Cat5 Over Ceiling

[Chris15]

We've been told that this is an architectural control system with 12V DC and DMX.
My suspicion is that the 12V is used to power something like a button panel on the wall and thus will have fairly low current draw.
That means your voltage drop isn't going to be much and it will all be fine...
If in doubt, double or triple up the 12V conductors

 

[Synchronize]

Yes, the whole system will draw about 550 milliamps.

It looks like we'll be running everything through conduit anyway. I received technical drawings today and they spec 14 ga wire to power the panels. The original cut sheet I was working off of showed one line for power and data connecting the system. I also asked the salesperson about power through data cable and I thought they said that that's what was intended. But there must have been a breakdown in communication somewhere. Oh well... looks like I'll be breaking out the conduit bender.

 

[Call911]

We've been told that this is an architectural control system with 12V DC and DMX.
My suspicion is that the 12V is used to power something like a button panel on the wall and thus will have fairly low current draw.
That means your voltage drop isn't going to be much and it will all be fine...
If in doubt, double or triple up the 12V conductors

Possibly not DMX, most wall stations use brand-specific communication. Strand uses Vision.Net (SVN) which uses cat5, but is not straight DMX.

 

[FMEng]

If the 12 V supply is rated for class 2 use (CL2), then you can still run the cable without conduit. Any manufacturer worth their salt would design it that way.

 

[Chris15]

Possibly not DMX, most wall stations use brand-specific communication. Strand uses Vision.Net (SVN) which uses cat5, but is not straight DMX.

Please reread post #16...