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[Brian Larson]

A friend recently commissioned me to build him some socapex cables. I've used these before but never built them. I usually build audio snakes and single channel feeder. I contacted a company that sells 12/18 and they sent me back a quote for almost $3,000 for 500 feet of raw, unterminated cable!

Is 12/18 even what I need? I see a lot of places selling 12/14 assemblies but that means some grounds are getting dropped somewhere and i'm not sure if i like that.

Could someone please point me to a source for the correct cable i need.

Thanks!

[Craig Leerman]

Copper is really expensive now.  Do your self a favor and price out the cables from companies like Coast Wire or LEX. You may find that its cheaper to buy completed cables than buying the connectors and cable in bulk. The big companies either get cable really cheap because they buy in bulk, or make it themselves. Either way, when you factor in your time in soldering and putting labels/numbers on the cable, it will probebly be cheaper to buy them.

I got my last bunch of Soco from Coast Wire. TMB would also be a good place to look.

BTW, I saw at LDI that LEX now offers custom labels and numbers printed on cable jackets.

As for joining the grounds, its very common to tie the ground ring in the connector and use just a few conductors for all 6 grounds. Saves on both weight in the cable, as well as cost.

[James Feenstra]

you actually need 12/19, not 12/18...pin 19 is typically shell ground on a bar of six which still needs some connection back to the actual ground (although with christie's bars of six, all the grounds are tied together at the bar connector anyways)

14g soca isn't uncommon either, and is perfectly fine for 20a circuits

pre fab cables are probably about the same price or less than what you could make em for, plus you save the aggravation of making soca...connector mounted ones are not fun

[Philip Roberts]

James Feenstra wrote on Mon, 20 December 2010 17:33

14g soca isn't uncommon either, and is perfectly fine for 20a circuits

James,

Do you have a code reference for this? Generally 12 AWG is needed for 20A circuits and with many current carrying conductors in one jacket you generally have to apply an pretty strong de-rating. (I know Socapex is an exception to this de-rating requirement but don't have the code reference in front of me.)

Philip

[Jeff Wheeler]

Philip Roberts wrote on Mon, 20 December 2010 18:04

(I know Socapex is an exception to this de-rating requirement but don't have the code reference in front of me.)

See Annex B Table B.310.11, "Adjustment Factors for More Than Three Current-Carrying Conductors in a Raceway or Cable with Load Diversity."

[Rob Timmerman]

Jeff Wheeler wrote on Mon, 20 December 2010 19:32

Philip Roberts wrote on Mon, 20 December 2010 18:04 (I know Socapex is an exception to this de-rating requirement but don't have the code reference in front of me.) See Annex B Table B.310.11, "Adjustment Factors for More Than Three Current-Carrying Conductors in a Raceway or Cable with Load Diversity."

Try table 520.44

Based on that table, 90C 14AWG may be OK for 20A, but you'd only be allowed a 15A breaker, so...
Note that this may be fine if you're using dimmers rated at 10A or 12A per channel.

For a 20A breaker, you need 12AWG.

[James Feenstra]

14g is 15a breakers when contained in walls according to building electrical code (residential/commercial)

as we run our cable free air we can go up a breaker size as there's less fire hazard and more ability to shed heat from the cable

[Rob Timmerman]

James Feenstra wrote on Tue, 21 December 2010 13:57

14g is 15a breakers when contained in walls according to building electrical code (residential/commercial) as we run our cable free air we can go up a breaker size as there's less fire hazard and more ability to shed heat from the cable

I can't seem to find that in my copy of the NEC.  Do you happen to know where it states that?

[James Feenstra]

no, unfortunately I don't, and i'm not about to search the 879 page 2011 version to find out either lol

I'm going by the word of the commercial electricians that were working a rather large install with me in November