Counterfeit Cable Burns Me Up

Written on July 21, 2009 at 4:02 PM, by Mac

On the morning of November 21, 1980, a fire started in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (now Bally’s) in Las Vegas. 87 people were killed, mostly due to smoke and toxic fume inhalation. It remains the 2nd worst hotel disaster in US history, and helped usher in many building code changes and safety measures.

Among the many things that contributed to the rapid spread of the toxic smoke were the combustible plastics (PVC) used in the building wiring. The cables burned easily, allowing the fire to spread, and gave off toxic smoke that spread though the air conditioning systems. Although the fire itself was contained within the casino and restaurant, most people died from smoke inhalation on the upper floors of the hotel. It is for exactly this reason that modern electric codes require the use of a slow-burning, less toxic cable jacket, generally known as a “plenum rated” jacket, in many commercial installations. (A plenum, in this context, is an air space in a building, typically used for HVAC air flow.) Generally speaking, true plenum-rated cable jackets are usually made from Teflon®, a DuPont product. It’s relatively expensive compared to standard PVC-based cable jackets, but there’s just no substitute for public safety.

Unfortunately, there’s been an alarming trend in our industry. I complained in my last post about unscrupulous manufacturers cutting corners when making cables. But recently, continuing customer demand for less expensive plenum wire has resulted in manufacturers producing toxic burning wire that they claim is plenum-rated, and selling it for a price that’s too good to be true.  If this counterfeit cable gets installed, and the building does catch fire, it’ll be a liability nightmare for all parties.

Now, producing a poor quality cable is one thing. But flat-out lying about the rating of your product, and allowing it to be installed in a public building (such as your child’s school), is… well, even “reprehensible” isn’t a strong enough word.

So, for all the installers and resellers out there, be careful what you’re buying.   Don’t automatically assume that something is what a supplier claims it to be, especially if it’s “a real bargain.”  Demand quality at a fair price.  Remember, your children may attend the school that that wire gets installed in.  Keep them safe.

Sign of the Times…

Written on July 16, 2009 at 3:04 PM, by Mac

There is a trend that has become pervasive in our society… as people everywhere demand products at cheaper and cheaper prices, manufacturers have begun giving them what they ask for. What suffers? Quality, of course. We’ve seen this trend in cars and appliances for years, and in electronic equipment as well, of course. But now we’re starting to see it more and more in the cable industry. Unscrupulous manufacturers start cutting corners, figuring a cable that performs 90% of the time is good enough. “Let’s use a little less shield, a bit of interference never hurt anyone!” “Let’s use a bit less copper in that network cable. So what if the file transfers slower!”

Manufacturers who cut corners, who shave a bit off the materials used, can often produce a cable that “works”, but doesn’t perform as well as it should; they rely on the probability that customers won’t notice. The defense I usually hear is, “we’re just giving the customer what they’re asking for!”… which, while technically true, is probably not what the customer wants.

It’s disheartening to witness, and CableWholesale will have no part of it. Personally, I sleep better at night knowing that we can produce a good product at a great price, and give it a lifetime warranty. Yes, I would fly in a plane that had been wired with my products. Would that all companies took such pride in their products.

HDMI 1.4

Written on July 7, 2009 at 4:06 PM, by Mac

In my last post, I commented about USB 3.0. I made the comment that “I like simple technological advances that I can explain to my Uncle Dominic.”

Well, the new HDMI 1.4 isn’t one of those.

Sometimes I think that the consumer electronics industry comes up with stuff that offers nothing, just so that they can have something new to get us minions to part with our hard-earned cash.

Now, for those who don’t live and breathe this stuff, here’s what you need to know.  HDMI is currently the best digital technology around for connecting up your HD equipment (ie, your HDTV to your HD cable box or Blu-Ray DVD player, for example).  The folks at the HDMI Consortium are tasked with the job of maintaining the standards on this stuff (and charging hefty licensing fees for same; hey, we all have to eat, right?).  So in 2006, they released “version 1.3″ of their specification.  In practice, it didn’t really catch on until a year later, and the truth is, even now, most equipment out there can’t take advantage of all the apparant features that it promotes.

