Cable Modding | External Shielding?

[yfn_ratchet]

Hey all, came up with a somewhat wild idea to extend the life of my Index Tether, specifically the latter half that attaches to the Trident. What if I got a hold of some braided copper cable sleeves like shown below and then grounded it to my computer chassis with some alligator clips? Would it help with EMI-related issues like the dropouts/snow I'm getting as of late (suspect damaged internal shielding + noisy environment) or is it really only solved with a cable replacement?

 

[Harlow]

After spending many hours trying to suppress electronic equipment in EMC test labs, I can certainly recommend using Copper braid and grounding it to a metal computer chassis.

You could also try a couple of clamp-on ferrite beads, one at each end of the cable. Choose a bead with the correct internal diameter to fit over the cable plus braid.

https://www.amazon.com/10pcs-Ferrit...&sprefix=clamp+on+ferrite+bead,aps,161&sr=8-7

 

[Ruru]

Personally I haven't ever heard that a consumer would need anything like that. Maybe in the business world things are different.

I don't even understand which devices needs ferrites, I think only Playstation 1 and 2 controllers are the only devices I have which have ferrites. And few USB cables.

 

[Harlow]

Some of my older video cables, especially 15-pin D-sub VGA and DVI come with ferrite cores at each end, inside heatshrink sleeving. I also have PS/2 and USB keyboards/mice with a single ferrite core at the connector end. Ferrite cores in leads are employed by some big-name computer suppliers (Dell, HP, etc.) who are more thorough when it comes to EMC/EMI compliance certification.

Most "consumers" are blissfully unaware of the amount of Radio Frequency Interference emanating from their digital devices, unless they experience interference on some other piece of equipment. You're more likely to be affected by RFI if you live next door to an amateur radio enthusiast with a high power HF or VHF radio transmitter. At this point you can try adding ferrites to your cables, to see if the cores reduce any visible/audible signs of interference.

As an EMC/EMI Compliance Engineer, I've tested computers marketed as fully "compliant", but which failed to pass all tests, requiring further work before the company I worked for could sell a finished system as UL or CE compliant. Sometimes all that's needed is a handful of ferrite cores. At other times, additional filtering needs to be incorporated inside the equipment to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Much of the equipment manufactured in China is marked UL or CE using "self-certification", but no formal EMC/EMI testing has been performed, so some devices will fail to meet the regulations. None of this really matters unless interference from a non-compliant device happens to affect your heart pacemaker, motorcycle anti-lock brake system, or some other vital system.