Thank you
Gary
Cat7 and Cat8 are shielded, that's the main difference from lower numbers. Really overkill for Tortoises and othe rmodel railroad applications - but if you got a bunch for free.... If you have to pay for it, get the cheapest one - they're all suitable for wiring Tortoises, the extra data capacity is meaningless in this application.
Just an idea, from a quick Google search - Home Depot has 1000 foot spools of Cat 3 for $87. Another site had a 500 foot spool of Cat 8 for the low low price of $996. So again, unless someone gave you a whole bunch of Cat8 - do not waste your money. Granted the cheap Cat3 is 6 conductor not 8.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thank you.
Thought CAT 8 was 26 AWG
Yes, if you get it for free or almost free. Cat 3 or Cat 5 is cheaper and every bit as suitable for wiring Tortoises, if you are buying the wire new.
gdelmoro Simple question for the electronics guys. Can I use Cat 8 cable to wire tortoise to a terminal block less than 3 ft away?
Simple question for the electronics guys. Can I use Cat 8 cable to wire tortoise to a terminal block less than 3 ft away?
Simple answer, yes.
I got about three-quarters of a full spool (1000 feet) of CAT 5 cable when my company upgraded to CAT 6. It is essentially 4 pairs of color-coded 24 gage wire. Wired all tortoises and fascia buttons back to the SE8C. Longest run about 15 feet. Easy. No issues whatsoever.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Cat 8 is 24 AWG copper wire. That should be fine for Tortoise wiring that actually has a very low current load.
I wired allmy turnouts, both twin-coil and Tortoise, with old 4-conductor telephone wire for land line house wiring. I used to get it at Home Depot. It worked fine, but I wouldn't be surprised if that stuff is harder to find now.
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