Big boys cables!

[Sureitsoff?]

Been watching this guy on you tube and the cable sizes amaze me

armoured 4 core and singles in sizes up to 500mm cross section makes the usual 2.5 etc seem like wet spaghetti!
One he did was 16 x 300mm singles into the same cabinet. Very very neat and professional, I take my hat off to him doing that all the time.
I don't remember needing to use a chain block to get my cables into place either!

 

[SUNRAY]

Been watching this guy on you tube and the cable sizes amaze me

armoured 4 core and singles in sizes up to 500mm cross section makes the usual 2.5 etc seem like wet spaghetti!
One he did was 16 x 300mm singles into the same cabinet. Very very neat and professional, I take my hat off to him doing that all the time.
I don't remember needing to use a chain block to get my cables into place either!

The thing about big cables is to plan properly, as you can see they are not like a bit of domestic T&E. I learnt quite quickly not to cut to length too soon as a short cable is usually harder to form into shape. He was very lucky with the amount of space he had to work in.
Biggest I've been involved with has been 2x 240mm² 4C but most of my biggies have been more like 70-120mm² and that difference is incredible.
It's a lot easier to form and position the cores when you have the luxury of an offset rather than straight like that one.

I'll stress that big cables for me has always been something out of the ordinary.

 

[securespark]

As an apprentice, I helped install a few large CSA SWAs. They were a challenge, to put it mildly. Cant remember the sizes, but I couldn't get my hands round them.

 

[bernardgreen]

Watching the installation of large diameter ( circa 2 inch ) aerial feeder coaxes up lattice towers was entertaining.

 

[ericmark]

240 mm² about the limit to what I have worked with, 150 mm² common, but as to coax, I remember HMS Bush Rincon Falkland Islands when I nearly drove over the coax, it looked like a 240 mm² 4 core but was a coax.

But the one I remember was a Next shop, we found the AC's on the roof needed a 150 mm² but not until after most cables were fitted, I have used twin 150 mm² because could not bend 240 mm² tight enough.

 

[crystal ball]

Bootlaces

 

[Jackrae]

We once ordered 100m of high voltage (6.6kV) cable for a project on our offshore oil platform. Can't remember the CSA but it was in excess of 4" diameter and would have put a smile on an elephant's face . Anyways, the supplier called us up and said he could supply 99metres now or we'd have to wait several months if we insisted on 100m. Since we always over-specify length we were happy to take the 99m and get the job completed. Several months later a 1metre length of the same cable duly arrived since our onshore (not the brightest in the world) purchasing department insisted on the order being fulfilled

 

[SUNRAY]

We haitually ordered 500m drums of 2.5mm² 2C or 4C HO7 for nightclub loudspeakers. One such delivery of 2000m arrived neatly cut into 50m lengths and coiled (not on reels). As rejecting it would have meant several days delay we added notes to the delivery document saying we'd returned any unused and struggled (and yes it was a serious struggle) to install. The offcuts were serious wastage, supplier for some reason didn't want to refund and even tried to palm some off on us for the next order.

apparently 100m was too heavy for a one man lift.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I spent years working with those and bigger, you quickly learn to make use of timber blocks, levers, pulleys and chain blocks.

 

[SUNRAY]

I spent years working with those and bigger, you quickly learn to make use of timber blocks, levers, pulleys and chain blocks.

One of our tools being extending step ladders.

 

[crystal ball]

I spent years working with those and bigger, you quickly learn to make use of timber blocks, levers, pulleys and chain blocks.

Indeed, tricky on a submarine with limited space, all hands to the pumps