Avionics News February 2013 - 33

was used in solder, and adding
cadmium, “a strong material with
good electrical properties,” to
copper gives it the strength needed for tensile strength requirements of stranded conductors,
Bachleda said. With a maximum
allowable concentration of 100
ppm or .01 percent, metallurgists
have to find an alternative to
cadmium to strengthen copper to
OEM tension requirements.
Wires and cables are only as
good as their connectors, and in
aviation they have not changed a
lot since the 1950s. “There are a
few more push-on QMA or SNB
styles,” Stuckart said, that are
maintenance friendly and don’t
require as much space as a screwlock connector. But most of the
new connectors are attached to
specialty cables, such as the HD
video cables EMTEQ is developing for IFE applications in
aircraft wide and narrow. The
challenge is to deliver the highdefinition signal over increasing
cable lengths.
Cable length attenuates the signal, Bachleda explained, depending on signal frequency. A 720p
signal has a longer cable run than
a 1080p signal because it has a
lower frequency. The maximum
length of an unboosted commercial cable is about 50 feet,
he said. Aviation grade materials
limit that run to 40 feet. Signal
boosters are the solution.
“If there is disruptive technology on the cable and connector
horizon, it’s fiberoptics,” Stuckart
said. “They’ve been working on

the standards for several years,
and they may release the ARINC
specifications next year.”
Certain key customers are using
it for IFE because it carries a lot
of data over long distances and
saves weight. Fiber has proven
its robust reliability in terrestrial
telecommunications, but aviation
has been slow to adopt it.
“Right now, it’s mostly conver-

production of wire, cables and
connectors in recent decades,
John Benzinger, marketing and
product programs manager for
the company, said “SMPTE video
cable with 75-ohm impedance
match connectors has been a
growing trend in corporate aircrafts. Customers are showing
a desire to have the same video
technology on their planes that

High-frequency cables have also become
a growing trend. Consumers want high
bandwidth data on their aircraft, and
there is a growing need to support
satellite communication.
sions, (but) it will pick up when
LRU manufacturers incorporate
fiber connections on their boxes,”
Stuckart said. In the future, fiberoptic cable will have its place, but
it will not replace copper cable.
For more perspective on these
essential components, PIC Wire
& Cable, located in Sussex, Wis.,
is a global provider of electronic
cables, cable connectors, avionics cable assemblies and antenna
gaskets for demanding military,
corporate and commercial applications that include airplanes,
helicopters, ground vehicles, rail
transport and marine vessels.
When asked about the significant changes in design, use and

they have in their house. At the
same time, cockpit video is becoming more advanced and is in
need of this more-capable technology. A move from RS170 analog video to SMPTE 292 and 424
digital video has prompted the development of lower-loss, bettershielded 75-ohm cables, as well
as 75-ohm impedance matched
connectors. PIC Wire & Cable
has a unique line of cables and
connectors to fulfill these needs.
High-frequency cables have also
become a growing trend. Consumers want high bandwidth data
on their aircraft, and there is a
growing need to support satellite
communication.” q
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Avionics News February 2013

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