On Fri, 1 Apr 2011 19:56:33 -0400, "RBM" wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 1 Apr 2011 18:31:03 -0400, "RBM" wrote:


"Mikepier" wrote in message
...
** MC cable has an additional copper ground conductor-

Yes, that is known as MC lite with the aluminum clad . But the old BX
relied on the steel clad for a ground.

** and the new BX (AC) lite relies on it's aluminum shield for it's
ground.

All but the very oldest BX cable had a flat bonding conductor inside
that was to be used, NOT the sheath.
The new BX (plastic insulated cable instead of rubber, with "raffia"
liner) virtually all had a bare copper ground.

Now, to get down to the real differences on CURRENT spiral wound
metallic sheithed cable.

There are 3 basic types, MC, AC, and MC/AP

MC has an insulated green or green and yellow ground.
AC has a bare copper ground.
MC/AP has a full sized copper ground wire attached full length to the
sheath, allowing the sheath to be used as safety ground - but that
wire is cut flush with the sheath and REQUIRES special connectors
where the cable enters the metal box.

I don't know where you come up with your nonsense. For one thing, the
bonding wire inside some AC cable was to assure a fault current path, and
was never connected to anything .
I have several coils of AC cable in my truck, none of which have a grounding
conductor, copper, or otherwise, insulated or bare.


MCAP is a relatively new standard. Look up southwire mcap. Nolan has
some good info on it.

I depended on Northern cable's site for the rest of my information,
which was incomplete. There are a lot more than 3 types of spiral
wound metallic cable. I checked with Allied cable, one of the larger
cable manufacturers. According to THEIR specs:
MC-TUFF cable is steel, MC Lite is aluminum, MC Lite ig is insulated
ground aluminum. all,with no integrated bond , and with the conductors
taped

HCF90 is green steel with insulated ground and bare bonding connector.
HSF Lite is the same but aluminum. For HEALTH CARE applications.

AC90 is steel with an integrated bond ribbon
AC Lite is aluminum with an integrated bond
All AC cable have the conductors wrapped with paper or raffia

And I'll be danged if I can figure out what they would call the
hundreds of feet of aluminum sheathed cable with aluminum integrated
bond strip AND bare ground wire I pulled last fall would be called -
obviously not made by Allied.

It met the description given by Northern for their AC spec cable. (and
was LIKELY Northern cable - I don't have the rolls kicking around to
check

What brand is your "ac" cable that does not have an aluminum bonding
strip, and is it steel (ac) or aluminum (ac lite).
Sounds like MC cable rather than AC if it has no bond ribbon. Is it
paper separated, or plastic "taped"?


And years ago, it was all "BX"