My acoustic cable or why do we get so steamed up for small things?
In the CNC pyroprinter burner, we use copper acoustic wires, which are more reliable, have low resistance and, if necessary, function well on bending.
They are called acoustic, because they are usually used to connect amplifiers to speakers for fans of high-quality sound. The sound quality is significantly improved, but not every acoustic wire really gives the desired result. Radio Amateurs are aware that the lower the resistance in the veins,the better the signal will be.
To get the best effect, use an electrical wire made of copper (with the least resistance) and make a reserve in the cross section of the core. This rule is also true for machine tools. We use copper cables of two sections — one transmits the control signal, the other (thicker) feeds the burning nichrome tip..
As for the material of the wires, those that we often see in stores are not copper, but copper-plated veins. In order to reduce the cost of production, manufacturers practice replacing aluminum electrical wire covered with a thin layer of copper. As a result, the price is lower than for copper, but the characteristics may fall far short.
There are still compositions, but they are also inferior. Another way to save money is to reduce the cross-section, however, there is a risk of cable burnout, electric shock,and fire. Therefore, it is important to maintain the required cross-section and lay the stock.
Why did we choose this not cheap option?
— First, improving reliability.
Copper cable works better on bends in comparison with the common aluminum cable. When replaced with aluminum, the probability of breakage due to kinks or deformations increases many times. And cable deformations occur up to several thousand times when the image is burned out. We do not want our customers to sit with a soldering iron in their hands after every cable break.
— Secondly, a safe margin for heating.
Due to the large cross-section of the wire, you can raise the current strength, and this affects the heating of the tip. The higher the current, the hotter the tip. The cross section is selected specifically to have a margin of power of the electric wire from 50 to 70%. Due to this, it is possible to raise the temperature high enough without the risk of overheating and burning out the wires. With local heating of the wire above the norm, there may be a risk of melting and subsequent ignition, which is also not desirable.
— Thirdly, the high quality of the signal.
Excellent performance in transmitting the control signal to the engines without micro delays. Delays are not noticeable to a person, but this will affect the quality of the burned image.
Therefore, we choose high-quality wires that provide safe operation of the machine and do not create unnecessary problems in servicing the machine to our customers. The guarantee is carried on the machine to us, and we deliver not only in Russia, but also there are shipments abroad – the USA, Canada, Australia. Repairs of this type are not remotely possible, and round-trip delivery would cost a lot.
Learn more about what copper-plated wires are
An example of what a copper — coated core (CCA-Copper Coated Aluminum) wire looks like on a slice at high magnification. This is aluminum with a copper coating on top — this cable will be better than pure aluminum. But close in its properties does not recommend to reach pure copper. The content of copper in this case is about 9%, the rest is aluminum.
Why use copper-plated wire? — for economy, such a wire is cheaper, and aluminum is softer, so it is easier to work with it when working. If we compare copper and copper-plated wires at similar prices, the difference in price is slightly more than 2 times.
If we talk about using such wires in principle, and not for machines. Then they are convenient to use when laying through the air, because they are lighter than pure copper wires by about 40%. It is easier in installation for laying wires in the house, because it is easy to bend.
What is the difference between cheap wires from China and those we use?
China has different norms and standards. Therefore, when we take the same cross section of our wires and Chinese, we often get not what we expected
These wires had a slightly different cross-section according to the specified parameters on the package. But when they carefully removed the insulation from the wire, they got an interesting discovery for themselves. The cross-section of the wires in fact differed significantly — more than 2 times. You can look at the photo yourself: in black braid — Chinese wire, with blue production of our local producer. Although when buying, these were close and interchangeable positions.
I don’t want to say that everything produced in China is of poor quality. They produce things of perfect different levels of quality. But we did this test many times and it ended the same way. Of course, a bad manufacturer can be in any country and it is not about the country.
We have found a manufacturer that can produce high-quality wire. And in the production of a Pyroprinter, we only use It.
It is important for us that the machine is reliable. As I said earlier, we give a 1-year warranty. And we ship our machines all over the world. Therefore, it is important that our customers do not experience issue with our machine. Also, for us, any issue bring additional costs for service and fulfillment of the warranty conditions.