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Mark December 3rd 08 08:44 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark



dpb December 3rd 08 09:53 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


Sure you have the correct die for the specific cable and connectors
you're using? They're _very_ specific and dependent on precisely the
correct dimensions of each constituent component--lead, shield, jacket
diameters. Also, making the cuts and strips accurately is important.
For more than just one or two, the time/effort saved for the tool is
worth the investment imo.

What, specifically kinds of problem(s) are you having?

--

Mark December 3rd 08 10:16 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"dpb" wrote in message ...
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


Sure you have the correct die for the specific cable and connectors you're
using? They're _very_ specific and dependent on precisely the correct
dimensions of each constituent component--lead, shield, jacket diameters.
Also, making the cuts and strips accurately is important. For more than
just one or two, the time/effort saved for the tool is worth the
investment imo.

What, specifically kinds of problem(s) are you having?

--

I have a pair of Ideal Telemaster pliers #30-496. They are made for cat 5
and telco cables, a different area for each type of connector. I'm using
Tripp-Lite connectors. Maybe it's age, but trying to see if each of the 8
conductors is properly aligned inside of the cat 5 connector is tough. I am
having problems after the crimp, sometimes I have a shorted pair or a
crossed pair. I'm testing using a Linkmaster, also from Ideal. I am
installing a whole house audio system, and the cabling to the keypads uses
cat 5. My batting average is about .400 in getting good crimped connectors.
I'm also trying to run cat 5 to various rooms from a wired router, using
wall jacks in each room. I need to attach a connector for each room run.



Oren[_2_] December 3rd 08 10:16 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


What kind of CAT 5? With the right tool and right components; it's
just a matter of finesse.


metspitzer December 3rd 08 10:32 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

The trick is to get the wires as flat as you can. Strip the wires
about an inch to make them easy to work with, flatten them out and
then cut them the proper length.


RBM[_2_] December 3rd 08 10:37 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark
It is a PIA. It's very tough on the fingers, I get fatigued after just a
few. IMO the trick is taking time to straighten each wire. I strip them
about 1.5 inches long, untwist them, pull each conductor straight by
pulling and rubbing them against a finger, then I put them in order and
pull them, holding them flat, then cut them to the desired length. As long
as there flat and straight, they slide right into the jack, and you can see
them hit bottom, then crimp




metspitzer December 3rd 08 10:39 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:32:27 -0500, metspitzer
wrote:

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

The trick is to get the wires as flat as you can. Strip the wires
about an inch to make them easy to work with, flatten them out and
then cut them the proper length.


That should be strip the jacket an inch.

metspitzer December 3rd 08 10:42 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:39:26 -0500, metspitzer
wrote:

On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:32:27 -0500, metspitzer
wrote:

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

The trick is to get the wires as flat as you can. Strip the wires
about an inch to make them easy to work with, flatten them out and
then cut them the proper length.


That should be strip the jacket an inch.


That should be.....score the jacket with strippers then break it.

Too much coffee. :)




Mark December 3rd 08 10:44 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Maybe I've been doing something wrong here. Do I need to strip the
insulation off of each conductor, or do I just leave the insulation on and
let the crimper puncture the insulation?
"RBM" wrote in message
...

"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark
It is a PIA. It's very tough on the fingers, I get fatigued after just a
few. IMO the trick is taking time to straighten each wire. I strip them
about 1.5 inches long, untwist them, pull each conductor straight by
pulling and rubbing them against a finger, then I put them in order and
pull them, holding them flat, then cut them to the desired length. As long
as there flat and straight, they slide right into the jack, and you can
see them hit bottom, then crimp






dpb December 3rd 08 10:47 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
....

