I want to run Ethernet patch cords from the 96-port voice patch panet, up the rack and across the ladder to the backboard, then punch the blue pairs down on a 110 block.
Is there a picture somewhere of a very neat job routing the cables at the 110 side?
-- Bob Simon remove both "x"s from domain for private replies
Are you sure you want to do that? Patch cables are usually stranded wire but punchdown requires solid wire.
-Larry Jones
Mr. Subtlety drives home another point. -- Calvin
Thanks. I hadn't considered that. I'll check with my cable vendor to see if he can supply solid cable. I liked the idea of Ethernet patch cords because they're so cheap (about $1 for a 14' patch cord).
Whatever type patch cords I purchase, I want the terminations to look good. I hope someone can give me some pointers.
-- Bob Simon remove both "x"s from domain for private replies
Many years ago, I had to rewire a bunch of circuits, because an engineer decided to use that silver "satin" phone cable on a punch block. It worked great for a while, but then all the circuits started failing.
I don't recall what gauge the wire was, but it consisted of fine wires, laid over a stranded plastic core. Great for flexible cables, lousy for punch blocks.
My fix, was to get new cables, with spade lugs and use a junction box, to connect them to solid wire, which then connected to the punch block. A far superior solution, would have been to buy one of those blocks, with 25 RJ-11 jacks on one side and a 25 pair AMP connector on the other. That way, ordinary phone cables could have been easily used.
The "satins" were most likely 26AWG. 110-block will hold stranded 24AWG conductors just fine unless, of course Bob is getting the cheaper 26AWG Ethernet cords. I'm afraid he is though as he mentioned $1 for 14'. Now that's pretty cheap, Bob! ;-)
It is not going to look too pretty just for the mere fact that you'd have to cut all other pairs off from every cord, and that may look pretty awful. It any case, if you use the legged 110s, make sure both workstation cables and the cords to the 96-port panel are routed from underneath the block, so you can conceal all the loose ends down under.
BTW, if the customer says "it's not pretty", tell them "I've just saved a lot of money on phone MACs by switching to patch panels - I thought it meant something to you..." Watched too many Geiko commercials lately ;-)
Good luck!
How about another patch panel, patch cords between the two panels, and then 25 pair cable from the new patch panel (one pair per port, on the blue pair's punchdowns), terminated on the 110 block?
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