One tool none of you listed was a cable stretcher?!?
And don't forget packet wax... a topically applied cable speed enhancer
Cabling: Tools rough draft #1. Opinions/Suggestions desired.
- Thread starter Holbs
- Start date
And don't forget packet wax... a topically applied cable speed enhancer
And don't forget packet wax... a topically applied cable speed enhancer
Honestly, there are just times I come here for the comments! I have yet another awesome quote to frame and place in the man cave!
Thank You!
And there's a limited amount of work you can do to a board that is multi-layer and/or uses SMT. Just some discrete components like diodes, caps, resistors, chokes, transistors, etc. but it's OK....she won't be holding on to that iron long anyway.
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
I think the village people like to pull something other than wires.
sorry guys. All of my free time is being diverted to work. Suppose to have 3 techs, but I am the only one. Boss wants to retire and sell me the company. To do such, need home equity loan. To do that, VA appraisal. So now I must rush to fix my ongoing DIY projects (I have 15 square holes in my walls & ceiling to at least plug up and other various stuff).
I will return to these 'how-to-wire-home' guides when things settle down a bit as it may help encourage folks to do hard wiring on their own for IP cameras or audio or alarm or etc.
I will return to these 'how-to-wire-home' guides when things settle down a bit as it may help encourage folks to do hard wiring on their own for IP cameras or audio or alarm or etc.
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
I did want to add some pictures I took while at work in regards to how to terminate cable on a patch panel and a jack... and what to look for, before I deleted them or forgot about them.
In this picture, I am terminating Cat6 to a patch panel to port #2. I already have a cable on port #1. I hate these style of patch panels where you have to split between top and bottom (Monoprice patch panels). Anyways, I usually do this for all punchdown style patch panels. I open up the cable to expose 4" of pairs so that the clippings are easy to pick up when they fall to the ground, spread the pairs to where their color coded positions, lay it down and proceed to terminate.
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how NOT to terminate Cat6 on either a patch panel or jack. As you can see, there is a good 5"-6" of exposed cable before the termination. This would fail Cat6 testing.
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When using a punch down tool like the yellow one I am using, always double check after terminating that the pairs are seated and did not jump back out when you went to remove the tool. It DOES happen. Best to find out now rather than when jack is at home in the screwed in faceplate. Again, once you terminate a wire, take 3 seconds to make sure the color coding is correct and all copper is seated. Here, you can see 1 copper jumped back out and will fail Cat6 testing and most likely will not even operate a device attached to it.
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This jack looks good. 99.9% certain will pass Cat6 certification. Notice where the cable opens up is where I start directing the pairs. Also, a jack punch down block will save your fingers and palm from stabbing.
In this picture, I am terminating Cat6 to a patch panel to port #2. I already have a cable on port #1. I hate these style of patch panels where you have to split between top and bottom (Monoprice patch panels). Anyways, I usually do this for all punchdown style patch panels. I open up the cable to expose 4" of pairs so that the clippings are easy to pick up when they fall to the ground, spread the pairs to where their color coded positions, lay it down and proceed to terminate.
---------
how NOT to terminate Cat6 on either a patch panel or jack. As you can see, there is a good 5"-6" of exposed cable before the termination. This would fail Cat6 testing.
------
When using a punch down tool like the yellow one I am using, always double check after terminating that the pairs are seated and did not jump back out when you went to remove the tool. It DOES happen. Best to find out now rather than when jack is at home in the screwed in faceplate. Again, once you terminate a wire, take 3 seconds to make sure the color coding is correct and all copper is seated. Here, you can see 1 copper jumped back out and will fail Cat6 testing and most likely will not even operate a device attached to it.
-----
This jack looks good. 99.9% certain will pass Cat6 certification. Notice where the cable opens up is where I start directing the pairs. Also, a jack punch down block will save your fingers and palm from stabbing.
