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The ComputerCableStore
has
created
the
following
"How to
Make
CAT6
Patch
Cables"
to help
you make
your own
custom
length
CAT6
network
cables.
Within
this
"How To"
article
we have
included
all the
information
you
should
need to
find the
materials,
tools,
and
information
on how
to build
straight
through
CAT6
Patch
Cords
and
Crossover
CAT6
Patch
Cords.
We will
discuss
Materials
needed,
cable
Preparation,
as well
as
connector
Termination.
First of
all,
building
quality
network
cables
depends
on
ordering
the
correct
materials.
The most
important
material
will be
the
cable
that
we'll be
using.
CAT6 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 enabling
greater
flexibility
without damaging
the copper
conductor cores.
Solid
Solid cable is
primarily used
for in-wall or
permanent
applications.
The copper
conductor cores
are comprised of
a single solid
strand of
copper. This
allows for
greater
transmission
distances,
however, it can
not be flexed
repeatedly
without causing
damage.
Plenum
Plenum is
primarily used
for in-wall or
permanent
applications
where the local
building codes
require that
plenum be used.
Plenum is
essentially the
same as solid
except the
jacketing is
comprised of a
PVC Teflon mix.
This plenum
jacket is a low
smoke/flame
retardant jacket
that reduces the
amount of toxic
fumes that are
released into
air in the case
of a fire.
Stranded
is best
for
building
patch
cord.
The
flexible
stranded
cores
will
hold up
well against
the
daily
abuses
these
cords
inevitably
endure.
Here at
the
ComputerCableStore we
carry
Stranded
CAT6 in
the
variety
of
colors.
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Step 1: Before we start building our patch cable, you will need to cut a
length of CAT6 cable. When cutting your cable be certain to make the correct
measurements as there is nothing worse than building a patch cord that will not
reach.
Now we begin, by stripping the jacket back approximately 1 inch from the end.
To do this, we like to use Ideal's
45-165 Coaxial
Stripper.
Exercise caution when striping back the jacket, making certain that the blade
depth of your strippers will not damage the conductors but will still cut
through the jacketing. If you nick the conductors, it may work fine at first,
however, after time the conductors will break or begin to short out. |
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Step 2: Now that we have the jacket stripped back with the conductor
pairs exposed, we will need to separate and straighten them. You can start by
pulling the first pair and the last pair to their respective sides (Orange to
the left and Brown to the right). Untwist them, but not any further than you
have stripped back the jacket. Next we split the green pair. Pull the
white/green conductor to the left and the green to the right. This leaves you
with the blue pair in the middle. Untwist the blue leaving the white/blue
conductor on the left and the blue on the right.
Note: Normally, we wouldn't untwist CAT6 pairs except when building
patch cords. It would be next to impossible to insert the conductors into the
proper locations in the connector without untwisting them. (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 have separated and straightened all of the pairs, we
need to arrange the conductors into the proper order according to which of the
wiring standards you would like to use. For this example we will be
wiring via the 568-B standard (most common in patch cords). Please consult the
pin-out to find the proper color codes that reflect your desired wiring
standard. After you have all the wires arranged in the proper order, place
them tightly together as show in the picture to the left. Once you have done
this, verify that the wires are still in the proper order before continuing to
step 4. |
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Step 4: Now we'll trim the conductors down to fit into the RJ45
connector. When trimming, make sure to 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 or cut too short, some of the conductors may not reach the
contacts in the connector. If you leave the conductors too long, when crimping
the connector, the jacketing will not be gripped leaving all the strain on the
conductors. This is not a good situation! For proper trimming, hold the
wires securely in their proper order just at the end of the jacket. |
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Step 5: Now that we have our CAT6 patch cable prepped for termination,
we are almost finished. While still holding the cable firmly, we now need
to place the conductors into their proper location in the
RJ45 Modular Connector. Hold the RJ45 modular plug with the pins
facing up (towards you) and carefully insert the conductors holding firmly to
be certain they retain their order. You will need to use a moderate amount of
force to properly seat the wires against the contacts in the connector. When
this is done, look at the tip of the connector. As illustrated in the picture
to the left you should be able to see the end of each conductor indicating that
they were fully inserted. Also take note of the colors. All whites on the top
and all the colored conductors on the bottom.
Update
10/03/2007:
Many customers have
reported
CAT 6 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. When crimping the
connector you want to make sure you 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) patch cord,
terminate the other end by repeating this process from step one using the same
wiring scheme as the first. If this is a Crossover cable, return to step one
and continue, however, be sure to terminate this end 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. |
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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 cord does not test positive for continuity, cut the
connector off and start over, or buy one of
our pre-made or custom length patch cables. |
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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 cord. This is just a general set of instructions based
on the production techniques at the ComputerCableStore.
568a and 568b Color
Codes |
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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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