Newbie question about punchdown blocks
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Posted by The Chairman on May 28, 2005, 1:50 pm
Please log in for more thread options Hi all, I am a newbie to the world of installation, and I really want to get a good grasp on punchdown blocks. Is there a simple website or reference that someone can point me to. After much googling I have come up empty, If not, I have some basic questions that hopefully someone can answer: How do punchdown blocks work? To clarify, are certain posts wired to other posts? And, if you were wiring phones, how would you get one line to multiple jacks? It seems that you might have to put the incoming line to one pair of posts, then link them somehow to other posts and then connect a pair of wires to those posts to run them to a jack.However, in observation, I don't think that I have ever seen multiple wires connected to one post. What am I missing? Also, if I there is a large block in my office building, some of it in use, some not, can I use some posts for my office, or do I have to get another block specifically for my own use? If I can use it, how do I determine what posts are "safe" to use? Anyway, that's the start of my questions. I just want to get a basic understanding of how these things work. Thank you SO much! Ryan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Dr. Anton T. Squeegee on May 28, 2005, 10:19 am
Please log in for more thread options monster@earthlink.net says... <snippety>
> How do punchdown blocks work? To clarify, are certain posts wired to
> other posts? Your basic 66-block works, essentially, by insulation displacement. When the wire is forced into the clip with the punch tool, the edges of the clip bite through the insulation and grab on to the wire. 110-series blocks do exactly the same thing, though their clips are designed a little differently. FWIW: Punch blocks don't work well with fine-gauge (24 or higher) stranded wire. The stranded stuff doesn't offer as much physical resistance to the pressure of the clip, so it ends up compressing such wire more than biting through its insulation. This leads to intermittents or opens. Punch blocks work best with solid wire. Always have, always will. As to your second question, yes: The clips are parallel across rows in different patterns. The larger 66B4-25 blocks have six clips per row, all connected in parallel across said rows, and can handle 25 pairs (50 wires) each. The 66M1-50's, aka 'split blocks,' have four clips per row. The first clip on the left is in parallel across the row with its immediate neighbor to the right, followed by an open split down the middle of the block, and then the far-right clip is in parallel with its immediate neighbor to the left. This split configuration allows such a block to accomodate up to 50 pairs (100 wires). There are other configurations of 66-blocks, most often found in older 1A2 key telephone equipment, but the two I've mentioned are the most common. If you're uncertain about what you're looking at, check the part number of the block itself. It should be stamped into the side, or perhaps on the front between the screw holes. > And, if you were wiring phones, how would you get one line to multiple
> jacks? It seems that you might have to put the incoming line to one pair > of posts, then link them somehow to other posts and then connect a pair > of wires to those posts to run them to a jack.However, in observation, I > don't think that I have ever seen multiple wires connected to one post. > What am I missing? You're correct in your observation. Punching more than one wire into any clip is a recipe for certain disaster. The way what you describe works is that each jack is, typically, home-run to its own set of clips on a given block. You then have (on a split block) one remaining set of clips to attach the line to. You would simply loop the incoming pair in and out of the block, hitting all the jack pairs you need to and leaving slack to manipulate the loops later on. If you have to have more than one set of wires in a given clip, you can get stack-ons that provide additional clips. > Also, if I there is a large block in my office building, some of it in
> use, some not, can I use some posts for my office, or do I have to get > another block specifically for my own use? If I can use it, how do I > determine what posts are "safe" to use? It is best to install your own stuff. That way, whoever your phone people are don't have to second-guess any modifications done to their work. > Anyway, that's the start of my questions. I just want to get a basic
> understanding of how these things work. Are you also aware that there is a standardized color code for telephone and telecomm wiring? You'd be surprised how many people don't know that. Happy tweaking. -- Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute. (Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR, kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com "If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped with surreal ports?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by The Chairman on May 29, 2005, 7:52 am
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> The way what you describe works is that each jack is, typically,
> home-run to its own set of clips on a given block. You then have (on a > split block) one remaining set of clips to attach the line to. You > would simply loop the incoming pair in and out of the block, hitting > all the jack pairs you need to and leaving slack to manipulate the > loops later on. Thank you both for your replies. Now, let me see if I have this straight: Let's say that I want to wire 4 phone jacks to one phone line. I have the 66 style block. I'm going to call the columns of clips, from left to right, 1...2...3...4. I'll call the rows, from top down, A...B...C...D Tell me if this is right: I would take the incoming TelCo phone line, run it to these clips: A1 A3 B1 B3 C1 C3 D1 D3 using a single wire. I would accomplish this by using the side of the punch down tool that doesn't cut, and wind the wire around the "fanning clips", in and out of the block. Then, I would punch down the wires to the individual jacks to: A2 A4 B2 B4 C2 C4 D2 D4 This would take up all of the top 4 rows of clips total. Is this correct? Or, would it be phone line to A1 B1 corresponds to jack in A2 B2, etc? OR, does A1 B1 correspond to A4 B4? Now, what if I wanted to add a new home run jack to a line that has already been cut and punched-down to the block, and therefore is only accessible on one row of clips? Thanks! Ryan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Dr. Anton T. Squeegee on May 29, 2005, 12:04 pm
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monster@earthlink.net says... <snippety>
> Thank you both for your replies. Now, let me see if I have this
> straight: > > Let's say that I want to wire 4 phone jacks to one phone line. I have > the 66 style block. I'm going to call the columns of clips, from left to > right, 1...2...3...4. I'll call the rows, from top down, A...B...C...D <snippety-two>
WHICH 66-style block? The patterns on the 66B4-25 and 66M1-50 are different. Based on your stated pattern, and a description of what you're trying to do, you can use either block. For a 66B4-25, you can run the incoming line pair as follows. TIP side to: A1, C1, E1, G1. RING side to: B1, D1, F1, H1. You could then place the pairs from the jacks as follows: TIP side (from each jack): A2, C2, E2, G2. RING side (from each jack): B2, D2, F2, H2. You could actually use this same pattern on the left split side of a 66M1-50 as well, but reversed for the same of neatness. By 'reversed,' I mean punch down the home-run cables from each jack first, THEN run in your looped feed from the telco side. > Now, what if I wanted to add a new home run jack to a line that has
> already been cut and punched-down to the block, and therefore is only > accessible on one row of clips? If that jack is not currently used, it should have one clip per terminal (tip and ring) that is unused. You should not have any problems making it live. This is, unfortunately, one of the hardest things to demonstrate to someone over the 'net. Tell you what, though... If you want, I can take some photos of my key system installation (it uses both types of blocks) and E-mail them to you. That way, you'd at least see how the wiring's done. Let me know. Happy punching. -- Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute. (Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR, kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com "If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped with surreal ports?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by The Chairman on May 29, 2005, 10:54 pm
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> Tell you what, though... If you want, I can
> take some photos of my key system installation (it uses both types of > blocks) and E-mail them to you. That way, you'd at least see how the > wiring's done. > That would be fantastic! My e-mail is monster@earthlink.net. Thanks! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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