Any electronic device relies on the cables to function, whether it is for transferring data, transmitting power, or both.
That is why the quality of the cables is essential. If the cables are not working, the electronic device is not working.
The importance of cables became evident when one of our customers faced a tough lesson.
Connection issues
After introducing USB 3 data transfer the customer started having issues with the functionality. They received reports on difficulties regarding computer connection, data transfer, and software breakdown. These problems seemed to occur independently and for no obvious reason.
Starting out, no one suspected the cables. The customer used a lot of resources to find out what could cause the problems. Finally, they found the troublemaker – the USB 3 cables.
They had bought standard cables, which they regretted by now.
Discarding 2 out of 3
After testing every single cable before shipping out their product, they found that about 70% did not meet the requirements of a USB 3 cable. This meant that 2 out of 3 were binned. They had wasted a huge amount of resources on not only the cables but also on time finding the cause and later quality controlling the cables.
Are you interested in cable quality standards? Learn about IPC-A-610 here.
Even though all cable manufacturers have to meet the quality requirement set for USB 3, the reality turned out to be different. Often, they do not test the cables before shipping them to the customers. Sometimes they even claim to produce the cables themselves, but instead, they buy the cable by the meter, cut it, and mould the ends.
This is just another testament to why identifying trustworthy suppliers is so important.
The solution
After struggling with the supplier and cables, they asked us for help finding a supplier specialized in cables.
We managed to locate a manufacturer in our network, and the cable trouble now belongs to the past. The same customer uses the cables in their industrial cameras, a box build we provide.
In conclusion, it became obvious that even though the standard cables were cheap, the cost of them where high.
