Zip cord
Zip-cord is sometimes used to describe a type of electrical or optical cable in which two or more conductors are held together by a single insulating jacket that can be easily separated by pulling them apart like a zip. The term is most common in the US but also used in the UK, in Australia the same cord might be called a figure-8 cable. The separable design keeps related conductors together, reducing< tangling for simple handling, with the option to separate them.
Some times each side of the cord will be coloured so as to keep track of which is which over a long length, these are mostly used in sound speakers but also as lamp or lighting cables cords, but only in temporary installations or mobile applications such as concerts, exhibitions etc not as a permanent installation.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Arcing.
- Articles about electricity.
- Earthing.
- ECA articles.
- Electric.
- Electrical appliance.
- Electrical conduit.
- Electrical consumption.
- Electrical energy.
- Electrical equipment.
- Electrical installation.
- Electrical power.
- Electrical safety.
- Electrical wiring.
- Electrician.
- Electricity bill.
- Electrotechnical Assessment Specification guidance for installers.
- Grommet.
- IET announces release of 18th Edition Amendment 2.
- Panelboard.
- Premises wiring system.
- Ring circuit.
- Safe isolation for low voltage.
- What to know about foundation earthing.
Featured articles and news
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.
Biomass harvested in cycles of less than ten years.
An interview with the new CIAT President
Usman Yaqub BSc (Hons) PCIAT MFPWS.
Cost benefit model report of building safety regime in Wales
Proposed policy option costs for design and construction stage of the new building safety regime in Wales.
Do you receive our free biweekly newsletter?
If not you can sign up to receive it in your mailbox here.