* I made a booboo *
In the above #4 picture where I have a closeup of the 99.9% correct looking jack inside of a jack punch down block... the White/Blue copper is NOT seated. All the other copper is as you can see everything is flat going into the termination blades. It humps over the blades and LOOK like it is terminated. This would create an open, and anything plugged into this jack may not work. Maybe that is why I took the picture in the first place...to demonstrate a wire LOOKING like it is terminated but actually is not. At my business, we test & certify all networking cabling for this reason. Mistakes happen. In these pictures, I did not test anything as this was just for demo purposes.
Again...look closely at #5 White/Blue. It rises above the termination slot (the V shaped metal between plastic gaps). Look at the orange or green (since better camera angle) and you can see the copper laying flat going into the termination slots. This actually happens more often than copper jumping back out. Sometimes, it actually looks humps over but is terminated correctly. Always hard to tell so best to simply re-terminate the one copper #5 White/Blue just to make sure.
If doing any termination, it's best to take your time. And VERIFY things look right before putting to bed.
In the above #4 picture where I have a closeup of the 99.9% correct looking jack inside of a jack punch down block... the White/Blue copper is NOT seated. All the other copper is as you can see everything is flat going into the termination blades. It humps over the blades and LOOK like it is terminated. This would create an open, and anything plugged into this jack may not work. Maybe that is why I took the picture in the first place...to demonstrate a wire LOOKING like it is terminated but actually is not. At my business, we test & certify all networking cabling for this reason. Mistakes happen. In these pictures, I did not test anything as this was just for demo purposes.
Again...look closely at #5 White/Blue. It rises above the termination slot (the V shaped metal between plastic gaps). Look at the orange or green (since better camera angle) and you can see the copper laying flat going into the termination slots. This actually happens more often than copper jumping back out. Sometimes, it actually looks humps over but is terminated correctly. Always hard to tell so best to simply re-terminate the one copper #5 White/Blue just to make sure.
If doing any termination, it's best to take your time. And VERIFY things look right before putting to bed.
I may have missed it, but did anyone include knee pads?
Another great thing a non-professional home environment, are those garden stools, foam flooring square sheets, yoga mats, etc. Your knees will thank you. At work, the youngins are ok to set on their knees. But not me at 52. I prefer sitting on my 5 gallon bucket of string.
Mike A.
Known around here
- May 6, 2017
- 4,170
- 6,992
And never put too much trust in a cheap cable tester. I was chasing my tail for a little while the other day because of one.
Just ran two 200' cables in conduit in my yard. Tested the runs before I buried everything... all OK. Buried it and did some other work inside the house and tested again... 5 and 6 bad. Thought Awww shit. Had a patch for one of the cables after it entered the house so went and tested there first as the likely spot. Sure enough, 5/6 tested bad on the side going out to the conduit. Punched it down again... Still bad. Crimped the far end again... Still bad. Did both again just to be sure... still bad.
Didn't think that I had any breaks in the cable since it was a fairly easy pull and I hadn't stressed or moved anything since so that didn't seem right. So tested the near side at the junction going back to the switch. 5/6 bad there too. So that can't be right. Looked at my crimper thinking maybe the die was bad or something keeping it from crimping right. Naaa... looks good. Went and got a known good cable and plugged it in... Yep, 5/6 showing bad.
So in the couple of hours between testing before and after burial, the crappy cable tester failed so that it always shows 5/6 bad now. Threw it in the trash.
Just ran two 200' cables in conduit in my yard. Tested the runs before I buried everything... all OK. Buried it and did some other work inside the house and tested again... 5 and 6 bad. Thought Awww shit. Had a patch for one of the cables after it entered the house so went and tested there first as the likely spot. Sure enough, 5/6 tested bad on the side going out to the conduit. Punched it down again... Still bad. Crimped the far end again... Still bad. Did both again just to be sure... still bad.
