If your cable has a drain wire, commonly called a pigtail, you'll need to use a method that retains the connection's low impedance. This guide shows how to choose and validate the right shield termination method before noise turns into field returns. Comparison table: which termination fits which job 3. When drain-wire. Let's consider mechanics installing and daisy chaining multiple shield pigtails together but before we begin an real installation, consider the kind of backshell (if any) that will be used after it's all wired up Here we see how far the standard d-sub backshell extends behind the connector. Let us. These individual shields were frequently "pigtailed" by pulling the center conductors through the outer shield, or by soldering drain-wires to the shield, then terminating these pigtails or drain wires via a terminal lug to the cable-clamp on the back of the connector. Pigtails or drain wires. Ask any EMC engineer to name the most common problems associated with system-level emissions and all of them will include poor cable shielding and terminations. Often, the poor terminations occur because someone takes a cable's shield, twists it into a single wire (often called a “pigtail”), and. The cable shield termination technique has a dramatic effect on the shielding effectiveness at high frequencies because the manner in which the cable shield connects to the equipment enclosure determines whether the shield current flows through a low-impedance path (maintaining SE) or through a. What Is a Shielded Cable? Cables often have many layers of protection. Insulation can protect against mechanical threats like abrasion and bending, while jackets protect against environmental hazards such as chemicals and moisture. A shield is another conductive layer between the jacket and.