Why Are Dakota Micro’s AgCam and EnduraCam Cameras Superior? PART 4 – Cables or No Cables?

By: Gary Manske – Executive Director, Sales & Marketing

There are several reasons cameras built by Dakota Micro are superior. Our topic for the fourth and final article in this series is connectivity.

Part 4 – Cables “or No Cables”?

Wireless is something we are coming to expect in all aspects of our technical lives. With Cell Phones, WiFi, Bluetooth, 5G, ‘The Cloud’, and many other terms floating around, it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of wired and wireless solutions when it comes to cameras and their uses for heavy equipment operators.

Certainly, wireless solutions have many benefits. But, there are several important drawbacks when you are using wireless cameras on large equipment. These drawbacks include powering the cameras, picture quality, signal latency, signal reliability, weatherproofing, and interference. Dakota Micro is a leader when it comes to wireless technology for use on heavy equipment. Imagine being in a critical position while operating a large piece of equipment and the camera battery died because it wasn’t charged properly. As you can imagine, there are many scenarios where a wired camera is more appropriate. Wired systems provide a reliable signal, better picture quality, reduced interference, and by nature can be used to provide consistent power. But not all cables are created equal.

At Dakota Micro, Inc. we make our own cables to ensure both high quality and superior performance. Our standard cables are made of a silicone blend, super flex, dual coaxial cable. They are designed to resist the high heat and intense cold that large machinery can be subjected to. Most manufacturers cables are PVC jacketed. They becoming rigid and brittle in the cold and degraded in the heat and sun. This causes small breaks in the jacket that will allow water and particulate matter to penetrate and compromise the cables. Dakota Micro’s cables are designed to remain flexible in extreme conditions (-45⁰F to 150⁰F). In fact, we’ve even baked our camera and cable into a cake at 350⁰ in our “Can We Break It” video series.

When more durability and reinforcement is required, to resist abrasion and pull, Dakota Micro  makes reinforced shielded cables. These cables include extra shielding to reduce intense interference and stainless steel braiding to resist cutting and heavy abrasion.

Many equipment manufacturers come to Dakota Micro for our cameras and monitors. They also rely on us to manufacture cables for their applications. Do you have a need for cabling? We can help. Check out our Capabilities Statement and give us a call..