IEC 61196-9-2:2022

Overview

IEC 61196-9-2:2022 is an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) detail specification for 50-0,4 type RF flexible coaxial communication cables. It applies to the coaxial cables described in IEC 61196‑9 and defines construction, electrical, mechanical and environmental requirements for flexible RF cables used inside routers, notebook computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices. The standard covers operation from 5 MHz to 6 000 MHz and a nominal characteristic impedance of 50 Ω.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Cable construction and variants
  • Defines braid-shield and spiral-shield constructions (inner conductor, solid FEP or PFA dielectric, SPC or TC shields, FEP/PFA jacket).
  • Typical conductor detail: 7 × 0.05 mm strands; dielectric and sheath nominal diameters specified for variants.
• Electrical and RF parameters
  • Operating frequency range: 5 MHz–6 000 MHz.
  • Characteristic impedance: 50 Ω ± 2 Ω (measured at 200 MHz).
  • Return loss (uniformity of impedance): minimum values specified (e.g., braid- and spiral-shielded variants have defined dB limits across the operating band).
  • Conductor resistance, insulation resistance and withstand voltages are specified for quality and safety.
  • Screening attenuation and transfer impedance test requirements (EMC performance) referenced to IEC 62153 series.
• Mechanical and dimensional controls
  • Bending performance: static minimum bending radius 5D, dynamic 10D (D = nominal outer diameter).
  • Requirements for ovality, eccentricity and dimensional tolerances; bending-cycle durability (100,000 cycles per IEC 61196‑1‑314).
  • Tensile, crush and other mechanical tests with defined pass/fail criteria.
• Environmental and ageing tests
  • Thermal ageing, thermal cycling and climatic sequence tests with limits on change in attenuation (refer Annex B).
  • Operating temperature ranges: −55 °C to 200 °C (for silver-plated copper shield) and −55 °C to 150 °C (for tinned copper shield).

Applications and who uses this standard

• For manufacturers of RF flexible coaxial cables and component suppliers specifying internal RF interconnects.
• For OEMs and design engineers integrating coaxial cables into routers, laptops, smartphones, IoT devices, and other consumer/telecom electronics.
• For test laboratories and QA teams performing conformance testing (return loss, attenuation, screening attenuation, transfer impedance, mechanical and environmental tests).
• For procurement and compliance specialists to verify suppliers meet IEC 61196‑9‑2 requirements for performance and reliability.

Related standards

• IEC 61196‑1 (Generic specification)
• IEC 61196‑9 (Sectional specification for RF flexible cables)
• IEC 61196‑1‑115 (Regularity of impedance test)
• IEC 61196‑1‑314 (Bending test)
• IEC 62153‑4‑3 / 4‑4 / 4‑5 (EMC and screening/transfer impedance tests)
• IEC 60068‑2‑20 (Solderability / resistance to soldering heat)

This summary highlights the practical, testable requirements of IEC 61196‑9‑2:2022 for 50‑0,4 RF flexible coaxial cables, helping manufacturers, designers and test labs ensure reliable internal RF interconnect performance across a broad frequency range.