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TestingCopperCable
HB29:2007 Section5

Testing of cabling systems falls into two distinct categories, which are the following: (a) Permanent link transmission performance tests as in Figure 5.1. (These tests are intended to be used to test the performance of the permanently installed cabling. The tests performed on this portion of a cabling as in Clause 5.2.1.) (b) Channel transmission performance tests as in Figure 5.2. (These tests are used to verify the overall performance of the cabling system end to end including all crossconnects, cabling, jumpering, flyleads and patch cords.) Handheld testers used for these performance tests should be set up for either permanent link or channel testing.

Permanentlinktransmissionperformancetests

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Channeltransmissionperformancetests

Teststobeperformed

Therearetwelvemainteststobeperformedona cablingsystem,whicharethefollowing:

(a)Wiremap. (b)Length. (c)Insertionloss(Attenuation). (d)Nearend crosstalk(NEXT). (e)Attenuationtocrosstalkratio(ACR). (f)Propagationdelay.

(g)Delayskew. (h)PowersumNEXT. (i)PowersumACR. (j)ELFEXT. (k)PowersumELFEXT. (l)Returnloss.

WireMap
(a) Continuityend to endof the cable. (Ensures that the conductors are not cut along the cable length or there are no misconnections in either connector.) (b) Short circuits between conductors. (Shows where two conductors may be joined at the connector via a strand of copper or such like.) (c) Reversed pairs. (Where the 'A' leg and 'B' leg of a pair are crossed between connectors.) (d) Transposed pairs. (Where pairs are transposed between connectors.) (e) Split pairs. (Shows where the 'A' leg and 'B' leg of two pairs are crossed between connectors. Pin to pin continuity is maintained but NEXT could be significantly affected.)

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WireMap

Length
(a) A time domain reflectometer (TDR) is used. A TDR function is incorporated into a field test instrument, and it is primarily used to measure length or identify location of fault condition. (b) The instrument transmits a signal down the length of the cable. (c) Where a change in impedance occurs (e.g. short circuit, open circuit or high impedance), some of the signal is reflected back to the test instrument. (d) The tester measures the time delay of the reflected signal and calculates the length of the cable or distance to the fault. (e) It also measures the size of the reflected signal and compares it to the transmitted signal and can ascertain the likely type of fault (open circuit, short circuit or poor connection).

Length
(f) To be accurate in measuring with a TDR, there is a need to use the correct nominal velocity of propagation (NVP) of the cable under test. (This is a measure of the speed of the electrical signal travelling down the cable. Every cable has its own NVP and if incorrectly set reported length results will be inaccurate.) (g) NVP changes from cable to cable and is specified for each cable type and typically, NVP is between 0.6c 0.9c (c = speed of light). (Check with manufacturer for the correct NVP for the type of cable you are testing.) (h) There are two different lengths that need to be considered: (i) Physical length, which is measured between the two end points. (ii) Electrical length, which is measured by a TDR. (There will be a difference between measurements because of the twist rate of the conductor pairs.)

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Insertionloss(Attenuation)
This test, shown in Figure 5.5, measures the amount of signal loss (or power loss) from the source to the end of a cable or link. It is measured in decibels (dB), and the smaller the number of dB, the better the performance of the cable.

Insertionloss(Attenuation)

ItisimportanttonotethatInsertionLossincreasesasfrequency andlengthincrease

Nearendcrosstalk(NEXT)
(a) NEXT is the signal coupling between adjacent conductor pairs, shown in Figure 5.7, and is the measure of the amount of the transmitted signal coupled back into the received signal (at the near end to the transmitter), expressed in dB as in Figure 5.8. The greater the number, the better NEXT performance. (b) When current flows in a conductor, electromagnetic fields are created which may interfere with signals in nearby conductors. This effect increases as the frequency of the signals on the cable increases. (c) As a measure to minimize the effect of 'crosstalk', each pair of a multi pair cable is twisted. This allows the field in each conductor of the pair to cancel the effect of the field in the other conductor within that pair. (d) One of the most important practices when installing UTP cables is to maintain the twist ratio at the point of termination.

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Nearendcrosstalk(NEXT)

Thegreaterthenumber,thebetterNEXTperformance.

Attenuationtocrosstalkratio(ACR)
Signals are at their weakest at the receiver end of a cable pair due to the attenuation of the signal along that cable. It is also at this point that the NEXT is the greatest from the adjacent transmit pair. In balanced pair cabling networks, insertion loss determines the strength of the signal at the end of the cable, while the noise is primarily the NEXT from the station's own transmitter. The ACR is the difference between the crosstalk loss and the insertion loss in the tested pair, as in Figure 5.9. This is expressed in dB, as in Figure 5.10, and the larger the dB figure the better the link is performing in terms of ACR. ACR(dB) = NEXT(dB) Insertion Loss(dB)

Attenuationtocrosstalkratio(ACR)

ThelargerthedBfigurethebetterthelinkisperformingintermsofACR

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Propagationdelay
Propagation delay is the time it takes for a pulse to travel down a pair of conductors and is measured in nanoseconds (ns). There is a different time for each pair due to different twist rates, as in Figure 5.11.

Delayskew
Delay skew is the difference in propagation delay between the fastest and the slowest pairs. To determine delay skew we use the propagation delay values, as in Figure 5.12.

PowersumNEXT(PSNEXT)
Power Sum NEXT (PSNEXT) is the sum of NEXT in one pair from a signal in the other three pairs, as in Figure 5.13.

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PowersumNEXT(PSNEXT)

PowersumNEXT(PSNEXT)
http://myaccount.flukenetworks.com/fnet/enus/supportAndDownloads/KB/CopperTesting/DTX+CableAnalyzer/Power_Sum_NEXT_%28PSNEXT%29

PowersumACR(PSACR)
PSACR is calculated exactly the same as ACR except PSNEXT is used instead of NEXT. PSACR(dB) = PSNEXT(dB) Insertion Loss(dB)

Thelargerthenumberthebettertheresult

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Equallevelfarendcrosstalk(ELFEXT)
ELFEXT is the measured far end crosstalk (FEXT) calculated for the near end, as in Figure 5.15. It is calculated by reducing the FEXT by the measured insertion loss (attenuation). It is combined with the near end crosstalk (NEXT) to provide a noise figure. The greater the number, the better ELFEXT performance.

PowersumELFEXT(PSELFEXT)
PSELFEXT is the measured combined far end crosstalk (PSFEXT) of all pairs calculated for the near end, as in Figure 5.16. It is calculated by reducing the PSFEXT by the measured insertion loss (attenuation). It is combined with the power sum near end crosstalk (PSNEXT) to provide a noise figure. The greater the number, the better PSELFEXT performance.

Returnloss(RL)
Signals are reflected by impedance mismatching along the entire length of a channel, as in Figure 5.17. The worst cast reflections are due mainly to poor component selection (e.g. poor cable to connector matching) and poor installation practices (e.g. poor punchdown techniques, tight bend radius and tight cable ties). Return loss is an indication of the severity of the reflections. The greater the number, the better RL performance.