When it comes to the difference between cables and wires, many people might ask, confusedly, "Aren't they the same thing?" Of course not. Cables and wires differ significantly in size, structure, purpose, and characteristics, so they shouldn't be lumped together. So, what's the difference between cables and wires? RV and RVV are both wires, differing by just one letter. What's the difference between them?
What's the difference between wires and cables?
What's the difference between wires and cables? Wire and cable are often used as a combination, but upon closer inspection, there are differences between the two.
Broadly speaking, cables fall under the same category, and wires are also a type of cable.
In a narrower sense, a cable is a device with multiple conductors wrapped in individual insulation layers, grouped together and then covered by a single insulation layer. Each conductor within a cable is considered a wire.
In addition to these two types, there's also a type of wire without insulation, called "bare wire."
What's the difference between RV and RVV?
RV refers to general-purpose, single-core, soft-conductor, unsheathed cable. RV is a single-core, cloth-lined cable with polyvinyl chloride insulation and no outer sheath.
RVV power cables are two or more RV cables with an additional outer sheath. RVV cables are the most commonly used cables in low-voltage systems. They can have two or more cores, covered with a PVC sheath, and the arrangement of the cores is not specified.
The added sheath of RVV power cables protects the sheath from damage and increases tensile, compressive, and abrasion resistance.
RV cables can be used to transmit power, electrical control signals, and switch signals. Their flexible design allows for a small conductor bend radius and is suitable for installation in humid and oily environments.
RVV power cables are commonly used in surveillance systems and typically utilize extruded oxygen-free copper. Extruded power cables are vacuum-filled with PVC. They offer stable transmission, a long service life, and require little maintenance, but are relatively expensive.
The above explains the differences between wires and cables, and the differences between RVV and RVV. As usage expands, many varieties contain cables within wires, and cables within cables. Therefore, strict distinctions are unnecessary. In daily life, people often refer to household wiring as wires and power cables as cables. There's no definitive definition of which is better, and you can choose one based on your specific needs.
