[Tfug] CAT5 Cables, The Sequel

[Bexley Hall]

Hi, Tim,

--- Tim Ottinger <tottinge at gmail.com> wrote:

> I learned that it was good to put the tiny wires
> side-by-side as you go, 
> and give them a little down-and-up flex to get them

Yes, I found this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ by chance
and subconciously found myself doing it each time
the entropy starting increasing.

> to lay the way you 
> want them to.  I also stripped a bit more than I
> actually needed, got 
> them to lay flat, then cut the excess.  The little

The crimper makes *that* part easy as it has a wide
(3/4"?) blade/anvil to trim all of the wires to
the "same" length.  But, you still have to *hold*
the wires together in that proper *order* -- lest
the "inside" wires end up getting cut longer than
the *outside* wires (i.e., by being out of place)

> flex trick greatly 
> increased my success/failure ratio.
> 
> I also learned to buy (and keep handy) too many
> shells, because I end up 
> having to cut off and discard a few here and there. 
> I don't do this 
> often enough to get a "fight the first time"
> connection.  If I did it 
> enough, it wouldn't be a problem.

<shrug>  Like ribbon cables, its not something I
like (nor want) to do often.  But, in a jam, its
something I want to be able to do without resorting
to spending time hunting for the "right" cable
(online or in a store).

E.g., its sort of like changing the oil in the
car... the time it takes to drive to a "quick
lube" shop is almost the same as the time it
takes to do it yourself (and, in the latter case,
you get a chance to see if there are any *other*
things that might need your attention while
avoiding the list of 45 *ancillary* add-ons that
the lube place wants to convince you that you
need).

--don


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