Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations strongm on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Cross connect wire 5

Status
Not open for further replies.

mikeydidit

IS-IT--Management
Feb 10, 2003
4,165
US
Good morning guys. I hope you all had a great weekend and fathers day.

I have been trying to find a good 1 pair cross connect wire. I have used (in the past) AT&T, Lucent, and Systimax. It seems that the Systimax has stopped making this. The only one I can find now is General and it sucks (is the best way to put it). It has very few twist and the pair is easily seperated.

Have you guys found a good jumper wire??

Thanks for your replies.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594


 
I am in the same boat mikeydidit.
I have tried cross connect from Superior Essex and it is worse then the general cross connect. My sources tell me they are the only two out there. I hope not.
 
The problems I have with the General stuff is that most of our cross connects are done through a frame.

(See this thread ) thread575-1348825

If you have to run up and down through this, the pairs will get seperated and just looks really bad. We have this frame color coded so we can identify whats what at a glance. W/B are digital sets. Y/B are analog and W/Red are circuits.

I think it works OK in the closets but it only has about 1/2 of the twist the Systimax stuff had. I am going to look at the Cat 5 stuff. It may be a little more difficult to work with but the end results may be worth it.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594


 
Thanks for the link LkEErie. Looking this this you may have solver the problem for me and others. I was getting the one rated for Cat 2 and thats why the twist were so few. I have ordered the Cat 3 rated spools. I will let you guys how it comes out.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594


 
The Cat 3 from general is a step above the essex but it is still leaves something to be desired.
 
Kwick18 I was using the pn. 7023708 which feel in the cat 2 rating. I ordered the pn. 2113054 which is the Cat 3. I will let you know if it is as good as the old Systimax. Or if this is the pn. you are using let me know.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594


 
The best I have used is the F type by General. It stays twisted very nicely.

jeff moss
 
The CAT3 cross-connect wire from GENERAL CABLE is the closest to the original WESTERN ELECTRIC I have found. here are some of the General Cable descriptions and part numbers:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product ID Description List Price Qty Extended Price
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2114307 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 2, (Bl
ue/White-White/Blue; Orange/White-W
hite/Orange), Gauge Size (AWG): 24,
Packaging: 1000' Spool (SP)
2114327 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 1, Blu
e/Red-Red/Blue, Gauge Size (AWG): 2
4, Packaging: 1000' Spool (SP)
2114355 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 1, Red
/White-White/Red, Gauge Size (AWG):
24, Packaging: 600' Spool (SP)
2113061 Universal Cross-Connect Wire, Type: $0.00 1 $0.00
N, Pairs: 3, (White/Blue-Blue; Whi
te/Orange-Orange; White/Green-Green
), Gauge Size (AWG): 22, Packaging:
500' Spool (SP)
7042500 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 1, (Bl
ue/Yellow-Yellow/Blue), Gauge Size
(AWG): 24, Packaging: 1000' Spool (
SP)
7042518 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 2, (Bl
ue/Red-Red/Blue; Orange/Red-Red/Ora
nge), Gauge Size (AWG): 24, Packagi
ng: 1150' Spool (SP)
7051543 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 1, (Bl
ue/Yellow-Blue), Gauge Size (AWG):
24, Packaging: 600' Spool (SP)
7042526 Customer Premise Cross-Connect Wire $0.00 1 $0.00
-Spec. 5008, Type: F, Pairs: 3, (Bl
ue/White-White/Blue; Orange/White-
White/Orange; Green/White-White/Gre
en), Gauge Size (AWG): 24, Packagin
g: 600' Spool (SP)

Check with your vendor or General Cable for more info...

....JIM....
 
I fell your pain. Its funny how something like cross connect wire can cause issues. The general wire does suck and my local graybar has nothing in stock but general. But there is an answer. When you order the cross connect wire, ask for General "Type F". It contains more twists per foot and is much better than the regular crap.
 
I've found that when you use OSP (outside Plant) cable you get better results on testing. I don't know the actual number of twists in the different cables, because I never read the box etc. I do know Cat 3 - Cat 6 the higher the number the more twist per foot or inch allowing "data" to travel faster, and at point of termination there is always a return loss because at least one of the pairs will be untwisted one or two times to terminate.

If you are using a single pair for one voice line hardly any twist is required, the twist allows for more speed of the transfer of "data".

A phone just needs tip (white/Blue) and ring (Solid Blue). If you've got dial tone it works.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocal) requires Cat5 or better as a minumum and needs all four pairs because it uses a different pair for each function of the special phone. It is also a great difference between a good jack and a bad one, Leviton, panduit, siemons, systimax. Leviton is my preffered because it's the easiest to terminate.

Slightly bulkier cable works better but doesn't really matter the signal doesn't travel in the wire but along it's skin on the outer circumfrence of the pair.

Andy the Cable Guy Chandler, AZ
 
Well I got the cat 3 wire in Friday and it looks as god as the old AT&T stuff. Should you guys ever end up where i was order General pn. 2113054. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for helping me find it.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594


 
I couldn't stand Superior Essex anymore, and don't like General. My last order through Anixter was for Nordx/CDT CAT5. I usually try to find 1.25 twist/in, but nobody puts out specs anymore.

The CAT5 twists are a little tight, but they don't come apart when I have to move one.
 
I could be wrong but I believe the Category number indicates the specs as a standard I don't know what they are though.

Andy the Cable Guy Chandler, AZ
 
I think Cat5 uses stranded wire that does not stay twisted and is difficult to terminate, and Cat5E uses copper hard wire, which I think is much better.

Burt
 
No, the difference between Cat5 and cat5e is the twists. Both are available in solid and stranded, as is Cat 3, Cat 6, etc....

jeff moss
 
I believe that stranded cable would be used primarily for patch cords while solid is typically used for in-house cabling.
 
I think Cat5 uses stranded wire that does not stay twisted and is difficult to terminate, and Cat5E uses copper hard wire, which I think is much better.

both cat5 and 5e are available either stranded or solid


 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top