Yo,

So I'm running fourteen 3 foot cables carrying RGB PWM to a single RGB LED at the end, 3 resistors are located at the driver end.

The current is nominal 600mA max.

Each cable is 4 conductor with aluminum shield and drain. (3 negative and single positive) no twists.

I know I connect to ground at only one place.

So my question is...

Can I connect the shield to ground at either end of the cable with the same results? I ask this question because it will be 1000 times easier for me to connect at the load end rather then the driver end.

 

In some instances now, If you Thoroughly bond any metallic chassis to earth ground, you can actually ground each end it is a practice called equi-potential bonding, I have a Siemens paper on I can post, I may have already in a previous post.
Check out post #5 https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/sheilded-cables-and-grounding.87430/

 

There are two questions here.
Firstly, I assume that the cable has a shield that carries no current.
Secondly, there is common ground wire that joins the two circuits electrically.

The common theory and practice is to avoid ground loops in analog systems.

In your situation,
I would use twisted pairs on signal wires and I would connect the common ground at both ends.
I would connect the shield at both ends but only to equipment chassis.
That's my opinion.

 

Thanks, yea I'm actually trying to avoid attaching at the drive end.

And, there is no chassis.

Yes, the shield carries no current.

 

For RGB LED over a length of 3 foot cables, I don't think it really matters.

 

That's the answer I was hoping for.

Thanks