Snake Wiring – The Inexpensive Way to Run Sound Equipment From One Location to Another

One of the most useful tools a plumber or drain cleaning professional has is a snake. These tough flexible cables wind their way through pipes and help to find and remove stubborn clogs.

Cable snakes come in a variety of sizes and types. Understanding the various options will ensure you have the right one for every job.

Wire Sizes

Most snake cables are made up of pairs of twisted wires, each insulated in polyolefin or foamed polyethylene. PVC-insulated snakes are the most inexpensive and have an impressive 50 picofarads per foot (pF/ft), but that’s not to say you can’t find a good deal for a pricier snake with a duPont Teflon coating or one with polyethylene wrapped around the wires.

A well-designed snake is an essential tool in any plumber’s toolbox. It’s especially useful for drains with diameters of 3 inches or more, or those containing clogs whose cause can be traced back to landscaping roots. Some snakes even come with an added core for increased rigidity. They’re also a little more expensive than their PVC counterparts, but they’re worth the money. They’re the best way to get your home or commercial plumbing in tip-top shape. You can find them at just about any hardware store. The right snake can make your life a lot easier and save you a lot of time.

Types

Snake wiring is a neat and inexpensive way to run sound equipment from one location to a control room or mixing board. It eliminates the need for many lengths of messy individual wire, saving both time and weight.

There are many different types of snake wiring available, ranging from audio multicore cables (also known as “snake cable”) with anywhere from four to sixty-four individual audio cables inside a common outer jacket.

These are a great solution for music environments where multiple mics and instruments need to be sent to a mixer away from the stage. The individual sub-cables are contained underneath one larger jacket to ensure they’re not in contact with other internal cables, reducing crosstalk.

Another option is composite multicore cables which contain various signals in one cable, including coaxial cores for video, twisted pair for data and low voltage cores for mains power. This can be used in broadcast settings and also for live event support.

Connectors

Snake wiring uses a variety of connectors for various applications. These include twist-on wire connectors, winged wire connectors, and crimp-on wire connectors.

Wire connectors are designed for making secure, fast, and easy electrical connections. They are molded with external grooves to make handling easier, and they often have wings that allow for quick attachment without pre-twisting the wires.

They also can be color-coded to indicate the size/capacity of the connectors. Some are molded with plastic cap insulators for added security.

A thick cable with anywhere from 4 to 64 individual audio cables inside a common outer jacket is known as an audio multicore cable (or snake cable). This type of cable is popular in live sound and broadcasting applications, as it can carry signals from one location to another while saving space and labor.

Installation

Snake wiring is a simple way to connect multiple wires from one place to another. It saves time and money because it eliminates the need to run a large number of individual cables.

Depending on the type of wires and their connectors used, these bundled cables are sometimes called multi-core cable. Most commonly, these cables carry analog audio signals, but they can also include MIDI and digital lines, and even AC power cabling for running pedalboards.

Some types of snakes also include fan-tailed ends that allow for connection to a patch bay, which further simplifies the run. For example, a single snake could send 16 XLR channels to a stage box in a sound reinforcement environment or a studio, and then have 8 XLR returns that plug into fan-tailed sockets at the end of the snake.

Many products are available to help organize these wires in a safe and convenient manner. Examples include Spiral Wrap, Woven Wrap-Around, Braided Sleeving and Heat Shrink Tubing.

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