Electrical test and measurement equipment reviews.

ITTSB Europe

CANARE L-4E6S Best cable for DMM Kelvin clips (DIY project).

Four Wires noiseless measurements of resistance and voltage, thanks to Japanese

engineering along state of the art manufacturing.

Written by: Kiriakos Triantafillou - 8 May ©2021  - Greece

CANARE L-4E6S this is latest generation of HIGH QUALITY cable for audio applications and actually an microphone cable.

Intro:

I am familiar with industry of sound products since the year 1985, back then FM radio broadcasting along sharing songs On-Air it was a hobby for the youth this engaging for a first time with electronics, at least in south east Europe.

The unseen electrical noise pollution sources this is not a new source of Evil. While many technologies and equipment they were modernized over the years, the link between a high quality microphone with a sound console this is still a piece of cable.

People of my age they still remember the King that is no other than SHURE SM58 Dynamic Vocal Microphone … And mostly due SM58 high pricing, we hobbyist was forced using equivalent products, good performers but nothing equal to SM58.

In our times even modern recording studios they are filled up with numerous sources of electrical noise with out be aware of them, most of them relative to power supply quality in use for powering several equipment and or gadgets.

Old enemy this is still here, the known 50 or 60 Hz hum frequency, along the new that is radiated electrical noise caused by LED lights and even mobile phone chargers.

At sector of electrical test and measurements and especially at high precision measurements we face a common enemy with the industry of sound. Due the fact that electrical noise and or interference reduction this is our goal too, any product in compliance to best practices of electrical engineering then this is a welcomed solution and for our applications too.

CANARE L-4E6S

By a simple inspection of this cable construction highlights all experts at electrical measurements they would have a pleasant surprise.

CANARE brand engineers they did use or implement all best know practices for the elimination of electrical noise.

a) Radiated electrical noise this gets eliminated due the external shield.

b) Electrical noise cancellation Wire-to-Wire phenomenon, this is eliminated due twisted pairs of wires.

c) Additional electrical noise cancellation this is active due strict control of allowed frequencies passing loss-less thru it.

d) Highest quality pure copper in use of fine strands along individual wire insulation material, that it soft and at the same time hard to remove or to injure it.

e) External cable insulation (jacket), this looks as soft rubber but actually this is something more special as material, I did clip on it my Kelvin clips so to take a picture, and Clips they did leave on it pressure marks, one minute later all pressure marks they has be disappear !!  An professionally working electrician with more than 30 years in the filed, he is hard to be impressed by a cable construction, but in this case I did.  

CANARE Japanese industry of sound this is now unintentionally the Best Friend of electrical metrology.

FLUKE 8846A benchtop multimeter this has obvious along less obvious features. Less obvious but significant feature this is that it external USB connector (front face) it metal cage this offers perfect ground to earth.

While electrical metrology (known brands) they do offer High-Current Kelvin clips with wires used from cars industry (poor flexibility and fireproof), no one gave enough though so far to offer Shielded cables for Kelvin clips.

But they are and other electrical metrology applications which can find L-4E6S cable as necessary even when shield to ground this is not possible (similar condition that street artist musicians them facing two due their battery powered inverters for AC volts supply).

L-4E6S cable twisted pairs this is most recognisable as electrical noise cancellation technology or best practice, especially at precision DC Volt sources (Calibration mobile standards).

And as I all ready wrote above, pass thru frequencies bandwidth allowed by the cable this is still another passive form of filtering. Naturally industry of cables manufacturing they are not magicians, they can combine other well known best practices as is the single wire insulation jacket diameter and or distance of two wires between them, so to form necessary minimum capacitance this along resistance value both forming R+C passive filter as we do at printed circuit boards by the use of electronic components instead.

CANARE in this case it did use their finest R&D at product design, and they did succeed to deliver within one cable, the quantity of three passive filters them working as shields against electrical noise.  Canare describes this manufacturing concept as Star Quad Cables.   

Regarding shied density and braid push back, even my own expert hands they did required almost 90 seconds of time, so to actually undo what CANARE machines did at the factory.

I was had freeing up both copper pairs along shield strands, at the length of four centimetres at its side.

KELVIN DIY Harness - Assembly and testing at  Kiriakos electronics repairs lab.

I thought instead filling with boring details of what other parts I did use in my project, to go ahead and demonstrate pictures of this project and leave my final verdict (conclusion) below them.

I am not avoiding to hide any details, all other wires extension they are from good quality test leads with fine copper strands, Kelvin clips they are common to find at eBay, Banana male plugs are nickel plated solid copper, and about soldering I did use advanced product this containing 3% of Silver.

