Is there any way to test Cat5 Patch Cables before you crimp them? I look
at the end and I see all the gold tips and they look even, but then the
connection is intermittent and I have to cut off an end and start over.
It's such a huge waste of money. Does anyone have any ideas on
how to be sure you got a good connection before crimping?
The short answer is no. You gotta pay your dues by wasting a few. If
you as doing one-off work you should buy premade patch cables. If you
are running wire in the house, for instance, you should be using wolid
wire and 110 jacks that are screwed to the wall instead, which will
require a short patch cord on each end. 110 jacks are much easier to
do, and can be re-punched if you get it wrong.
I find that with a really bright lite and a strong magnifying glass
I can see that the wires are seated correctly before I crimp.
Here's another nice ho-to link
http://www.lanshack.com/make-cat5E.asp
To be "CAT5" all eight pins need to be connected, and since 100MB
ethernet only needs 4 wires, your PC doesn't test that you got the
extra 4 wire right. A simple UTP tester will check this. (this is
irrelevant for home use but important for business where you might
want to hook up phone systems, for example, that use all 8 wires.)
AMP makes a RJ jack that has a guide that makes it much easier to get
things right. It's the only plug I can crimp accuratly. Here's a
picture;
http://www.ampnetconnect.com/MEA/catalogue/ENG/FOLIO_5fr-eng.pdf
They are a little hard to find, and you have to have the right AMP
crimp tool to go with these plugs.
You know, of course, that plugs for stranded wire and plugs for solid
wire are different ? Patch cable is stranded. Solid wire makes poor
patch cored becasue the flexing over the life of the cable. Mixing
them will probably produce intermittant network connections later.
