To Terminate or Not?

[AllAngles]

I'm building a machine that has a 25-pin shielded conductor cable between the control box and the equipment itself. At the moment, I am using 17 of the conductors leaving others open for possible future expansion (though we have no immediate plans for them). My question is whether or not I should terminate the "extra" 8 wires at each end with a dead-end into a blank terminal block (using DINEctor blocks) or just tie/tuck those wires away.

Mikah B.

http://www.allanglesdesign.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'd terminate them now, to save time finding connector pins and such crap in the future.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ScottyUK]

I'd terminate them and tie them to a known voltage, probably ground.

 

[Skogsgurra]

Are you thinking about any special effect? Like using the wires as extra shielding (every second conductor in a ribbon cable grounded, for exmple) or something like that? Or is it that you just can't take this "big" decision on your own and need an opinion?

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

 

[AllAngles]

Thanks, guys - I will terminate them to ground for the time being. Gunnar - not having trouble with this big decision, just not my area of expertise and I've found good standards and/or guidelines on nearly every aspect of wiring an enclosure that I'm following, but nothing about "leftover" conductors. So, rather than just do something, thought I'd ask folks who know and have experience.

Mikah B.

http://www.allanglesdesign.com

 

[Skogsgurra]

And that is a really good decision!


Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.