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Question:

 

Can a UNITRONIC® data cable with a peak operating voltage of 250 V be used to connect a device with a mains voltage of 230 V?

 

 

Answer:

 

No! This could easily result in fires or lethal electric shocks. Data network cables and power cables are subject to completely different design and test standards. The main difference lies in the core insulation strength. UNITRONIC® data cables are typically used in data networks with a voltage range of 6 to 48 V. ÖLFLEX® connection and control cables, on the other hand, are predominantly used for devices with a 230 V mains voltage (e.g. drills, lawnmowers etc.) or for machines in power or three-phase networks, e.g. U0/U 300/500 V or 600/1000 V.
Since the size of the voltage is directly connected to the strength of the core insulation, this represents the greatest difference between data and power cables.


To be able to cope with voltage ranges of U0/U 300/500 V, the core insulation of an ÖLFLEX® CLASSIC 100 power cable, for example, is on average 50-70% thicker than that of a UNITRONIC® LiYY data cable. It is possible for voltage peaks of 250 V to occur in data networks. However, under no circumstances must this voltage be equated with a stabilised alternating current of 230 V at 50 Hz supplied from a mains power socket! Using a data cable in this case would carry a very high risk of cable fires or electrocution resulting from the insufficient strength of the core insulation! The dielectric strength of data cables is generally only checked with 1200 to 1500 V for one minute periods. Connection and control cables, on the other hand, are tested with 4000 V for periods of 15 minutes.


Indirect connection of data cables to the power network is only possible if a transformer is used to convert the mains voltage to the permissible low voltage of the operated device (e.g. a laptop or model railway). In this case, it must be ensured that an ÖLFLEX® cable with the appropriate voltage class (e.g. U0/U 300/500 V) is used to connect the transformer to the mains supply and that the UNITRONIC® data cable is only used to link the relevant device with the transformer.

The electrical voltage is measured in Volt (V).