Overheard a lead tech say he ignores the wiring separation distances in crowded racks

He said a half inch is fine between signal and power cables and I just walked away thinking about how many intermittent faults we'll be chasing in a year from that panel - has anyone else seen shortcuts like this actually cause real failures?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_nelson711mo ago

Did you ever watch a senior guy do that and just freeze up wondering if you should speak up? I used to think the code specs were just paranoid overkill until I helped tear down a panel that had been running for three years with cables mashed together like that. Every single signal wire in the bundle had noise issues and half the digital inputs were reading garbage because of crosstalk. That experience really changed my mind about those separation rules.

rowanhernandez1mo ago

You said "I used to think the code specs were just paranoid overkill" and man, that hit home. I remember my first big panel job, I was so sure I knew better than the old timers about cable routing. Then I had to troubleshoot a machine where a 24v DC line ran right next to a thermocouple wire for six feet. Let's just say the temp readings looked like a heart monitor on caffeine. I still joke that I learned more from my mess ups than from any training course, and those separation rules are now my safety blanket.

john_fisher1mo ago

And then you get to be the guy who points it out and sound like a total know-it-all, right? Tbh I've been that guy and I've also been the one who said "nah it'll be fine" and then spent a weekend chasing ghosts. Ngl it's like the code book is just a collection of stories about other people's bad days that we get to learn from for free. Honestly if my first panel job had been a hit song, it would have been called "That Time I Learned Crosstalk Is Not A Dance Move.

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