So rather than let the industry catch up with them, they go ahead and release a new version 1.4, packed with still more features that no one can take advantage of.  In their defence, theoretically, someday, someone somewhere will start to produce this equipment and all the problems of the world will come to and end.  In the meantime, it’s comforting to know that soon there will be even more confusion about HDMI cables than there currently is.

Here’s what’s in store with the new specification:

  • A standard for automotive HDMI cables, since it’s critical that the kids in the back seat have full HD on their in-car televisions.
  • An ethernet channel over HDMI, meaning, the HDMI cable can now transmit info back and forth to the internet.  I’m actually reserving judgment on this one; we’ll see how it plays out.
  • A distinction between “standard HDMI” and “High Speed HDMI” cables, the latter of which would deliver more bells and whistles (ie, support for higher resolutions and more colors).  Unfortunately, these cables will come “with ethernet” or “without ethernet”, which, I fear, is likely to cause more confusion if customers buy the “wrong” cable.
  • A new, “Micro” HDMI connector, intended for use with smaller equipment such as cell phones or MP3 players.  This wouldn’t bother me, except for the fact that they introduced a “mini” HDMI connector previously.  The more different connector types there are out there, the more likely it is that consumers will buy the wrong thing.  My only hope is that manufacturers will start to phase out the mini connectors in favor of the micro connectors.
  • Support for 3-D video.  Again, you’ll have to run out and buy a new television, and upgrade your cable TV or satellite service — once they start offering this feature — but then you’ll be the envy of all your friends.  And when that tiger literally jumps out of the screen, there won’t be a dry seat in the house.

Don’t get me wrong, I like technological developments, but make no mistake, there’s going to be a fair amount of customer confusion over this stuff.

Look for HDMI 1.4 cables to become commonplace in time for the Christmas shopping season.  Somehow, I doubt there will be much equipment to take advantage of them, and, times being what they are, not as many folks ready to run out and lay down cash for a new TV when the industry just finished convincing them to do that last year.

USB 3.0 musings

Written on June 30, 2009 at 12:34 PM, by Mac

So… USB 3.0 is coming out. What is it, and why do we care? Well, basically, under ideal conditions, computers will talk to USB devices up to 10 times faster than our current generation of USB devices. Many of these devices will also take less power to run. (We here at CableWholesale also care because the cables are going to need to be designed a bit differently, with extra wires inside to handle all that data.) I’m not going to get into all the technical particulars, since I don’t want your eyes to glaze over. Basically, starting next year, we’ll have stuff that runs faster than today’s stuff, and uses less juice.

I have to admit, I like simple technological advances that I can explain to my Uncle Dominic.

Trade Show Excess

Written on June 29, 2009 at 12:20 PM, by Mac

I returned from a trade show a few weeks ago, and I’m reminded again how foolish some marketing endeavors can be. They had a meeting area set up with tables and chairs. When I stopped there to take a break, I noticed that each table had been sprinkled with half-a-dozen of what turned out to be poker chips, encouraging me to visit a particular company at a particular booth number.

For some reason, this irritated me. While I’m all for the idea of getting foot traffic to a trade show booth, this seemed like an excessive waste. Unlike, for example, a pen with a company name on it, this trinket was totally useless in the real world. In fact, since it referenced the booth number and year, it would be totally useless after the show ended! It’s not even like the company could reuse these things. So, once they’ve (hopefully) done their job, into the trash they will go.

Will a few thousand poker chips cause the planet to self-destruct. Of course not. Were there better ways to spend their money and get traffic? You bet.

This was just one small example of the madness that is the trade show marketing industry. I have to wonder how effective it really is at the end of the day.

Overengineered cables?

Written on June 26, 2009 at 1:33 PM, by Mac

… and while we’re on the subject of overpriced cables, I might as well rant about their close cousins, overengineered cables.  I’ve seen all kinds of nonsense here.  One of the most egregious things I’ve seen recently is a six-foot HDMI cable with silver-coated wires inside.

