SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998

SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 is the Slovenian adoption of EN 61196-3-3:1997, aligned with IEC 61196-3-3:1997. It specifies a detail specification for coaxial cables with foamed dielectric for digital communication in horizontal floor wiring, for local area networks with 185 m reach and up to 10 Mb/s. In practice, it is the document to use when you need the cable construction and performance limits for 10 BASE 2-type applications.

What does SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 specify?

SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 covers the subfamily of coaxial cables for digital communication and gives the specific requirements and severities for this cable type. The scope says it should be used together with EN 61196-1 and EN 61196-3, so it sits within the wider cable series rather than standing alone.

The document is organized around cable construction, engineering information, inspection values and characteristics, and a figure for maximum transfer impedance. That makes it useful both for specifying the cable and for checking whether a sample meets the declared performance.

What are the key requirements of SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998?

SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 fixes the cable build in some detail, starting with the conductor, dielectric, outer conductor and sheath. The construction data matter because they define the cable that the electrical tests apply to, not just a generic coaxial design.

Cable construction

• The inner conductor is tinned copper with 19 strands and a 1.00 mm diameter.
• The dielectric is foamed polyethylene, with limits on eccentricity, ovality and diameter.
• The outer conductor uses a tape layer and a braid layer, with the tape made from Al-polymer variants and the braid made from tinned copper.
• The sheath is PVC, with minimum thickness, overall diameter and marking specified.

For a buyer or manufacturer, this means the cable is not just judged by performance figures - its physical build is also controlled, so substitutions of materials or geometry have to be checked against the specification.

Electrical performance

The document gives values for insulation resistance, dielectric withstand voltage, sheath spark test voltage, characteristic impedance, outer conductor resistance, loop DCR, attenuation, velocity ratio and surface transfer impedance. It also notes that attenuation after ageing is under study.

For practical use, these are the figures that determine whether the cable can carry the intended digital signal with the right impedance match and acceptable losses. The surface transfer impedance limit in Figure 1 is especially relevant for shielding performance.

Mechanical and environmental behavior

SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 sets minimum elongation and tensile strength values for the conductor and sheath, and it requires the sheath to retain specified properties after ageing at 100 °C. It also includes bending tests at room temperature and at -20 °C, both requiring no damage.

This tells users what the cable must survive during installation and in service. Installers and quality teams can use these requirements to judge whether the cable can be bent, pulled and aged without losing integrity.

Fire-related requirement

The cable has to pass the vertical cable fire test referenced to IEC 60332-1. Smoke, toxicity and halogens are noted as not applicable in the document.

For procurement and compliance checks, this means the fire behavior is tied to a named test method rather than a general claim about flammability.

Quality assurance status

The quality assurance line is marked as under consideration. That is useful mainly as a reading cue - the document strongly defines product and test requirements, while the assurance scheme is not developed in the same way in this edition.

What terms does SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 define?

• Foamed dielectric - The insulating layer is foamed polyethylene, which is the dielectric material used in this coaxial cable design.
• Horizontal floor wiring - The cable is intended for the horizontal part of building cabling, where runs connect work areas and equipment.
• Characteristic impedance - The specified impedance of the cable, given here as a controlled transmission parameter.
• Surface transfer impedance - A measure of how well the shield limits transfer of interference, with the limit shown in Figure 1.
• Velocity ratio - The relative propagation speed of the signal in the cable, used to judge transmission behavior.
• Sheath spark test - A dry electrical test used to check sheath integrity at high voltage.
• BNC - The connector type named in the engineering information as IEC 60169-8 (BNC).

Who uses SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998?

Cable manufacturers use it to design and build the correct coaxial cable construction. Test laboratories use it to verify electrical, mechanical and environmental properties against the specified values.

Quality managers and buyers use it when they need a product definition for coaxial cable in digital communication systems. Network specifiers and installers use it when selecting cable for horizontal floor wiring and 10 BASE 2-compatible applications.

Which standards are used with SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998?

• EN 61196-1 - The generic specification that provides the base framework for this cable family.
• EN 61196-3 - The sectional specification that this detail specification depends on.
• ISO/IEC 8802-3 (1996) - Identified for 10 BASE 2 applications and system performance requirements.
• IEC 60332-1 - The fire test method used for the vertical cable test.
• IEC 60169-8 - The connector standard named for the recommended BNC connector type.

What does the SIST EN 61196-3-3:1998 document contain?

The document includes a cable construction section with values for conductor, dielectric, outer conductor and sheath. It also provides engineering information such as connector type, mass, bending radius, capacitance and voltage rating.

A main table lists the required inspection values and characteristics for electrical integrity, transmission, mechanical and environmental performance. Figure 1 gives the maximum transfer impedance curve, which is used to judge shield performance across frequency.