adam's notes

Copper Cabling Installation Tools

  • Data cable for a typical office is installed as a structured cabling system
    • the network adapter port in each computer is connected to a wall port using a flexible patch cord
    • Behind the wall port, permanent cable is run through the wall and ceiling to an equipment room and connected to a patch panel
    • The port on the patch panel is then connected to a port on an Ethernet switch
  • A structured cabling system uses two types of cable termination:
    • Patch cords are terminated using RJ45 plugs crimped to the end of the cable
    • Permanent cable is terminated to wall ports and patch panels using insulation displacement connectors (IDC)
      • referred to as punchdown blocks
  • Installing cable in this type of system involves the use of cable strippers, punchdown tools, and crimpers

Info

  • The 100 m distance limitation is for the whole link, referred to as channel link.
  • Each patch cord can only be up to 5 m long.
  • Permanent link uses solid cable with thicker wires.
  • Patch cords use stranded cable with thinner wires that are more flexible but also suffer more from attenuation.

Cable Stripper

  • To terminate cable, a small section of outer jacket must be removed to expose the wire pairs
  • must be done without damaging the insulation on the inner wire pairs
  • A cable stripper is designed to score the outer jacket just enough to allow it to be removed
  • Set the stripper to the correct diameter, and then place the cable in the stripper and rotate the tool once or twice
  • The score cut in the insulation should now allow you to remove the section of jacket

Snips

  • Most Cat 6 and all Cat 6A cable has a plastic star filler running through it that keeps the pairs separated
  • need to use electrician’s scissors (snips) to cut off the end of this before terminating the cable
  • There will also be a nylon thread called a ripcord
    • can be pulled down the jacket to open it up more if you damaged any of the wire pairs initially
  • Snip any excess ripcord before terminating the cable

Punchdown Tool

  • A punchdown tool is used to fix each conductor into an IDC
  • First, untwist the wire pairs, and lay them in the color-coded terminals in the IDC in the appropriate termination order (T568A or T568B)
    • To reduce the risk of interference, no more than ½” (13 mm) should be untwisted
  • Use the punchdown tool to press each wire into the terminal
  • Blades in the terminal cut through the insulation to make an electrical contact with the wire

Crimper

  • A crimper is used to fix a jack to a patch cord
  • Orient the RJ45 plug so that the tab latch is underneath
  • Pin 1 is the first pin on the left
  • Arrange the wire pairs in the appropriate order (T568A or T568B), and then push them into the RJ45 plug
  • Place the plug in the crimper tool, close it tightly to pierce the wire insulation at the pins, and seal the jack to the outer cable jacket

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