Impedance/Return Loss

The Components: Part 2

Paul Vanderlaan
Senior Product Development Engineer
Belden Electronics Division
6/07/00
In the first installment, an explanation of return loss (RL) and its importance to today's high speed networks
was provided. Return loss continues to be a problem within today's new systems. Horizontal and patch
cable stability, in addition to installation techniques, affect the overall RL performance and are primary
concerns facing installers and customers. From the manufacturing floor, to the desktop, cable is subjected
to a number of stresses before the installation process is complete. The cable is jerked, pulled around bends
and terminated. The desktop can be hazardous as well with frequent moves, sharp bends and pinch points
from equipment or chair casters. This installment will explain the concept behind Belden's bonded pairs
and the benefits they provide in horizontal and patch cable return loss performance.

Horizontal Cable
Belden introduced the concept of bonded pairs through DataTwist 350 to the market in August of 1993.
At the time, it was presented as a cable with exceptional input impedance and return loss. It was the first
cable to meet the ANSI/TIA/EIA/568A return loss requirements without the use of a smoothing equation.
DataTwist 350 patch cable followed, as a means to continue the RL performance throughout the channel.
As a result of this development, the DataTwist 350 cable made to date meets the current category 5e
requirements ensuring the hopes of those who purchased for future proofing .

Mechanical Stability
The key to return loss stability lies in the pair construction. The conductors and insulation must be of
consistent size and spacing. Figure 1 illustrates a pair made from two separate conductors. This pair
suffers from two manufacturing problems. The first is that the conductors, indicated by the black dots, are
not well centered in the insulation. When the conductors are twisted together, the spacing between the
conductors will vary. Additionally, the insulated conductors have air gaps between the pairs. For the
purpose of this drawing the air gaps have been exaggerated. However, it only takes a few thousands of an
inch, about the width of a human hair, to cause the RL to degrade substantially. These air gaps in
conjunction with the centering problems limit the RL performance of a cable.

Figure 1: Non-bonded pair defects

Figure 2 illustrates the bonded pair construction. Note that the insulated conductors are uniformly spaced
along the length of the pair and the air gaps are completely removed. This is what assures the stable RL
performance.
 Figure 2: Bonded Pair Symmetry

After manufacturing, the product has to be segmented into usable lengths, commonly known as put-ups.
Most of the product is wound upon a crate reel. This type of packaging is generally the least destructive to
the product's performance provided that the quantity of material on the reel does not become so massive
that it stretches the cable during the installation pulling process. A second type of put-up consists of a box
without a reel. This packaging can degrade the RL performance before the product leaves the factory.
Packages without reels, while environmentally friendly, are not always cable friendly. If not properly put-
up, this process can cause large RL spikes when the product is coiled. These spikes may be reduced once
the cable is pulled out of the box, however the cable may not completely recover. Additionally, kinks may
be formed when the product is pulled through the box opening. Removing these kinks frequently causes
significant air gaps within the non-bonded pairs. Figure 3 and Figure 4 are clear jacked material for
illustrative purposes. Figure 3 is a picture of the bend placed into the two types of cables.

Figure 3: Non-bonded Pair and Bonded Pair Cables with Kinks

NOTE: Although the four times bend radius has been exceeded, here are some facts for the end user to
contemplate. As of this date, the TIA/EIA standards committee has decreased the bend radius for patch
cables to a one times diameter in the draft of the 568B.2 document. Additionally, looking at the average
desktop, it is not uncommon to find kinks or bends in cables that have been folded to move them out of the
way.
 Non-Bonded Bonded
Figure 4: Non-bonded Pair Cable with Pair Separation

After the cable was bent, the samples were straightened. Figure 4 shows the air gaps in the orange and
green pairs. This was due to the stress imparted during the bending. Note that the bonded pairs have
maintained their spacing integrity. This pair separation along the length of cable can generate large RL
spikes or degrade the overall RL performance. The bonded pairs do not suffer from the same physical
problems, ensuring that the electrical performance is maintained.

