How FlatWire Works?
What is FlatWire and why are so many people interested in it? Efficiency and a clean look in the home or business would be the two major reasons for growing use of this technology. People are now designing and building rooms and entire homes with FlatWire as a primary element of the design.
Most electronic equipment and electrical systems still need wires and cables to operate but there’s nothing that says those wires and cables have to clutter the room and bunch up against the wall behind a desk or entertainment center. Of course, some homeowners and businesses choose to put as many wires, Internet and TV cables in the walls and ceiling as possibility. This tends to be expensive, if for no other reason that it takes a lot of labor to run wires and cables this way.
In recent years some have tried a new method: wires that are flat instead of round and bulky. Some of these cables and wires are thin enough and flat enough to be glued to the wall. Some can even be painted over, hiding them almost 100 percent.
FlatWire is actually available in different types. For speakers and applications that are very low voltage the “wires” are flat strips of copper covered by a film. Others are a bit wider because narrow copper strips or bands are placed side by side and covered with similar film. In many cases they aren’t perfectly straight lines of copper but have “waves.”
The flat, thin lines of copper carry current just as round wire does. The individual strips or bands are separated by adhesive and non-conducting material (known in the industry as the dielectric). This material acts in the same way as the insulation on traditional wires. FlatWire can be purchased in two or three strands, ready-made. Companies may also manufacture this efficient type of wiring to order. Ground wires and insulating material are carefully placed according to specific need.
Connections can be made in the traditional way or according to custom room layout. FlatWire is ideal for rooms in which appearance is a major concern. Not only that but some television rooms and entertainment rooms are more appealing when power cables, speaker wires and coaxial cables aren’t cluttering the space. With FlatWire there is no need to make holes in the walls and baseboards to pass the wires through. As mentioned earlier properly installed FlatWire can be glued to the wall and painted over so that it doesn’t show at all.
While it may seem that this type of wire would be used only for low-voltage installations in a home, the truth is much different. Quality FlatWire can be used for high-voltage electrical currents, voice/telephone lines, coaxial cable and much more. Speaker wire certainly isn’t the only application for thin, flat wire design. Moving and placing this type of wire is actually quite easy since FlatWire is flexible enough to be turned in any direction. It can even be folded in some applications. About the only drawback to this wire type is expense. The materials are a bit more costly because they take a different method of manufacture. But you may be able to do most of the installation yourself, saving you the costs of professional labor.
Category: Technology