Didn't think that I had any breaks in the cable since it was a fairly easy pull and I hadn't stressed or moved anything since so that didn't seem right. So tested the near side at the junction going back to the switch. 5/6 bad there too. So that can't be right. Looked at my crimper thinking maybe the die was bad or something keeping it from crimping right. Naaa... looks good. Went and got a known good cable and plugged it in... Yep, 5/6 showing bad.
So in the couple of hours between testing before and after burial, the crappy cable tester failed so that it always shows 5/6 bad now. Threw it in the trash.
Flintstone61
Known around here
@Holbs
We are taking up a collection to get you a new punchdown. You wore right thru the rubber handle!
I think we might need to setup a gofundme or a GoFlukeme....
We are taking up a collection to get you a new punchdown. You wore right thru the rubber handle!
I think we might need to setup a gofundme or a GoFlukeme....
I feel your pain. I had a similar incident quite a while ago that turned out to be my $7 tester so I float-tested it in a nearby lake and it failed. I still use a $7 tester to this day because frankly, I don't think I've had more than 5 or 6 bad out of a 100 crimps ( I didn't start out that way) and I prefer to drop a $7 tester from 10 to 20 feet onto a cement driveway. My Fluke stays on the ground.
Now when I see a bad test I pull out a couple of good patch cables and try them before I go cutting anything but so far I've been blessed. But at 74 I can see my manual dexterity, eyesight, feeling in my fingers all declining, not to mention my level of patience. When I start having to perform more 're-do's' than 'first do's', I'll hang up my crimpers. I already stay out of attics and crawls spaces (pneumonia twice in the last 5 years, one of those with COVID) and I'll park the ladder. Anyway, I think if I fell off it you could just sweep me up with a broom and a dustpan.
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Mike A.
Known around here
- May 6, 2017
- 4,170
- 6,992
Probably should be standard practice to keep a short known-good cable with the things and just check it quick before you use it. But this one had been good for many years and I'd started to trust it. Got my $7 out of it for sure. Guess I'd rather have it fail bad than fail good. That would cause more head scratching.
Don't really do enough anymore to justify anything great but think I'm going to step up a little with the replacement.
Don't really do enough anymore to justify anything great but think I'm going to step up a little with the replacement.
I appreciate the guide - and especially the keystone punch down block. I've never seen one, but just placed my order!
I have a "generic" punch down block that Leviton keystone jacks will not fit/snap properly into. (and, boy,
is it wobbly and frustrating) Since I bought two large bags of Leviton jacks, I ended up buying Leviton's punch
down block - more of a puck actually:
is it wobbly and frustrating) Since I bought two large bags of Leviton jacks, I ended up buying Leviton's punch
down block - more of a puck actually:
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Not sure if it has been mentioned but a step drill bit will make short work of most holes you need to put into just about anything.
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Flintstone61
Known around here
I just read this.Thanks everybody.
I pulled cable for a year and 1/2.
I used everything Holbs listed. plus electrical tape.
I wonder if there is a photo showing how we attach pull string to a run of Cat cable, and a decent tape job.
@Mike A. I came up with a 1"PVC Javelin (lol) for working by myself on a Man lift at Target stores pulling in an extra line over the retail floor to the pharmacies.
But yeah not a home owner problem.
fish sticks dont travel very far on a toss. But the PVC had some weight and I could make it across 5 or so Ceiling tiles ( with cat5 taped to it.)
Good point on how to attach string to wire.
I personally add half-hitch knots. Minimum of 2...but if there some serious torque pressure about to be applied, I go 3 or even sometimes 4.
Unsure if a picture would capture how to do half-hitches (if that is what they are officially called). But will give it a shot tomorrow.
this punch tool is the love of my life@Holbs
We are taking up a collection to get you a new punchdown. You wore right thru the rubber handle!
I think we might need to setup a gofundme or a GoFlukeme....
Perfect punch ability (not strong, not weak). It shall stay with me until the internal parts wear out. 12 years and counting....