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Due to numerous requests for wiring
diagrams or general information on how to build patch
cables the Computer Cable Store has created the following
"How to Make a CAT 5e Patch Cable". Within this "How
To" article we have included all the information you
should need to find the materials, tools, and info on
how to build straight through CAT 5e Patch Cables and
Crossover CAT 5e Patch Cables.
We will discuss materials needed, cable preparation,
as well as connector termination.
The first step to start building
patch cables is ordering the correct materials.
The first and most important material will be the cable
we'll be using. CAT5e is available in a variety of different
types:
Stranded
Stranded is primarily used for building patch cables.
The core of the conductors is comprised of many strands
of copper so that it can be flexed repeatedly without
the copper cores of the conductors breaking.
Solid
Solid CAT 5e is primarily used for in wall/permanent
applications. The copper cores of the conductors are
comprised of one single solid strand of copper. This
allows the cable to carry signals over longer distances
but due to the fact that it has solid copper conductors
it can not be flexed too many times without the copper
cores breaking.
Plenum
Plenum is primarily used for in wall/permanent applications
where the local building codes require that plenum cable
be used. Plenum cable is essentially the same as solid
except the jacket is comprised of a PVC Teflon mix.
This plenum jacket on is a low smoke/flame retardant
jacket that reduces the amount of toxic fumes that are
released into air when the jacket is burned.
Stranded is best when building patch cords. The
flexible stranded cores will hold up best against the
daily abuse that these cables tend to endure. We carry
Stranded Category5e in a variety of colors to suite
your particular needs.
Stranded
Category 5e is available in the colors shown below
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Step
1: Before we start building a patch cable you will
need to cut a length of stranded CAT5e. When cutting
the length you should make sure to measure. Nothing
is worse than the patch cable you just built being an
inch too short for your application.
After cutting the desired length we will start building
our cable by stripping back approximately 1 inch of
the jacket. We use Ideal's
45-165
Coaxial Stripper for this purpose.
When striping back the jacket make sure that the depth
of your stripper is set deep enough to cut the jacket
but not so deep that it nicks the conductors. If you
do nick the conductors while stripping the cable, the
cable may work fine at first, but after time the conductors
will break, or even worse, begin to short out. |
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Step 2: Now
that we have the jacket stripped back we'll want to
separate and straighten the pairs. We'll start by pulling
the first pair and the last pair to their respective
sides (Orange to the left and Brown to the right). Untwist
these pairs making sure not to untwist the cable any
further than you've stripped back the jacket. Now we'll
split the green pair. Pull the white/green conductor
to the left and the green conductor to the right. This
leaves you with the blue pair in the middle. Untwist
the blue taking care to ensure that the white/blue conductor
is on the left and the blue conductor on the right.
Note: Normally, it would be unmentionable to
untwist the CAT5e pairs, except when building patch
cables. It would be almost impossible to insert the
conductors into the proper connector locations without
untwisting. (Keep in mind you want to keep as much of
the twist of each pair intact in order to meet performance
standards.) |
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Step 3: Now that we've separated
and straightened the pairs we need to arrange the conductors
in the proper order according to which
wiring standard you are using. For this example
we will be wiring via the 568-B standard (most common
in patch cables). Please consult the pin-out for the
proper color codes. After you have the wires arranged,
place them tightly together as show in the picture to
the right. Once this is done, verify that the wires
are still in the proper order and continue to step 4. |
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Step
4: Now we need to trim the conductors down to fit
into the RJ45 connector. While trimming, make sure you
make a nice clean cut at a 90 degree angle about 1/2
of an inch from the end of the jacket. If you fail to
make a straight cut, some of the conductors may not
reach the connector contacts. If you cut the conductors
too short, again they will not make contact. If you
leave the conductors too long, when crimping the connector,
the jacketing will not be gripped leaving the strain
on the conductors. This is not a good situation! For
proper trimming, hold the wires securely just at the
end of the jacket as shown in the picture to the left.
Be sure to keep the conductors in the proper order. |
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Step
5: Our CAT5e patch cable is almost done. While still
holding the cable firmly, we now need to place the conductors
into their proper location in the
RJ45
CAT5e Modular Connector. Hold the RJ45 modular
plug with the contacts facing up (towards you) and carefully
insert the conductors in their proper locations. Apply
a moderate amount of force in order to properly seat
the wires against the contacts in the connector. When
the wires have been correctly inserted into the RJ45
modular connector, observe the tip. As illustrated in
the picture to the left you should be able to see the
end of each conductor, indicating that the conductors
were fully inserted. Also, take note of the colors.
All whites should be on the top and all the colored
conductors on the bottom. Once this is achieved, continue
to Step 6.
Update 10/03/2007: Many customers have
reported
CAT5e
Connectors with load bars are much easier to use
during the termination process (The load bar is
used to align the conductors into the proper order and
hold the conductors in place during insertion). |
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Step 6: Carefully
insert the assembly which you have just completed into
a modular
crimping tool, taking care to verify the conductors
stay fully inserted. When crimping the connector, use
the full stroke of the crimp tool so that the contacts
properly "bite" into the conductors. After you
have completed the crimp, take time to look at the connector
and make sure all the pins were crimped and that they
made good contact with the conductors. |
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Step 7: If
you are building a straight through (standard) CAT5e
patch cable, terminate the opposite end by repeating
this process from step one using the same wiring scheme
as the first. If this will be a Crossover cable, return
to step one and continue, however, remember to terminate
the other end of the cable using the wiring scheme that
you did not use for the first end. Terminating
one end with 568-B and the other with 568-A creates
a crossover cable. |
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| Step 8: That's
it! Use a tester to test for continuity and you
are done. |
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| Note: If the
cable does not test positive for continuity cut the
connector off and start over, or buy one of our pre-made
or custom length patch cords. |
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| Disclaimer:
This how to guide is a general overview of how to terminate
a patch cord. It is in no way meant to be the
definitive guide on how to make a patch cable.
This is just a general set of instructions on making
a cable based on our production techniques here at the
ComputerCableStore. |
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1 |
White/Green |
| 2 |
Green |
| 3 |
White/Orange |
| 4 |
Blue |
| 5 |
White/Blue |
| 6 |
Orange |
| 7 |
White/Brown |
| 8 |
Brown |
568-A Color Code
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1 |
White/Orange |
| 2 |
Orange |
| 3 |
White/Green |
| 4 |
Blue |
| 5 |
White/Blue |
| 6 |
Green |
| 7 |
White/Brown |
| 8 |
Brown |
568-B Color Code
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568a and 568b Color Codes
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