I have a pair of Ideal Telemaster pliers #30-496. They are made for cat 5
and telco cables, a different area for each type of connector. I'm using
Tripp-Lite connectors. Maybe it's age, but trying to see if each of the 8
conductors is properly aligned inside of the cat 5 connector is tough. I am
having problems after the crimp, sometimes I have a shorted pair or a
crossed pair. I'm testing using a Linkmaster, also from Ideal. I am
installing a whole house audio system, and the cabling to the keypads uses
cat 5. My batting average is about .400 in getting good crimped connectors.
I'm also trying to run cat 5 to various rooms from a wired router, using
wall jacks in each room. I need to attach a connector for each room run.


My bad, sorry...I was thinking coax, not Cat-5 while writing--brain
cramp. :(

Not using enough Cat-5 to help, I'll retire before sticking keyboard
further into mouth... :)

--

RBM[_2_] December 3rd 08 11:00 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"mark" wrote in message
...
Maybe I've been doing something wrong here. Do I need to strip the
insulation off of each conductor, or do I just leave the insulation on and
let the crimper puncture the insulation?
"RBM" wrote in message
...

"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark
It is a PIA. It's very tough on the fingers, I get fatigued after just a
few. IMO the trick is taking time to straighten each wire. I strip them
about 1.5 inches long, untwist them, pull each conductor straight by
pulling and rubbing them against a finger, then I put them in order and
pull them, holding them flat, then cut them to the desired length. As
long as there flat and straight, they slide right into the jack, and you
can see them hit bottom, then crimp



No, just the outer sheeth. The 8 conductors have to be absolutely flat
against each other and straight, then they slip right into the jack




[email protected] December 3rd 08 11:11 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


Buy a better quality crimper.

Chris December 3rd 08 11:24 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Maybe I've been doing something wrong here. Do I need to strip the
insulation off of each conductor, or do I just leave the insulation on and
let the crimper puncture the insulation?


Oh my! It's not rocket science, believe me, but get it right and avoid
cross-talk or you'll be very sorry...

See if this helps:
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/cat5diy1.html

or this:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?...um=4&ct=title#

Is Google still on strike in you neck of the wood?

HeyBub[_3_] December 3rd 08 11:42 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but
my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for computer
work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the back of the connector
with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and buy
cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/



aemeijers December 3rd 08 11:55 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
HeyBub wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but
my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for computer
work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the back of the connector
with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and buy
cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/


Agreed. Premade cables are so cheap now, that even if you leave 20 feet
coiled up in a dead space, that it usually isn't worth the hassle to
roll your own, unless you just want to know you can. Mebbe if you do it
all day every day- but for us once-in-a-blue-moon folks with aging
eyesight- well, I've only got so many years left.

--
aem sends...

Mark December 4th 08 12:14 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
HeyBub wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but
my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for computer
work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the back of the
connector with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and buy
cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/

Agreed. Premade cables are so cheap now, that even if you leave 20 feet
coiled up in a dead space, that it usually isn't worth the hassle to roll
your own, unless you just want to know you can. Mebbe if you do it all day
every day- but for us once-in-a-blue-moon folks with aging eyesight- well,
I've only got so many years left.

--
aem sends...

Thanks to all for the help. I'll try the advice, and if all else fails,
cyberguys it is....



Bob M. December 4th 08 12:15 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark




You're just not separating the wires. The way I do it is strip too much
(2-3") of the outer jacket off, untwist the wires, separate them fan-like by
color, flatten & straighten them, then cut off the excess so that there's
just enough wire showing out of the outer jacket, then slide the connector
on & crimp.


Bob M. December 4th 08 12:18 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
"mark" wrote in message
...
Maybe I've been doing something wrong here. Do I need to strip the
insulation off of each conductor, or do I just leave the insulation on and
let the crimper puncture the insulation?


Just strip the outer jacket. The copper things inside the plug have teeth
that cut into the insulation & touch the wire inside. (the crimper pushes
them down into the wire).


metspitzer December 4th 08 12:20 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:55:58 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

HeyBub wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but
my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for computer
work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the back of the connector
with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and buy
cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/


Agreed. Premade cables are so cheap now, that even if you leave 20 feet
coiled up in a dead space, that it usually isn't worth the hassle to
roll your own, unless you just want to know you can. Mebbe if you do it
all day every day- but for us once-in-a-blue-moon folks with aging
eyesight- well, I've only got so many years left.


