The Art of Crimping: How to Effectively Make a Cable Network

The Cat-5 cable is normally referred to as network cable. This type of wire is commonly used if you’re trying to make an Ethernet network. It is mainly consist of 8 little wires insulated with an outer shell. It follows the “twisted pair” concept, which means the cable is composed of twisted wires. The twisting basically protects the cable from magnetic interference.

There are actually four things you need so you can effectively crimp a cable. First you need to identify the length of the cable. There are a lot of areas that you can purchase one. You can even buy them online. However, if you like to save some money, go for those sold in little computer stores in your area since you can buy spools of them. Next, you have to have RJ-45 heads. You need at least two for every cable, one for each end. It is advisable, though, to purchase more than what you need. This is in case you didn’t do well in your crimping or for some future wiring needs. Normally, you can buy these together with your cables.

Of course, you can never proceed with the crimping process if you don’t have the right tools in hand. Crimping tools come in a variety of sizes and prices. If you aren’t sure which one to use, ask a computer technician or a salesperson. To get the best kind of crimping tool, settle for the one that will lock when you squeeze it as it can somewhat ease the pressure needed to crimp your wire. Also, use a hand crimper. Lastly, but entirely optional, is a Cat-5 cable tester. To fail in crimping is one thing, but to not understand why is another. This is very handy in helping you see where you have possibly gone wrong. This can be quite expensive, so for starters, you may opt to rent. Crimps can either be male and female, and they differ in sizes, though they may have similar parts. They contain a channel that can be folded down so they can grip insulation and give strain relief. Another channel, the secondary one, is folded down into the wire to create an electrical connection. Reliable crimps have excellent insulation grip.

There are two ways of cabling: straight-through cabling and cross-over cabling. The former allows you to connect a PC to any intermediary device such as a switch, router, or hub. The latter, meanwhile, connects two PCs without having to use any of the mentioned devices.

These are the steps when performing a straight-through cabling:

1.Hold a pair of cable wire in front of you. Make sure their colors are in correct order. You can search a diagram in Google for it.

2. With an RJ45 end, insert every colored wire, usually the one with the springy tip, into the proper slot. Then stick a crimping tool.

3. Make sure that the metal contacts of the RJ45 and the tip of the wires touch then clamp them together with a crimper.

4. Do the same thing in the other end of the wire.

Do not forget to constantly double check to guarantee that you’re not placing some wires inappropriately. Also, always remember to test the cables to see if they’re working properly.

Source: http://www.systemdisc.com/

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