Preparing A Cat 5 Network Cable
The following are the basic steps that are involved in connecting a Cat 5 network cable connection. These are general instructions, though the example taken below is of a Cat 5e patch cable.
Step 1 - Unsheathing the outer jacket
You can begin by measuring and opening out the total length of network cable you will need for making the connection. Always keep a little more than the required length so that the wire remains loose for connection. Then unsheathe the outer jacket very carefully so as not to harm the inner wires in any way. You must open up at least 1.25 inches of the outer jacket to expose an equal amount of the internal wiring. When done, you should be able to see all four pairs of the twisted wiring, containing a colored wire and a tracer wire in each. A white rip cord might be present in some Cat 5 network cables.
Step 2 - Checking the internal wiring Check thoroughly to see if any of the wires have been nicked by mistake. Nowhere should the internal copper be visible, or it will lead to crosstalk interference, or even lead to no connectivity. If there are any nicks or cuts in the internal wiring, cut off the whole exposed segment and unsheathe afresh. Cut off the white rip cord in the same line as the outer jacket and dispose of it. Step 3 - Laying out the wires Once you have unsheathed properly, you have to untwist the four pairs of wires and lay them flat on your hand. Arrange the wires in the proper sequence, depending on whether you are connecting for 568 A or 568 B. These are better known as twisted and straight Cat 5 network cables. If you are connecting for a cable, you will most likely be using a 568 B connection. The following is the common 568 B sequence, starting from the left most and keeping the RJ45 plug latch at the bottom - orange/white, orange, green/white, blue, blue/white, green, brown/white and brown. Step 4 - Preparing the wires for the jack After you have laid the wires flat and verified if all the colors are in the right sequence, you have to cut off the tops of the wires evenly, retaining 0.75 inches from the base of the outer jacket. The cuts have to be very smooth and clean so that they make good contact with the RJ-45 plug. That done, push the wires inside the plug, again ensuring that the color sequence is correct. If done correctly, you will be able to see each wire housing itself in the corresponding hole of the plug. Adjust them a bit if this is not achieved. If you have adhered to all the measurements properly, then you will see that about 0.25 inches of the outer jacket also enters the jack. This is necessary for proper crimping. You can stretch the jacket a bit to ensure this. Step 5 - Crimping The last step is crimping, and before doing that you must ensure that all the colored wires have fitted in properly inside the RJ-45 plug. Place the plug with the wires correctly into the crimping tool, and then press the handle of the crimper in the indicated fashion. A sharp sound will indicate the crimping is done, and the handle will be pushed back into its home position. Note: It is important to keep the twisting as much entwined as possible till the RJ45 plug is reached. The better the condition of twists, the lower is the crosstalk interference, and good connectivity is achieved. This is an important point to bear in mind while making all types of Ethernet connections.
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