable and have covered
resistance and capacitance in past columns, which are also posted
in the Wired
for Sound index page.
|
| (09.12.01) |
A
Re-Volting Idea for Speakers
In the Aug.
15 issue, we began a discussion on 70-volt distributed loudspeaker
systems. This approach uses transformers inside the power amp,
and on each speaker, to change the impedance of the system so
the resistance of the wire has much less effect.
|
| (08.15.01) |
Resistance
Is Futile
Fellow "Star Trek" fans will no doubt recognize the
Borg title of our column. But the resistance I’m going to
talk about is the resistance in speaker cables. |
| (07.18.01) |
Who
Put the Zip in Speaker Wire?
Well, I’ve been writing this column for almost four
years. You’d think I would run out of things to say about
wire and cable.
|
| (05.09.01) |
Who Put the Gory in
Category?
I’ve spend more than a few columns in the past extolling
the virtues of Category 5 premise/data cables. And more than
a few readers have taken the plunge and are using it not just
as data cable but also for things like RS-422 and RS-485 machine
control, digital audio or even analog audio.
|
| (04.11.01) |
Uncle Steve’s Weird
Wire Stories
I promised last time to talk about weird wire stories. So here
goes!Back in 1985, I was working for a small FM here in the
San Francisco Bay Area. Management had finally bitten the bullet
and approved a new transmitter and antenna.
|
|
(03.14.01)
|
Ruminations
on Digital Audio
Every so often, someone sends me an e-mail or corners me
at a trade show to tell me their weird story about wire. Sometimes,
a certain kind of wire worked in a situation where it shouldn’t.
|
|
(year 2000)
|
Choose Appropriate Cables
Charles "Buc" Fitch and I have been trying to coordinate
our columns in RW. He writes about the National Electrical
Code,while I’m talking about wire and cable, which is supposed
to meet the NEC. |
