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Ethernet (10BASE5) |
10BASE5 (also known as thick ethernet or thicknet) is the original "full
spec" variant of Ethernet cable, using cable similar to RG-8/U coaxial cable
but with extra braided shielding.
This is a stiff, 9.5 mm diameter cable with an impedance of 50 ohms a solid
center conductor, a foam insulating filler, a shielding braid, and an outer
jacket. The outer sheath is often yellow-to-orange/brown foam fluorinated
ethylene propylene (for fire resistance) so it often is called "yellow
cable", "orange hose", or sometimes humorously "frozen yellow garden hose".
10BASE5 has been superseded due to the immense demand for high speed
networking, the low cost of Category 5 Ethernet cable, and the popularity of
802.11 wireless networks. Both 10BASE2 and 10BASE5 have become obsolete.
10BASE5 coax cables had a maximum length of 500 meters.
The maximum number of nodes that can be connected to a 10BASE5 segment is
100.
Transceivers may be installed only at precise 2.5-metre intervals.
This distance was chosen to not correspond to the wavelength of the signal;
this ensures that the reflections from multiple taps are not in phase.
These suitable points are marked on the cable with black bands.
The cable must be one linear run; T-connections are not allowed.
As is the case with most other high-speed buses, segments must be terminated
with a resistor at each end.
For coaxial-cable-based Ethernet, each end of the cable has a 50 ohm
resistor attached.
Typically this resistor is built into a male N connector and attached to the
end of the cable just past the last device.
If termination is missing, or if there is a break in the cable, the AC
signal on the bus is reflected, rather than dissipated when it reaches the
end.
This reflected signal is indistinguishable from a collision, and so no
communication is possible.
Transceivers can be connected to cable segments with N connectors, or via a
vampire tap, which allows new nodes to be added while existing connections
are live.
A vampire tap clamps onto the cable, forcing a spike to pierce through the
outer shielding to contact the inner conductor while other spikes bite into
the outer braided shield.
Care must be taken to keep the outer shield from touching the spike;
installation kits include a "coring tool" to drill through the outer layers
and a "braid pick" to clear stray pieces of the outer shield. |
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