You do know that a 20 ft coil is bad for two reasons? 20 extra feet
and coiling up a cat 5 cable. I want my network running optimally.

PanHandler[_2_] December 4th 08 12:37 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


What kind of CAT 5? With the right tool and right components; it's
just a matter of finesse.


It's most definitely an acquired skill. Just keep at it, it will get better
:-)



PanHandler[_2_] December 4th 08 12:41 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"Bob M." wrote in message
. ..
"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark




You're just not separating the wires. The way I do it is strip too much
(2-3") of the outer jacket off, untwist the wires, separate them fan-like
by color, flatten & straighten them, then cut off the excess so that
there's just enough wire showing out of the outer jacket, then slide the
connector on & crimp.


An electrician's scissors are great for these cable jobs.



Tekkie® December 4th 08 01:49 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark posted for all of us...


"dpb" wrote in message ...
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5


I have a pair of Ideal Telemaster pliers #30-496. They are made for cat 5


NO! This ^^^^ is PART of the problem, the crimper.

Go to the Leviton, Siemon,other cabling,etc sites and they will explain how it
SHOULD be done. Think punch down. Ceimped connectors are for patch cables.
So in other words DO YOUR RESEARCH! There are also group that are dedicated
for this.
--
Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service.

CJT December 4th 08 01:49 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
metspitzer wrote:
snip

You do know that a 20 ft coil is bad for two reasons? 20 extra feet
and coiling up a cat 5 cable. I want my network running optimally.


I probably wouldn't coil it up (although I doubt it'll make a
difference) -- no need to tempt the fates with extra inductance.
But an extra 20 feet is not an issue by itself unless you're running
near the length limits.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Mark December 4th 08 01:57 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Yup, I realize the error of my ways. Thanks, Bob
"Bob M." wrote in message
...
"mark" wrote in message
...
Maybe I've been doing something wrong here. Do I need to strip the
insulation off of each conductor, or do I just leave the insulation on
and let the crimper puncture the insulation?


Just strip the outer jacket. The copper things inside the plug have teeth
that cut into the insulation & touch the wire inside. (the crimper pushes
them down into the wire).




Big Bubba December 4th 08 02:26 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Mark:

The first 50 I did took me 15 minutes each and I, probably, had 50% success
rate. Now I do 1 in less than a minute and my success rate is, as far as I
know, 100%.

Get them flat, cut very straight, and don't let go until you slide them in
all the way.

Also, I always wear magnfyinh glasses when doing it.

Good luck.

BR
"mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark




Tony Hwang December 4th 08 02:29 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


Hi,
Are you using quality crimping tool or El Cheapo one?

HeyBub[_3_] December 4th 08 03:25 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:55:58 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

HeyBub wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat
5 cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions,
but my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for
computer work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the
back of the connector with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and
buy cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/


Agreed. Premade cables are so cheap now, that even if you leave 20
feet coiled up in a dead space, that it usually isn't worth the
hassle to roll your own, unless you just want to know you can. Mebbe
if you do it all day every day- but for us once-in-a-blue-moon folks
with aging eyesight- well, I've only got so many years left.


You do know that a 20 ft coil is bad for two reasons? 20 extra feet
and coiling up a cat 5 cable. I want my network running optimally.


Right. It will take the signal 2 x 10^^-8 seconds to travel the unnecessary
distance.



CJT December 4th 08 05:09 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Claude Hopper wrote:
metspitzer wrote:

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but
my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


The trick is to get the wires as flat as you can. Strip the wires
about an inch to make them easy to work with, flatten them out and
then cut them the proper length.


It takes practice. There is also a tester to see if all the wires are
'made'.
People should be using cat 6 now.

