ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses unshielded and shielded cables, differential pairs, balancing, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance characterization. Many EMC noncompliances are due to the use of incorrect cabling or incorrect grounding of these cables. A variety of properties are used to characterize the EMC performance of cables and cable assemblies, such as transfer impedance, shielding effectiveness, screening attenuation, and coupling attenuation. The chapter considers single-end signal transmission, which means that a signal is transmitted over a single wire and is referenced to ground. It also considers differential signaling and balanced differential signaling. The large difference with coaxial cables used in signal transmission is that the resistivity of the shield is much larger than that of the inner conductor. Three different methods for bonding the ends to ground are in use: both-ends bonding, single-point bonding, and cross-bonding. Transfer impedance measurements become cumbersome at high frequencies due to multiple reflections caused by imperfections in the termination.
