Hi,
I was reading the installation guide of wetlink. The step includes striping the cable jacket, and pushing the cable jacket until it is seated inside of the penetrator.
My question is, what if I have an RG-58 cable which already have a connector (e.g. SMA), how do I we use it with the wetlink? Is it possible to have an SMA connector inside of the enclosure? Is it possible to pass through the SMA cable without striping the jacket on passing the penetrator?
For additional information, we don’t plan to go deep in our application, maybe about 10 meters maximum.
Hi!
Not a standard procedure, but might work, i have done two solutions in the past. Since the cable is not stopped moving by the bottom of the penetrator sealing might be bad, and depth rating might also be lower.
Use standard gland penetrator.
Be careful that the cable diameter fits the right gland.
Also be sure not to damage the gland when inserting the SMA.
Use the old penetrator type needing potting; https://bluerobotics.com/store/cables-connectors/penetrators/penetrator-vp/
That solution can be mounted with larger diameter around the cable for allowing connector. Note that the cable has to be fixed in the penetrator during epoxy curing time, use quick glue or cable straps.
Hi @zul132 -
I would disagree with Bo - I don’t trust standard style gland penetrators to seal to more than a meter or two depth! I’ve seen metal ones work to a bit deeper, but they are not designed for depth…
I also avoid potting at all costs!
It is possible to use a WetLink penetrator with coax cable - you would cut the SMA connector off, and potentially drill out the internal step the purple cable comes up against to allow the cable to feed through. You’d then re-terminate the coax cable with SMA connector inside. This will reduce the depth rating - at extreme depths, the cable jacket will extrude through the bolt without the step in place and fail as a result. However for shallower depths <150m, you’re likely going to be ok! For continuous submersion, even up to 20m should be fine. But testing for your application is key!
Thank you for your replies. I appreciate your insights. I plan to terminate the SMA connector once the cable passed-through a penetrator.
@Boko , when you mentioned standard glan penetrator, which part are you referring to? Are you referring to a generic gland penetrator? Do you have suggestions on which type to use?
@tony-white, you mentioned about drilling the step, are you referring to this part?
Do you think the structure integrity of that part would still be acceptable if they are drilled? I mean, just good enough for our application where we plan to submerse only down to 10 m.
Hi @zul132 -
Yes, that is the step I was referring to. A drill press would be best but I’ve managed with a hand-drill before without issue.
Drilling it out does weaken it, but as mentioned you should be fine since 10m << 150m. Use the smallest size bit possible for your cable OD - a bit of silicone grease (included with enclosures for their o-rings) can help slide the coax through.
Definitely perform a vacuum test before submerging any system, whether the WetLink Penetrators have been modified or not!
If you’ve been helped on the forum, there’s generally no need to file a support ticket unless you’ve been asked to, or have another issue! No big deal though
Hi @Boko -
We still carry those products as students prefer them for pool based competitions - we recognize it can be a hassle to keep different sizes of WetLink Penetrators vs. using epoxy and a one-size-fits all solution - we just don’t trust this solution to much depth or duration…
We will definitely perform the vacuum test before submerging it :).