Cat 6 seems to have no real benefit over Cat 5, now or in the
foreseeable future.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Bob December 4th 08 05:56 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


Make sure you have the right connectors for the cable. Connectors
designed for solid wire have contacts that go around the the conductor
after piercing through the insulation, and those for stranded wire
pierce the wire down the center.

Also ensure that the wires are properly paired. In simplest terms, one
twisted pair should go to the center pins (4 and 5). Each wire of the
second pair goes outside to the first pair on pins 3 and 6. The third
pair goes to pins 1 and 2, and the fourth pair goes to 7 and 8. A
common mistake is to pair pins 3 and 4, then 5 and 6. This will pass a
simple electrical test, but may cause poor data transmission.


The Daring Dufas[_6_] December 4th 08 06:21 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark



For neophytes I always recommend the EZ-RJ45 Crimping System:

http://tinyurl.com/6rqm24

Here is a link to a good how-to on installing RJ45 connectors:

http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/ne...ble/cable1.htm

TDD

[email protected] December 4th 08 11:34 AM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:08:47 -0500, Claude Hopper
wrote:

metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 14:44:09 -0600, "mark" wrote:

Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

The trick is to get the wires as flat as you can. Strip the wires
about an inch to make them easy to work with, flatten them out and
then cut them the proper length.


It takes practice. There is also a tester to see if all the wires are
'made'.
People should be using cat 6 now.


More importantly, make sure any CAT 5 or 6 you use in a home is plenum
rated, even if the building code doesn't require it. Your family's
safety requires it. Don't be tempted by the sometimes significant cost
differential.


George December 4th 08 12:40 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
HeyBub wrote:
metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:55:58 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

HeyBub wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat
5 cable? I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions,
but my success rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark
If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for
computer work. Also, once the connector checks out, we fill the
back of the connector with hot glue.

We finally gave up on that **** (unless it's a really long run) and
buy cables from Cyberguys.

http://www.cyberguys.com/


Agreed. Premade cables are so cheap now, that even if you leave 20
feet coiled up in a dead space, that it usually isn't worth the
hassle to roll your own, unless you just want to know you can. Mebbe
if you do it all day every day- but for us once-in-a-blue-moon folks
with aging eyesight- well, I've only got so many years left.

You do know that a 20 ft coil is bad for two reasons? 20 extra feet
and coiling up a cat 5 cable. I want my network running optimally.


Right. It will take the signal 2 x 10^^-8 seconds to travel the unnecessary
distance.


Transit time isn't the issue when you coil up extra cable.

George December 4th 08 12:57 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


It isn't standard practice to wire as you described. You run solid CAT5
to the jack and punch it down. Then you use a patch cable to connect to
whatever device is being used on that jack.

Chip C December 4th 08 02:46 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
On Dec 4, 7:57 am, George wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


It isn't standard practice to wire as you described. You run solid CAT5
to the jack and punch it down. Then you use a patch cable to connect to
whatever device is being used on that jack.


This bears repeating: the solid-conductor cable that runs in walls is
meant to be punched down to the back of female jacks, either at a
patch panel or at a wall jack. Crimp-on male plugs are normally for
stranded-conductor patch cords. Solid conductor cable is more likely
to break if it's frequently flexed, and hard-to-crimp translates to
unreliable connections.

If you really want to do it, I believe there are plugs and crimp tools
made for solid conductors. If yours aren't labeled as such, they're
not.

Chip C
Toronto

Jim Redelfs December 4th 08 04:45 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
In article ,
"mark" wrote:

Do I need to strip the insulation off of each conductor


No.
--
:)
JR

Bud-- December 4th 08 05:44 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
HeyBub wrote:

If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for computer
work.


I always wondered why they use 4 pair cable. My understanding is a pair
is used each direction. Can you use 2 pair cable? Does 2 pair cat 5
cable exist?

--
bud--

George December 4th 08 06:03 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
bud-- wrote:
HeyBub wrote:

If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for
computer work.


