> I have run a couple of cat5e cables and I am trying to terminate them, > unsuccessfully at present. > > Will a cable tester help me?
Depends on the problem, but prob yes. If you broke copper core pulling the cables the tester should show that (not fix it though). If you mixed up cables it'll show that too - but only after the crimping. > I suspect that each time I put a plug on > the end one or more of the wires is in the wrong place, or not quite > long enough to make the connection. Only improved technique will help there. The tester will only show a bad job afterwards. > Coupled with this I am only 90% > sure which cable end is which at the switch end (ie the centre of the > star), having failed to mark them. That's the easier bit, assuming you have easy access to all 8 ends of both cat5e cables on both sides, and you are not too colour blind to tell the colouring apart. Connect the ends of a pair of one cable together on one side. On the other side, use a multimeter (ohm setting) to see which 2 ends of the same coloured pair are shortened - that's the same cable. There are a gazillion ways to do similar things, like use a plugpack/battery and a torch bulb. Specialised equipment made for this purpose is lacking the geek factor... > Is there some sort of cable tester that can, eg, tell me what wires > are right and what are wrong, and which end of the cable is wired > wrong? Yes, basic cheap ones run a continuity test on all 8 wires. They tell if some are swapped, but NOT if the 4 pairs are kept paired (i.e. if there is a double-fault which cancels itself), in which case it'll show ok for a cable which doesn't work. You MUST keep the pairs paired, though you can swap one pair with another as long as you do it the same on both ends. (I strongly recommend you stick with the prescribed colour scheme, or you're risking your sanity next time you do wiring work on one side and forgot you changed things aroud on the other side too.) Things a simple continuity tester won't show: * Breaks or bad contacts reliably if there is a fraction of connectivity left. * Swapped wires (see above). * High frequency response of the cable. Meaning it doesn't stress test and it won't show whether the cable will actually work when connected to Ethernet interfaces. But it should show the sort of trouble you seem to have. > And, heres the hit, can someone in ChCh lend me one? Yes, both tester and multimeter. Volker -- Volker Kuhlmann is list0570 with the domain in header http://volker.dnsalias.net/ Please do not CC list postings to me.
