Just replaced all my patch cable ends in my basement setup this last weekend. After all the data center wiring over the years I can safely say that practice goes a long way :) I don't know that my techniques are "correct" or "proper" but they work & the cables certify so I guess I'm doing something right. CAT-6 is pickier than CAT-5/5e and solid wire vs. stranded also makes a difference. I do the following: 1. Remove ~1.5" of insulation 2. Unwind each pair - orient them in roughly the order they go in but splayed out 3. Work from the left to the right lining wires up next to each other tightly in the correct order. a. Squeeze the wires with one hand while pulling & moving them back & forth together with the other. This helps straighten & align them tightly next to each other b. Repeat for each wire until you have all 8 lined up together 4. Pinch the flattened 8 wires together under your thumb about 1/2" from the end of the insulation 5. Use a side-cutter to trim the 8 wires flat at the tip of your thumb (only 1/2" of the 8 wires exposed from the insulation) 6. Carefully shove the flattened 8 wires into the end with the connectors facing up until they're tight against the end (I carefully wiggle the whole thing side to side to make sure it seats completely in the end) 7. Crimp the connector end so it grabs on to the insulation 8. Use a tester to confirm conductivity is correct across all the wires. Of course the trick is making sure everything stays in the right order & all 8 wires get seated completely to the end of the connector. This is the part that takes practice. I suspect your method is already fairly similar to what I described. I'm sure you can find good videos on YouTube on how to do it too. Good crimpers & a cable tester are important. Ben On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM Chris Fala via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
This is one skill that I happen to possess :-), and I would be happy to give a lesson. Not sure when I will be at infoAge next, though.
Chris
On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 2:35 PM Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
I know this probably will have zero interest besides me... But is there any interest in doing a class on how to create/repair Cat-5 cables? I have a repair kit, but it came with non-pass through cable endings, and it took me literally an hour to make one)
(the glitchwrks email just triggered my brain because they were next to the soldering classroom at VCF east) Also, one thing about the VCF East program that I missed when reviewing it and only realized it after I got to VCF East. It had a start time but not an ending time for breakfast...
This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system.
-- - Benjamin Krein