Belden recently announced its Digital Electricity (DE) cables received Class 4 certification from UL. “As buildings become more intelligent, Digital Electricity cables can support safe and efficient emerging digital power technologies,” the company said when announcing the certification accomplishment.
Class 4 is a new classification standard dedicated to fault-managed power systems, Belden explained. These systems offer the convenience and safety of low-voltage power, like Power over Ethernet, which provides up to 100W.
Class 4 offers nearly 20 times that wattage over multiple-hundreds of meters, Belden pointed out, emphasizing that Digital Electricity is a safe alternative to alternating current (AC) power.
“Fault-managed power systems are also referred to as packet energy transfer (PET), DE, pulsed power, or smart transfer systems,” Belden's announcement added. “They offer a cost-effective alternative to AC power and provide power and data in a single run, saving valuable installation time. Similar to PoE, DE cables can be installed by the same low-voltage integrators that install Category cabling. DE cables are a great complement to PoE applications, powering PoE switches that power devices including lighting, wireless access points and small cells using standard Ethernet connections.”
Belden emphasizes that Class 4 systems are designed with safety at the forefront. Rather than limiting power source output, they limit energy and power available during a fault event. If somebody touches exposed wires or splashes water onto circuits during operation, the system immediately and automatically shuts off before causing harm.
To limit fault energy, a transmitter and receiver monitor for faults and control power delivery. The technology makes Class 4 systems as safe as, or safer than, Class 2 and Class 3 systems, Belden says.
Digital Electricity (DE) is a trademark of VoltServer.
