Shielded cable
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
A shielded cable has a conducting material in close contact with the outer surface of the insulation of an insulated cable. The conducting material usually has wires embedded within or directly in contact to increase ampacity of the shield system. Part of the shield design must include having enough ampacity, but not so much metal as to pick up undesired inductive currents. Termination of the shields during cable installation is of great importance to prevent hazards while miminizing undesired electrical signals or currents.
Straight ribbon cable picks up power-line and other electromagnetic noise if run for any significant length. Twisted pair cable rejects some of that noise; Coaxial cable is even better (although more expensive), while twisted pair with a shield is even better. Fiber optic cables are the best, and the most expensive.
