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cat5 wire cutter/crimper
- Thread starter dmaxx3500
- Start date
- Staff
- #2
I use one from a wholesale distributor.. paid around $15 and works fine. Lowes has some pretty nice ones also.
My suggestion for the twisted pairs is to cut off about 2" of the outer shell and unwind the strands... it'll make it easier to stretch out and line up inside the connector. And of course once you forcefully get them straight cut out the excess to slide it in.
My suggestion for the twisted pairs is to cut off about 2" of the outer shell and unwind the strands... it'll make it easier to stretch out and line up inside the connector. And of course once you forcefully get them straight cut out the excess to slide it in.
L98TPI
New Member
Getting the right wire in the right hole is a PITA. But there are connectors that have two parts, a 8 hole sleeve (in the case of a RG45) that after you load it up you stick in the larger shell with the contacts. Uses the same crimper, makes it a lot easier if you can hunt them down.
The low-end crimpers (Belkin, TrendNet, Lowe's, Home Depot's) are not designed for high volume use and will work okay in the beginning. What will wear out is the crimper's die, i.e., the "teeth" that push down on the copper blades pre-embedded in the plug to cut into the insulated wires. If the die is hardened enough, it should give you a good run with a bag of 25-50 plugs/heads.
The mid to high-end crimpers (ratcheting types), with replaceable dies, work much better and are, generally, of higher quality... (mid: Greenlee, Palladin, Fluke, Grainger's... high: Amp, Siemon, Amp, Amp).
Twisted pair cable assemblies come in either solid or stranded copper (solid for long runs and walljack-to-PC; stranded for patch panel applications). Make sure you buy the matching plugs for either solid or stranded wire (yes, they are different). For reasons that will be come obvious below, solid wire/plug assemblies are easier to make...
Buy plugs/heads that have a "domed-top" openings into which you insert the wire strands.
When you strip the outer sheathing of the cable assembly, expose about 1-1/2 to 2 inches of the twisted pairs.
-- Take time to "untwist" the pairs
-- Then, use a small diameter round cross-section metal rod (like a screwdriver's shank) to "straighten" the individual wires: grasp the wire between your thumb and the metal rod and pull/roll the wire over the rod as you use your other hand to pull the wire assembly in the opposite direction. The metal rod should be very smooth (chromed, etc.)
-- Arrange the wires according to the color code you are following
-- Flatten the arrangement by grasping all wires between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger
-- Using a sharp pair of scissors or angle cutter pliers, cut all wires at the same time so that the "cut" is perpendicular to the wires and only about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of wires is sticking out of the sheathing of the cable assembly
-- Carefully insert the wires into the plug/head keeping the color sequence intact and start the wires into their individual "tunnels" in the plug/head
-- When you are sure the sequence is good, force the wires all the way into the plug/head
-- Check the end of the plug/head and make sure you can see the COPPER of each wire through the plastic
-- The cable assembly's sheathing should be inserted into the "domed-top" end of the plug/head far enough for the plug's crimp-lug to grasp the sheathing when the cable-plug assembly is crimped (for strain relief and more solid/permanent assembly); the crimp-lug and copper blades are crimped at the same time
-- Carefully insert the plug-cable assembly into the crimper and forcefully push it in all the way into the die
-- Crimp
-- Remove from crimper and inspect the quality of the crimp by carefully examining the plug's copper blade depths: they should be all the same, not all the way down, not mostly the way down, but somewhere in the middle
-- Check that the strain-relief feature is acceptable (not necessary for the cable-plug assembly to work)
-- Do the same for the other end of the cable
If you do not have a cable tester, use an existing setup that works, e.g., PC connected to hub/router/firewall with Internet access; note the colors of the lights on the PC's ethernet card. Substitue the newly made cable and see if it works; note the colors of the lights on the PC's ethernet card.
Good luck!
The mid to high-end crimpers (ratcheting types), with replaceable dies, work much better and are, generally, of higher quality... (mid: Greenlee, Palladin, Fluke, Grainger's... high: Amp, Siemon, Amp, Amp).
Twisted pair cable assemblies come in either solid or stranded copper (solid for long runs and walljack-to-PC; stranded for patch panel applications). Make sure you buy the matching plugs for either solid or stranded wire (yes, they are different). For reasons that will be come obvious below, solid wire/plug assemblies are easier to make...
Buy plugs/heads that have a "domed-top" openings into which you insert the wire strands.
When you strip the outer sheathing of the cable assembly, expose about 1-1/2 to 2 inches of the twisted pairs.
-- Take time to "untwist" the pairs
-- Then, use a small diameter round cross-section metal rod (like a screwdriver's shank) to "straighten" the individual wires: grasp the wire between your thumb and the metal rod and pull/roll the wire over the rod as you use your other hand to pull the wire assembly in the opposite direction. The metal rod should be very smooth (chromed, etc.)
-- Arrange the wires according to the color code you are following
-- Flatten the arrangement by grasping all wires between your thumb and the side of your bent index finger
-- Using a sharp pair of scissors or angle cutter pliers, cut all wires at the same time so that the "cut" is perpendicular to the wires and only about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of wires is sticking out of the sheathing of the cable assembly
-- Carefully insert the wires into the plug/head keeping the color sequence intact and start the wires into their individual "tunnels" in the plug/head
-- When you are sure the sequence is good, force the wires all the way into the plug/head
-- Check the end of the plug/head and make sure you can see the COPPER of each wire through the plastic
-- The cable assembly's sheathing should be inserted into the "domed-top" end of the plug/head far enough for the plug's crimp-lug to grasp the sheathing when the cable-plug assembly is crimped (for strain relief and more solid/permanent assembly); the crimp-lug and copper blades are crimped at the same time
-- Carefully insert the plug-cable assembly into the crimper and forcefully push it in all the way into the die
-- Crimp
-- Remove from crimper and inspect the quality of the crimp by carefully examining the plug's copper blade depths: they should be all the same, not all the way down, not mostly the way down, but somewhere in the middle
-- Check that the strain-relief feature is acceptable (not necessary for the cable-plug assembly to work)
-- Do the same for the other end of the cable
If you do not have a cable tester, use an existing setup that works, e.g., PC connected to hub/router/firewall with Internet access; note the colors of the lights on the PC's ethernet card. Substitue the newly made cable and see if it works; note the colors of the lights on the PC's ethernet card.
Good luck!