The reliability of the measurement system is no better than that of the input cable, whose primary function is to transmit electrical signals from the accelerometers to the data acquisition system.

 

Ideally, the electrical characteristics and length of the cable should have no effect on signal quality.  The cable and connectors should be physically durable to ensure reliable operation in the same vibration or shock environment the accelerometer is operating in.  Cables should also be able to withstand about any imaginable combination of environmental conditions including temperature extremes, humidity, dust, oil, radiation, EMI and RFI, salt spray, and vacuum.  But, just as one type of accelerometer cannot be expected to meet all these environmental conditions, neither can one type of cable or connector.