KELVIN harness does not require lowest resistance from end to end of its wire, but dissimilar metals they should be avoided, and therefore my part list was had to include only compatible parts.

Test results and conclusion.

Since the year 2010 that was the beginning of my engagement with the sector of reliable electrical test and measurement equipment and tools, I did start enjoying the benefit of not demonstrating blind trust at anything.

At electrical T&M world everything can be verified due a electrical measurement, all that you need this is minimum of investment about getting the appropriate equipment,  spend a bit of time with it for obtaining necessary experience, and then you are capable to see the unseen to others, by the use of quality multimeter and or Oscilloscope and or an LCR meter.

No, an single demonstration of an electrical measurement this is not a proof that a product this works as advertised.

But now demonstrate necessary patience for further offered explanations. Modern benchtop multimeter they are not capable of just measuring electrical quantities, they include now also several analysis functions that we can determine DC voltage stability and or at resistance measurements, we can have logged the so called as standard deviation.

Standard Deviation function at FLUKE 8846A multimeter, this is internal data logging ability of constantly recorded measurements in the unit of time, any fluctuation of resistance or voltage quantity this gets recorded, and the multimeter deliver all by it self total deviation value down to parts per million also known as ppm.

Since the moment that FLUKE 8846A this has potentials as analysis instrument, by the use of them, I do become able to verify due measurement of tiny quantities the actual influence of any change caused within measured circuit and it components (including connected wires).

Let’s talk a bit about electrical noise.

Electrical noise causes allot of confusion to people because this is not visible and neither a permanently present phenomenon.

We electricians with advanced skills and experiences we are prepared to see the unseen by the help of qualifying measuring tools. We are able to detect the source of the problem by the use of data logging of measured electrical quantities. We are capable to spot the source of the problem and to get in to final stage as decision makers this time, so us to decide the most cost effective solution at solving the problem.

Every one makes an evaluation according to his own perception, and when for example an studio recording this gets destroyed due few spikes of electrical noise and or interference, this is bad news for the sound engineer and additional waste of work hours.

Electrical noise this is unavoidable at our times that we are surrounded by electrical devices and equipment. Therefore the selection of best cable for a microphone or instead for noiseless electrical measurements, this is a precaution choice that we do in advance.

We are getting prepared in advance, so if and when, there is an electrical interference, the result this will cause minimum impact at our productivity.    

Most to all solutions related to fight back of electrical problems they come from academia and electrical engineering, the wheel has be discovered before us, and today we are living in to a much safer world despite the huge amount of our electrical appliances. This become possible because higher number of manufacturers they use approved materials along good practices at their production lines.

But be aware that today, we are facing an new problem this caused by politics, at recent years the CHINA and their government decided not using or importing foreign better made electronic parts or materials, by doing so they declared a war against markets and consumers.

The market now gets flooded by products that product labelling along specifications they are an illusion, worst quality of recycled copper this is now used for the production of cables, cheap pulsing power supply they include short lived electrolytic capacitors.

CCTV cameras they come with power cables ready to fall apart within few months due the fact that inner copper this is heavily oxidised (lowest quality of scrap metal in use).

Therefore no matter if you are an working professional or hobbyist or youth at school, we all as consumers we getting bombarded by Chinese goods of worst quality along tiny life cycle.

Now its our time to stand up, and to deliver our hard earned cash only to products made by the few sincere industries, which they are made them according to west quality standards and according best practices.  

I did allot of personal research prior buying the specific CANARE L-4E6S cable for my project, actually I was searched the market for a month time. Prior actually touching it, I was unaware only about it flexibility, because of everything else CANARE Japan it does offer crystal clear product specifications.

Additionally my market research this offered to me and few good laughs, at YouTube I came face to face with one of the many, no-name no-address CANARE L-4E6S competitors, them selling products only due Amazon.

They were demonstrating an hilarious cable qualification test by the use of several turns of microphone cable around the motor of cheap power drill and they was recording influence of carbon brush sparks.

I am sorry but this is not a Fool proof electrical test, its rather a test so this to impress other Fools.

Conclusion

I am extremely happy with the purchase and test results of CANARE L-4E6S at my DIY project. I was had to import this cable from China, mostly due the lower shipping cost.

Product quality this is truly best even according to my own judgment, as some one which he still feels as electrical metrology enthusiast.

I wish to thanks Canare Electric Co., Ltd. headquarters in Japan, for their offered approval to ITTSB, about the publish of parts of their catalogue at my presentation.

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