[Tfug] Patch cords

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Harry,

--- On Sun, 9/30/12, Harry McGregor <micros at osef.org> wrote:

> > (It's one thing to spend extra time/effort/money to *reduce*
> > downstream problems; quite another to "spend" and get *worse*
> > results!)
> > 
> > So, my question is:  What is the source of these admonitions
> > against rolling your own cables?  "Urban legend"?  "It's not
> > worth your time"?  "It's more expensive than store-bought"?
> > "Mistakenly using solid core wire in lieu of stranded"?  "They
> > fail due to inadequate strain-relief/crimp contacts"? etc.
> 
> It's normally not worth it if you have proper cable
> management or if it's a "user" side cable.

I think it's largely a non-issue in a real data center.  You've
got cable trays, space *planned* for equipment/wires/etc.  OTOH,
trying to fit this into an environment not *designed* for it is
a different issue, entirely!

E.g., one of the guys who regularly disparages my use of hand-made
cables works in a datacenter for a large, multinational bank.
His "use store-bought" attitude reflects:
- corporate policy
- "it's not *his* money"
- dead wire is hard/costly to remove
- plenty of room for wire alongside the kit
- *he* may be gentle with wire but any of the *other* guys
  servicing the data center could be abusive and *he* might
  end up dealing with the ramifications of their abuse
etc.
 
> If it will help with cable management to have custom cables
> then it is worth it.

OK.  But, any advantage to *buying* them "custom made" vs.
making them myself?  (given that I have a pretty good record
with the cables I've made, to date)
 
> IMHO, only use stranded cat5e/cat6 and use the clear RJ45
> connectors (for stranded).  IF you don't need a 1000
> foot box of stranded, buy a 100' patch cable or two, and cut
> it up.

Yeah, I've done that in the past -- though I think I might have
most of a box of stranded hiding *somewhere* (and, since I only
need CM I shouldn't have to worry about what type it is)
 
> If your really worried about stress on the connection, you
> can add epoxy to the connector AFTER crimping.

Ah, that's an idea!  Depending on how I do that, it could also help
hold the boot in place!
 
> As far as "cheap" pre-made cables, I would strongly suggest
> www.monoprice.com

Thanks, I'll give a look.

--don