Now, don’t get me wrong… silver is an excellent electrical conductor, make no mistake.  On a really long run (say, 100 feet), it could even be useful.  But, and this is important, on a short cable like that, it adds no value whatsoever. And, last I checked, silver was a kind of expensive metal, you know?  There have been plenty of independent tests out there that show that pretty much any standard copper-based cable will get the job done.

Bottom line: as with anything, there’s a law of diminishing returns.  Once a cable works perfectly, anything else you attempt to do to it to make it better than perfect is just hype, designed to get you, the consumer, to part with more money.

Not on this curmudgeon’s watch!

“You had a good run…”

Written on June 25, 2009 at 3:29 PM, by Mac

A couple of years ago, I was at the Consumer Electronics Show.  We were featuring our 50 foot component video cable, which at that time we were offering at a retail price of $49.95.  Needless to say, that was generating a fair amount of interest.  So along comes this brute who, upon hearing our price, proceeds to berate me, accusing us of “ruining the market!”  He stated that he was able to sell long component video cables for $300.00.

For once in my life, I didn’t know what to say.  I had no words for him, at least on the outside.  What I wanted to say was, “Look, fella, you had a good run.  But it’s time to wake up.  Those days are gone!”

Well, those days aren’t completely gone, as there’s still plenty of businesses out there who will happily try to sell you an average product at ridiculous, even — dare i say it — monstrous prices.  Just walk into any major electronics retail store and see for yourself.  I’ve heard all kinds of reasons why logic and common sense have flown out the window and otherwise intelligent people have found themselves $300 poorer; the most common line of reasoning goes something like, “Well, I just spent $2000.00 on this TV, so of course the cables to go with it need to be ridiculously overpriced!”

Of course, the cables do work, and some people will even cling to the belief that their TV’s picture is even improved by this $300 ripoff.  What can you do?  People will see what they expect to see.

Folks, cables aren’t magical.  If you plant a $300 cable in the ground, it will not, I repeat, not grow into a beanstalk that reaches to the sky.  While there’s no substitute for a good quality cable, common sense should also tell you that a few pounds of copper in a plastic jacket doesn’t cost $300 to make.  Hold on to your senses, and hold on to your money.

What is a Cable Curmudgeon?

Written on June 24, 2009 at 5:29 PM, by Mac

Welcome to the CableWholesale blog!  Here, we can discuss various trends in technology, and how cables fit into the scheme of things.  I’ll try to debunk some myths, and offer some (hopefully refreshing) perspectives.

“So what the heck is a ‘cable curmudgeon’ anyway?” you ask.  “Do I have what it takes to be a cable curmudgeon?”  Well, let’s see.

First of all, to truly walk the Path of the Curmudgeon, you have to be passionate about something that doesn’t normally evoke much passion: cables.  And, of course, being somewhat “curmudgeony” is a must.  A cable curmudgeon:

  • … is not taken in by fancy marketing
  • … has little patience for industry buzzwords
  • … values good old fashioned common sense when looking at cable engineering, and…
  • … quite often despairs at the lack of same in the world today!

On the other hand, a true cable curmudgeon is serious about cables.  He or she will:

  • … meticulously count every individual tenth-of-a-millimeter strand of copper inside a cable jacket, to make sure it matches spec.  (”There’d better be 96 of them here, or heads will roll!”)
  • … endlessly stare at Pantone ® swatches, comparing them against jacket colors, making sure that one lot matches the next
  • …carefully pick over lines such as “UL 20276 3C [(24AWG*1P + Drain) w/Al-Foil] *4 + 24AWG*1P + 24AWG*5C, w/Al-Foil + Braid, OD: 10mm” just for the sheer joy of it.

Needless to say, they don’t let us out in public much.  Not without a handler, anyway.

In all seriousness, there’s a lot to love about our industry — and the world of electronics in general — and there’s a lot that makes this here curmudgeon shake his head in disbelief.  The world of electronics cables is fascinating, and I look forward to hearing others’ perspectives on my rants.  Comment away!