Proper cable protection/flex management/etc.

Look for "Superflex" cable, which has soft insulation, and a large bunch of *very* fine copper wire for the conductors. Often sold for test lead cable and such.

Run the cables where flexing is minimized ... you probably already know that ... but I had to say it ... Use cables that use fine (small gage), braided conductors and shields. Pay close attention to strain relief, cable support and abrasion points and add bushings/sleeves when necessary. Thick insulation can work against you.

I don't know of a good website about this but others might. GL!

Excellent cable source for hi-flex cable is Igus, check out:

Bill

Cable materials (metals and polymers) will tolerate flexure indefinitely if that doesn't exceed the elastic limit of the materials. So, keep the cables loose (to eliminate tension) and add in a few loops where you have room (the bending of a loop is distributed over the entire length of wire in the loop, NOT concentrated at one short segment). Take the lesson of the coiled cord on a telephone handset; it rarely breaks, because each coil takes up a bit of flexure.

Also, use thin cables where possible, because a 1/4" cable bent around a 1" radius has a lot bigger internal stresses than a 1/8" cable with the same bend. If you can remove the solid sheath from a cable, and replace it with a fabric (like polypropylene wire loom), your 1/4" sheathed cable becomes a bunch of 1/32" individual conductors. For bends without any twist, a printed-wiring assembly can be effective because the copper/kapton sandwich is again a very thin section; use a spiral of flex wiring for a tight bend, because it can flex ONCE to take the spiral shape without damage; subsequent flexure changes that spiral shape only slightly.

whit3rd wrote:

Yup. If you have the space, coily cords are the gold standard.

Think how much traffic the front door of a prosperous business gets ...and do I have to mention what Rock-n-Roll musicians can do to stuff?

Charles snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net posted to sci.electronics.design:

I second the issue of strain relief, i have seen to many times where careful strain relief dramatically improved operational life.

Look at providing mechanical means to limit flex radius - run cables inside a spring, hose, or innerduct type material, or use the "rolling cable tray" type of cable control (typically seen on long rolling assemblies - ie, stationary robots with internal parts that move around), looks a bit like chain links in a box shape, with the box being where the cables run.