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Shielded Cable Operation – Ideal Case

Shielded Cable Operation


(A Graphical-Intuitive Approach)

Douglas C. Smith
P.O. Box 1457
Los Gatos, CA 95031
Phone: 800-323-3956
Phone: 408-356-4186
Email: doug@dsmith.org
Website: http://www.dsmith.org

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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Shielded Cable Operation – Real Case Shielded Cable Operation

The following results hold for shielded cables in


general as well as the special case of coaxial
cables.

Start by considering a hollow conducting tube


carrying a current that is uniformly distributed
about its circumference and the nature of the
magnetic field inside the tube.

Eventually, the tube will become the shield of


our hypothetical shielded cable.

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org
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Shielded Cable Operation Shielded Cable Operation


Where are the magnetic fields? Where are the magnetic fields?
Opposed Bs from
right hand rule. Does B2 cancel
B1 off-center?

Just a tube with


Think of the shield as being composed of a large number of parallel Each of dL1 and dL2 can be considered a long wire. As such its
uniform current. wires arranged in a circle, each one carrying the same current. magnetic field decreases as 1/R. How then do B1 & B2 relate?
Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith
Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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Magnetic Coupling Beetween Wires Magnetic Coupling In a Coaxial Cable

V1 < V2 V1 = V2

Parallel wire with Center Conductor Shield


no current

Shield Current
Current

Magnetic Lines of Force Magnetic Lines of Force

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org
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Shielded Cable Operation - Conclusion


Limitations on Shield Performance

• Holes in the shield (braided cable)


• Shield resistance
Conclusion: A section of coaxial cable forms a
(like winding resistance in a transformer)
nearly 1:1 transformer between its shield and
center conductor. • Pigtail inductance
(like leakage inductance in a transformer)

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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Signal Transmission in a Shielded Cable Signal Transmission in a Shielded Cable


(simplified)

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org
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Shielded Cable Conclusions Skin Effect

• Shielded cables work by inducing the shield High frequency current tends to crowd near the
noise into the center conductor in a way that surface of a conductor.
cancels in the signal load.
The skin depth is defined as the depth in
• Shield resistance, holes in the shield, and
conducting material at which the current density
pigtails limit shielding effectiveness.
is reduced to 37% (1/e) of its value at the
• Shielding effectiveness is often 2% due to the surface.
shield characteristics and 98% due to the
shield connections at the ends of the cable!

Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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Skin Depth Skin Depth Examples

At 10 MHz, the skin depth of copper is about


2 6.6 6.6 0.002 cm!
δ = = = cm
2πfµσ fµrσr f Lead is less than 1/10 as conductive as copper,
thus its skin depth is about 3.5 times that of
copper. That is still only 0.007 cm at 10 MHz.
general relative to Cu for Cu

Where: In general, if a metal can support its own


δ = skin depth f = frequency weight, then it is many skin depths thick at
σ = conductivity (σr is relative to Cu) most frequencies of interest.
µ = permeability (µr is relative to Cu)
Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 2004-2005, Douglas C. Smith
Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org
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EXPERIMENT #2 EXPERIMENT #2
Extended Center Conductor (Driven End of Cable)

Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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EXPERIMENT #2 EXPERIMENT #2
(Load End of Cable) (Load End: Extension of Center Conductor)

Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith


Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org
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EXPERIMENT #2 EXPERIMENT #2
Current Probe Positions

10 ma/div

No Extended Center Conductor


Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith
Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186 Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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EXPERIMENT #2

40 ma/div

40 ma/div

6’ Extended Center Conductor


Copyright © 1997-2004, Douglas C. Smith
Phone: 1-800-323-3956, 1-408-356-4186
http://www.dsmith.org doug@dsmith.org

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