Yes -- You Can Make Your Own Cat 5 Patch Cable!
More and more people today are maintaining expensive and sophisticated home computer systems. For many, having some extra Ethernet cables on hand can be a real lifesaver -- but it isn't necessary to buy expensive pre-made cat 5 patch cable, you can learn to make your own -- and that's what this short guide is all about.
Step One: Get Your Tools and Materials Together
Of course, along with the know-how you will also need proper materials and tools. If you feel you will have a need for it, you can purchase cat 5 patch cable in bulk spools which will save you money. Shorter lengths can also be purchased -- or you can simply buy some from a friend who has a bulk spool with extra to spare.
In addition to the cat 5 patch cable itself, what else will you need? Well, you will need to purchase a stripping tool to strip off the installation, as well as some connectors and boots. You should also purchase a crimper and a tester -- a crimper will help to attach the connectors properly and the tester will verify that your newly-made 5 patch cable actually works before you try and put install it some place. Step Two: Strip It off! Once you have all your materials and tools together, you can pull off the desired length of cat 5 patch cable and cut it. You will work on one end of your patch cable at a time. Begin by slipping on one of the little covers ("boots") -- do this before you strip away any of the wiring sleeve (the outside covering) and make sure the boot is pointing to the outside end of the cable. Using your cat 5 patch cable stripping tool, remove some of the outer wiring sleeve to expose about 1 1/2" of the inside -- and be careful you don't cut (or even nick!) any of the coverings of the little wires underneath. If you've done everything properly, you will now see the inside of your cat 5 patch cable: a set of 4 pairs of little wires, twisted together in pairs -- a solid color and another wire with the same color and white added (these are called cat 5 patch cable 'tracers'). Step Three: Get out Your Microscope Not really -- you really won't need a microscope -- but your next step should be to carefully examine these little wires to make sure that you did not make any small cuts or abrasions which would expose the inside copper wiring -- this is a big no-no, as it will reduce the strength and clarity of the signal. If you've cut into the little wires of your cat 5 patch cable, you'll need to cut it off and start all over again. Step Four: Make Proper Arrangements If everything is okay up to this point, you can gently untwist the little wires inside your cat 5 patch cable and lay them out according to the proper wire arrangement pattern. For most home installations you will use a wiring specification pattern called the 568B pattern. You can use this wiring pattern to connect things like a network hub and your PC system together. You can find more information on how to do this from several sources, including the Internet. Step Five: Jack It up Following your technical specifications (or manufacturer instructions) you will need to make sure that you properly insert the wires into the connecting jack -- and while you do this, make sure that the little wires of your cat 5 patch cable stay in the proper order, each in their proper place. Make SURE, before you cramp it, that everything looks good. Most cat 5 patch cable technical specifications detail which colored wire is to go into which slot in the connector. Step Six: a Gentle Squeeze Once you have your cat 5 patch cable correctly wired, you can insert the plug into your crimping tool. Squeeze the handle -- and don't freak out -- because it will make a click -- that's okay. If you have correctly crimped the plug onto your cat 5 patch cable, the handle on your crimping tool will automatically open up. Step Seven: Test It before You Use It There's no sense in trying to use a cat 5 patch cable where the connectors have not been attached properly -- so before you actually use it, pull out your tester and verify that everything is okay. If you've not already done so, you can now slip the hood protector over your newly-attached connector. Congratulations! You just correctly installed a connector to the end of your cat 5 patch cable! Now, that wasn't so bad was it?
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