I always wondered why they use 4 pair cable. My understanding is a pair
is used each direction. Can you use 2 pair cable? Does 2 pair cat 5
cable exist?


CAT 5 only describes the performance characteristics of the cable. It
has nothing to do with how many pairs are in the cable. And using all
pairs of 4 pair cable is not unusual in computer work with GigE being
the most common current example.

George December 4th 08 06:10 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
Chip C wrote:
On Dec 4, 7:57 am, George wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5 cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark

It isn't standard practice to wire as you described. You run solid CAT5
to the jack and punch it down. Then you use a patch cable to connect to
whatever device is being used on that jack.


This bears repeating: the solid-conductor cable that runs in walls is
meant to be punched down to the back of female jacks, either at a
patch panel or at a wall jack. Crimp-on male plugs are normally for
stranded-conductor patch cords. Solid conductor cable is more likely
to break if it's frequently flexed, and hard-to-crimp translates to
unreliable connections.


Exactly.


If you really want to do it, I believe there are plugs and crimp tools
made for solid conductors. If yours aren't labeled as such, they're
not.

And to expand even more even though there are plugs made for solid cable
they are a mickey mouse concept because they aren't approved or rated by
anyone. They somehow evolved as an item for use for folks who don't
understand why they are a really crappy way to do things and that the
right way isn't much more involved.

We are fighting this now at a temporary office. Someone was thinking
they were saving the prior owner money or maybe they consulted the
experts at home depot because they crimped plugs onto solid cable. It is
a holy mess, you touch stuff and it looses connectivity and wiggle it to
get it working. This is exactly for the reason you noted earlier. 28 AWG
solid is pretty fragile. We are redoing everything properly next week.


Chip C
Toronto


Mark December 4th 08 06:35 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 

"Chip C" wrote in message
...
On Dec 4, 7:57 am, George wrote:
mark wrote:
Greetings Again All,
Am I the only one who has a hard time crimping connectors onto cat 5
cable?
I have a cat 5 crimping tool and follow the instructions, but my
success
rate is pretty low. Any hints??? Thanks, Mark


It isn't standard practice to wire as you described. You run solid CAT5
to the jack and punch it down. Then you use a patch cable to connect to
whatever device is being used on that jack.


This bears repeating: the solid-conductor cable that runs in walls is
meant to be punched down to the back of female jacks, either at a
patch panel or at a wall jack. Crimp-on male plugs are normally for
stranded-conductor patch cords. Solid conductor cable is more likely
to break if it's frequently flexed, and hard-to-crimp translates to
unreliable connections.

If you really want to do it, I believe there are plugs and crimp tools
made for solid conductors. If yours aren't labeled as such, they're
not.

Chip C
Toronto

Understood. I'm actually doing several things with the cat 5. One of them is
a whole house audio system which uses their female wall jacks, necessitating
me to crimp on connectors to plug into their wall jacks. Also, this cable is
running through plastic conduit, which will not allow me to use premade
cables due to the size of the connector. I am also doing wall jacks thru the
house, which do use punch down jacks. I realize my main snafu was stripping
the conductors, instead I now leave the insulation and crimp through it.
Many thanks to all that contributed.......



Bud-- December 4th 08 07:42 PM

Cat 5 wiring
 
George wrote:
bud-- wrote:
HeyBub wrote:

If it's any help, you only need four of the eight connectors for
computer work.


I always wondered why they use 4 pair cable. My understanding is a
pair is used each direction. Can you use 2 pair cable? Does 2 pair cat
5 cable exist?


CAT 5 only describes the performance characteristics of the cable. It
has nothing to do with how many pairs are in the cable.


That is why I asked if 2 pair cat 5 cable exists?

And using all
pairs of 4 pair cable is not unusual in computer work with GigE being
the most common current example.


Can you use 2 pair cable for 100Mhz ethernet?

--
bud--


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