Security Cable vs Landscape Cable and other things

BobMLT

BobMLT

New elf
Joined
Dec 14, 2017
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10
All,

I have bought some landscape cable (This one) to run for power injection for about 250 5v nodes. I have seen others post about 6core 14/020 Security cable (Like this one) (with 2 or 3 wires each for power and data or just power) which seems to be a cheaper option and I was wondering what would be better accounting for Amps and Voltage Drop.

Also, I am not a guru on electronics. I see there is a standard or running +ve and -ve for power injection (e.g. at the end of the string) but was wondering why the -ve is needed (as I would assume due to LEDS being diodes, the return would be covered through the string itself. Haven't tested without but just wondering for my own learning.

Cheers
 
The current in the + and - are the same so you need both for the power injection.

That landscape cable is 2.1mm per conductor. The 14/020 security cable is 0.44mm per conductor, so even 3 in parallel is only 1.32mm total.
 
Thanks David. So I will stick with the landscape cable for now. Cheers
 
I have used both for my small display - landscape cable allows you to take off multiple taps from the cable (cut the insulation away with a craft knife, and solder in a tap wire/pigtail), whereas the security cable is great for a single connection on the end of a strip. It is all down to current required and acceptable voltage drop before loosing the whites.
 
Thanks for that. I ended up using the landscape cable for power injection (probably overkill for my setup this year but will serve well in the future) and I picked up a 100m roll of electrical cable (3 core) for CHEAP at bunnings and am using this as my run from controller to start of sting. Fired it up today and no problems. Yay.
 
Another thing to consider with cable (which I am only just realising myself) I some cable ie landscape cable is designed for outdoors, so is uv resistant, while other cable of the same specs, like twin core power cable, is designed for indoor use.
I bought a heap of cable a while ago at masters (which for those of you that don't know closed down a few years back) on clearance. They had landscape cable and twin core power cable at about the same price and rating so I bought a bunch of rolls. I am just seeing as I put up my lights this year that the twin core power cable, which should be white, is brown on half of it.
So I am sure it will do he next year or two, but then the insulation will get brittle and fall off.
Just a thought :D
 
In general, black insulation will last longer than white insulation outdoors.

None of the black cable (security and 2/4 core power) is showing any signs of breakdown after many seasons.
 
The wretched "6 Core Security Cable" sold over here in NZ appears to have copper/zinc coated steel wire inside. When the moisture gets in, no matter how hard you try and keep it out, the wires rot out inside the insulation!!! Don't ask me how I know, I have used a 200M roll of the stuff, and I am having to replace it length by length as it "dies"
 
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