> I was once detailed to make ethernet cables. They worked, initially. >Later they failed. >There was some sadness, cause failure mode was intermittent failure. . > My suggestion is that you take Hadley's approach::
Having done cable monkey stuff for a long time, there are some flaws and some things should be clarified. Making your own cables is perfectly okay, as long as you do it right. This means using a crimping tool, not a screwdriver. It also means using the right plugs for the style of cable you use. For patch cables that means stranded cable and stranded-compatible plugs Don't ever use solid core ethernet cable for patch leads, not ever. They work for a bit but degrade over time due to movement. Solid core is fine for in-wall installations where it will not move ever, and its a little cheaper. Don't kid yourself that your "patch leads rarely change" This is a false economy. Do get a tester too - they show pair-flips and when a link is disconnected. Very handy, expecially the near and remote units so you can test a cable where the ends are not close together. Get a proper stripping tool too - these cost under $10 and save so much hassle. Expect to bugger up a bunch of plugs getting the trim lengths correct. Yes they're magic and the wires move in the plug between insertion and crimping. Check them before crimping. If doing the shortening thing then consider that some cables are wired with different colour schemes. They are compatible if you use the same colour coding on both ends. Get yourself a colour cheat card too - and reference it. Is easy to go wrong and noone likes redoing work. The cost of all the tools means its probably not financially feasinible for ones or twos, but tools are for life and I personally don't regret dropping several hundred dollars on the gear over 10 years ago. Finally - Don't overload the RJ45 connector. I understand you're not putting ethernet over this - but what happens if someone connects their computer, or worse plugs one of these leads into a switch? Definitely label them clearly, and if you can afford to look at colour-coded wall jacks and plugs. ** I have seen a "Power Over Cat5 spare pairs" bodge connected to a switch. Amazingly it kinda worked, but fried a couple weeks later. -- Criggie http://criggie.org.nz/ _______________________________________________ Linux-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
