Alpha Slip Rings recently delivered 2 integrated slip ring and cable reel systems. Alpha can customize the cable reel and slip ring to meet the needs of the specific application. We customize the slip ring with the required electrical passes and fiber along with a custom reel and cable to meet the specific needs for the application.

The first cable reel that we recently built was for a marine client that needed a cable reel to be used for an in-situ vertical profiling plankton camera that is used in scientific research in fisheries. The customer needed 2 electrical passes and 1 single mode fiber with 300 feet of cable. The cable used in the reel was 0.25 inch in diameter with a single mode fiber and 2 electrical conductors. The reel used was powder-coated steel with a motor and speed controller.

The second cable reel system was for a military application—a tethered drone that is launched from the back of a truck. The drones move with a vehicle convoy and monitor threats for the convoy using cameras on the drones. This cable reel was similar to the marine research reel that we built,however, it had several marked differences. The slip ring required 10 amps and 380 volts instead of 5 amps with 1 single mode fiber. The customer also provided the 300-foot cable for us to integrate into the system. The customer also requested that the controller not be mounted on the reel. They wanted to have the controller on 30 feet of wire so that they could mount the controller remotely, possibly inside of the truck.

When a company brings a challenge forward, we work to find a solution to meet their specific need. For these unique applications, we were able to design a custom cable reel solution for the customer that met their specifications.