Patch Cables
The purpose of a patch cable is to provide performance while providing flexibility and flex life. Stranded
cables are typically used for this application, however, they are at an inherent performance disadvantage.
One of the most critical parameters for stable return loss is total symmetry within each conductor. A solid
conductor has a smooth round outer profile. However, a stranded conductor, unless specially made, does
not have a smooth outer circumference. Each strand makes a high and low spot in the overall conductor.
This makes a variation in the conductor spacing, leading to a worse return loss performance.

Figure 5: Stranding vs. solid diameter variation

In order to meet the attenuation requirements, manufacturers use a conductor with a long strand lay, or
twist length. This long lay leads to very loose strands, which can cause the overall conductor to become
oblong or have a high strand. This further reduces the RL performance of the cable.

Figure 6: High Stranding

Figure 6 is a picture of a non-bonded patch cable using common stranded wire. Note the air gaps between
the individual conductors.

Figure 7: Non-bonded pair Patch cable conductor

Belden avoids this problem with a unique, patented method of using bonded conductors as well as bonded
pairs. In figure 8 the bonded conductors keep the stranding locked in place while the bonded pairs keep
the integrity of the pair. Consequently, the strands do not fray or slide under normal manipulation.
 Figure 8: Bonded Pair and Bonded Conductor Patch Cable

The following graphs illustrate this fact. Figure 9 represents a non-bonded pair under test in a 10 ft patch
cord assembly. The same pair is measured after the patch cord is manipulated through a coiling and
twisting process once considered as a patch cord verification test for TIA. (A slightly less stringent test is
currently required, due to the extensive amount of time required to perform these tests.) The top red line is
the Category 6 RL requirement for a patch cable assembly. The thick black trace represents the RL of the
pair when the cable is fully extended. In this orientation the pair passes the Cat 6 requirements by
approximately 4 dB. However, as the cable is coiled and rotated about the cable axis, the RL changes
drastically enough to fail at 200 MHz. The return loss changes as much as 6 dB depending on the
positioning of the cable. The variations are so great, it looks as if multiple pairs, rather than one single pair,
have been tested.

-10

-15

-20
Return Loss (dB) .

-25

-30

-35

-40
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Frequency (MHz)

Straight 360 deg. twist -360 deg. twist Back coiled, 360 deg. Twist Back coiled -360 deg. Twist Cat 6 Spec

Figure 9: Non-bonded Pair Patch Cable Performance

Figure 10 represents a typical bonded pair in a 10ft patch cable undergoing the same test. Once again the
black trace represents the bonded pair when the cord is fully extended. The test results are so stable, the
original trace is almost completely covered by the overlying traces. Unlike figure 9, it is readily apparent
that the same pair is under test.

-10

-15

-20
Return Loss (dB)

-25

-30

-35

-40
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Frequency (MHz)

Straight 360 deg. twist -360 deg. twist Back Coiled, 360 deg. Twist Back Coiled, -3600 deg. Twist Cat 6 Spec

Figure 10: Bonded Pair Patch Cable Performance

Conclusion
Bonded pairs are the essence of stability. Locking the conductors into place helps ensure the return loss
performance that was manufactured in the plant reaches the desktop of the end user. This is accomplished
through keeping the pair integrity through the kinks and bends of installation and everyday office
occurrences. This is demonstrated through the stable performance of the DataTwist350 patch cable in a
very rigorous flexing test.

The final installment will cover what happens during the installation of horizontal cable, patch cable, and
connectors. Bundling, service loops, connectors and patch cables all play a large part in channel RL
performance. Explanations as to how these individual components contribute to the final RL performance
will be provided as well as some results from various channel configurations. Additional information will
expose hidden pitfalls of non-bonded pair cable and provide guidance on ensuring the RL integrity of the
network.