Are the connectors correctly sized for the cable and insulation type?   Are the cables held ridged during crimping?    Would be two questions I ask.

Pat 

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Black
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 6:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Detecting Cut Wire Strands on Insulation Displacement Cables

In trying to track root cause of an intermittent failure, we discovered, by dissection, that some wire strands of an Insulation Displacement Cable had been cut (see atached picture with cover removed).  Each wire is 7 strands of 36 gauge wire.  The supplier of the cable agrees with the conclusion and is talking with the supplier of the IDC equipment used.  
To verify that this is truly the root cause of the problem, we need known good cables, but all of them are currently suspect.  The thought was to x-ray the cables to verify all of the strands are intact, but the IDC contacts surrounding the wire strands make it difficult, even at 100x magnification.  Does anyone know of a method that might help detect the broken strands or a company that might have the capability?


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