Hybrid Servo Cable for One-Cable Solution Servo Drives

A hybrid servo cable that replaces the separate power lead and feedback lead between drive and motor with one jacketed assembly. Power cores, brake pair and encoder elements sized against your drive rating, terminated in an M23 or M40 hybrid shell.

Description

Last updated: 13 September 2026

Overview

A one-cable solution replaces the separate power lead and feedback lead between drive and motor with a single jacketed assembly. The wiring cabinet benefits as much as the machine does: one connector pair instead of two to terminate, one clamp set instead of two to route, and a thinner bundle that lets a new installation be specified with a narrower drag chain. The engineering question inside a hybrid servo cable is how the cross-section is shared out between power, brake and feedback.

Key Specifications

Product typeHybrid power and feedback servo cable
Jacket materialPUR, orange
Conductor layoutPower cores plus brake pair plus signal cores, set per drive rating
Feedback protocolsCompatible with EnDat 3, HIPERFACE DSL, BiSS-C
Connector familyM23 / M40 hybrid circular or maker-specific shell
Temperature range-40 to +80 degrees C moving – to be confirmed
Minimum bend radius7.5 x diameter – to be confirmed
Feedback screeningScreened pair with the screen carried to the connector shell

How the cross-section is allocated

Public competitor data for this class quotes a structure of four 1.5 mm2 power cores together with two 1.5 mm2 brake cores and four signal cores. That is a real starting point and it is not a universal answer: conductor count and cross-section follow the drive rating and the feedback type, so the layout is set against your motor and drive nameplate before we quote.

FunctionWhat sets its sizeWhat happens if it is under-sized
Motor power coresDrive continuous and peak current, run length, duty cycleVoltage drop at peak torque, drive trips on undervoltage
Brake pairBrake coil current and the voltage the drive suppliesBrake releases late or holds weakly
Feedback pair or pairsThe protocol – clock and data need a screened pairFollowing error, position drift, nuisance trips
Shield and fillersGrouping needed to keep the bundle round under torsionCores migrate, the bundle flattens and the jacket wears

Feedback inside a hybrid: the part people get wrong

Putting a digital feedback pair in the same sheath as the motor power conductors only works if the screening is right. The switching noise from the power cores is exactly what the feedback pair must not see.

ProtocolWhat it needs in the hybridNote
EnDat 3One screened pair, screen continuous to the shellAssignment follows the drive maker
HIPERFACE DSLScreened pair, impedance controlledTolerant of longer runs within the same sheath
BiSS-CScreened pair, point to pointCommon on retrofit work
Sin/cos 1 VppTwo screened pairs, analogPossible but the noisiest option in a hybrid – ask first

Connector family

The hybrid shell is what makes a single-cable installation possible, and it is usually the constraint on the whole design. M23 and M40 hybrid circular shells cover most of the market and carry power, brake and signal contacts in one body. Where the drive maker uses a specific shell, we match it instead. Send the motor type and drive model and we match the connector family, whether that is a standard hybrid circular shell or a maker-specific one.

When one cable is the wrong answer

  • Very high power axes – the power cross-section gets large enough that a separate power lead is easier to route and to terminate.
  • Short runs with easy access – two cables cost less than one hybrid and are easier to replace individually.
  • Axes with a separate brake supply – if the brake does not come from the drive, it may not belong in the sheath at all.
  • Retrofits where only one of the two existing cables has failed – you lose the benefit if you are re-pulling a good cable anyway.

Mechanical figures still to be confirmed

PUR jacket in the orange machine-build color, chosen for oil and coolant exposure. Moving-installation temperature range quoted as -40 to +80 degrees C, and a minimum bend radius quoted as 7.5 times overall diameter in continuous chain duty. Cycle life and torsion figures have to be measured on the production build rather than taken from a brochure, so each is marked pending confirmation and flagged on the quote rather than printed as settled fact.

Typical applications for this hybrid servo cable

  • New machine builds where the drag chain width is still open at design stage
  • Retrofits that pull two worn cables and pull one back in, alongside our encoder feedback cable where the feedback run stays separate
  • Machine tools, packaging lines and handling axes with long travel, using a M23 screw lock cable pattern at the drive end
  • Axis wiring built up as a custom servo motor cable assembly where a hybrid is not the right answer
  • Cells that also need a data path, paired with our Cat6a fiber hybrid cable back to the cabinet

How to specify

  1. Drive maker and model, so we match the shell and the pinout.
  2. Motor feedback type – the protocol, not just the connector.
  3. Run length, and whether the cable sits in a chain or is fixed.
  4. Brake arrangement – driven from the drive, or separately supplied.
  5. Environment – oil, coolant, temperature, and whether the run also twists.

Workmanship and testing

Workmanship follows IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 and the line runs under ISO 9001. Conductors from 32 to 12 AWG are in range. Continuity and pinout are verified on 100% of units before packing; if you specify an ingress rating, seal checking on the batch can be quoted.

Custom builds and ordering

The prototype minimum is 5 pcs, out in 3 working days. Production starts at 500 pcs and ships 14 working days from approval. Tooling for a body we do not stock adds about 10 working days. Your part number, your label, your packaging – with material certificates and first-article reports on request.

Related assemblies

Most of these runs end on a machine tool axis or a packaging line; we build to the drive and motor nameplate, and the values your assembly is verified to are the ones on your order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put the brake and the feedback in the same cable as the power?

Yes, that is the point of the build, provided the feedback pair is properly screened and the brake is driven from the drive. If the brake has a separate supply, it may not belong in the sheath.

What cross-section do I need?

Whatever your drive rating and run length require. We set the layout against the motor and drive nameplate rather than against a standard structure.

Is one hybrid always better than two cables?

No. On very high power axes, on short accessible runs, or where only one of two existing cables has failed, two separate leads are usually the better answer.

What is the minimum order?

Minimum for a prototype run is 5 pcs, out the door in 3 working days. Volume production starts at 500 pcs and ships 14 working days after you approve the sample.

Additional information
Product typeHybrid power and feedback servo cable
Jacket materialPUR, orange
Conductor layoutPower cores plus brake pair plus signal cores, set per drive rating
Feedback protocolsCompatible with EnDat 3, HIPERFACE DSL, BiSS-C
Connector familyM23 / M40 hybrid circular or maker-specific shell
Temperature range-40 to +80 degrees C moving – to be confirmed
Minimum bend radius7.5 x diameter – to be confirmed
Feedback screeningScreened pair with the screen carried to the connector shell