IEC 60966-2-1:2008

IEC 60966-2-1
Edition 3.0 2008-10
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Radio frequency and coaxial cable assemblies –
Part 2-1: Sectional specification for flexible coaxial cable assemblies

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IEC 60966-2-1
Edition 3.0 2008-10
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Radio frequency and coaxial cable assemblies –
Part 2-1: Sectional specification for flexible coaxial cable assemblies

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
R
ICS 33.120.10 ISBN 978-2-88910-355-3
– 2 – 60966-2-1 © IEC:2008(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3

1 Scope.5

2 Normative references .5

3 Terms and definitions .5

4 Design and manufacturing requirements.6

4.1 Cable design and construction.6

4.2 Connector design and construction.6

4.3 Outline and interface dimensions.6
5 Workmanship, marking and packaging.7
6 Quality assessment .8
7 Test methods – General .8
8 Electrical tests.8
9 Mechanical robustness tests.9
10 Environmental tests .9
11 Specialized test methods.11
12 Test schedules .11

Figure 1 – Length definition of cable assemblies.7
Figure 2 – Example of a cable assembly.7
Figure 3 – Preferred arrangement for the vibration test .9
Figure 4 – Example production flow chart for a flexible cable assembly .14

Table 1 – Grouping of tests for specification purposes .12
Table 2 – Test schedule.13
Table 3 – Assignment of CQCs .15

60966-2-1 © IEC:2008(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________
RADIO FREQUENCY AND COAXIAL CABLE ASSEMBLIES –

Part 2-1: Sectional specification for flexible coaxial cable assemblies

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60966-2-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 46:
Cables, wires, waveguides, R.F. connectors, R.F. and microwave passive components and

accessories.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2003. It constitutes a
technical revision.
The major change with respect to the second edition is a better definition of the tests to be
performed.
This sectional specification is to be read in conjunction with the second edition of
IEC 60966-1 (1999). It contains the same clauses as that of IEC 60966-1 and completes or
amends them when required. When a clause of IEC 60966-1 does not appear in this standard,
it applies as it is in IEC 60966-1. When this standard states "addition", "modification" or
"replacement", the relevant text in Part 1 is to be adapted accordingly.

– 4 – 60966-2-1 © IEC:2008(E)
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:

CDV Report on voting
46/262/CDV 46/295/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on

voting indicated in the above table.

A list of all parts of the IEC 60966 series, under the general title: Radio frequency and coaxial
cable assemblies, can be found on the IEC website.

This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

60966-2-1 © IEC:2008(E) – 5 –
RADIO FREQUENCY AND COAXIAL CABLE ASSEMBLIES –

Part 2-1: Sectional specification for flexible coaxial cable assemblies

1 Scope
This part of IEC 60966 is a sectional specification that relates to flexible coaxial cable

assemblies operating in the transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM). It establishes uniform
requirements for testing the electrical, mechanical and climatic properties of flexible cable
assemblies composed of flexible coaxial cables and coaxial connectors.
NOTE 1 For the purposes of this sectional specification, a cable assembly is always regarded as an integral unit.
All specifications apply to the finished assembly and not to individual and non-assembled parts thereof.
NOTE 2 This sectional specification should be supplemented with detail specifications giving additional details as
required by the particular application. This application will not necessarily require all tests.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60068-2-6, Environmental testing – Part 2-6: Tests − Test Fc: Vibration (sinusoidal)
IEC 60096-2, Radio-frequency cables – Part 2: Relevant cable specifications
IEC 60410, Sampling plans and procedures for inspection by attributes
IEC 60966-1:1999, Radio frequency and coaxial cable assemblies – Part 1: Generic
specification – General requirements and test methods
IEC 61169 (all parts), Radio-frequency connectors
IEC 61196 (all parts), Coaxial communication cables
IEC QC 001002 (all parts), IEC Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components

(IECQ) – Rules of procedure
ISO 9000, Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60966-1 apply.

– 6 – 60966-2-1 © IEC:2008(E)
4 Design and manufacturing requirements

Clause 4 of IEC 60966-1 is applicable except as follows:

Replacement:
4.1 Cable design and construction

Cables should conform to IEC 60096-2 or IEC 61196. Where cable designs deviating from

these publications are required, they shall comply with the requirements of the detail

specification.
If required, the manufacturer may use additional protective tubing or cable deviating from
IEC 61196, in order to comply with the requirements of the detail specification.
The materials used in the cable shall be given as engineering information in the detail
specification.
4.2 Connector design and construction
Connectors should conform to IEC 61169. Where connector designs deviating from IEC 61169
are required, the interface should conform to the relevant part of IEC 61169 where available
and shall comply with the requirements of the detail specification.
The materials used in the connector shall be given as engineering information in the detail
specification.
4.3 Outline and interface dimensions
The outline and interface dimensions shall be in accordance with the detail specification of
the cable assembly.
The length, unless otherwise specified in the detail specification, is defined as between the
reference planes of the connectors. In case of right angle connectors, the length applies to
the axis of the connectors (see Figure 1).
If not indicated in the detail specification, the length tolerance shall be ±1 % for cables equal
to, or longer than, 300 mm and ±3 mm for cab
...