Longer HP-IL cable runs

[rprosperi]

(02-18-2018 05:14 PM)4ster Wrote:  Dumb question: I am an electronics dunce.

Can I use 2 twisted pair sets in the Cat 5 cable or do I need dedicate one twisted pair per cable?

It seems that the function of the shielding would be defeated if both halves of the HP-IL loop are in one Cat 5 cable.

You should be able to use 2 pairs in the same cable. Normal CAT5/5E/6 cables actually carry 2 distinct sets of 4 wires to implement 2 independent Ethernet lines, which can be split at both ends to make running wire simpler / cheaper. Most folks think Ethernet requires all 8 lines, but it's really just 4.

I imagine the shielding in these twisted pairs is good enough for HP-IL which runs at far lower data rates than Ethernet.

But I'm no EE either, this is just pragmatic experience.