Getting into it....

[theEclipse]

I am about to graduate with a degree in Computer Science and have been hired by a local school as their IT guy. Its a small startup private school that is just getting enough money for technology, and I am their first in house techy.

We just got a new building and I was pleased to find that the it firm that previously occupied it wired it pretty well, but I have a few questions about things I have seen around that don't make sense to me.

First, I am curious if there are any books for a techy like my that can help with learning this kind of thing. I can make up my own cat5 and coax (Cable TV -- RG6? I don't remember off hand) already and have never had problems there, but I would like to know more about the phone systems especially.

First in my lineup is just a vocab question: There are communications jacks all around this place, and they are all labeled and have wires pulled to a central closet, where they are terminated into either a patch panel or a punch down block(?--not sure if thats what its called but I think that the appropriate tool is a punch down). The cat5 jacks/wires are all labeled DX or VX, which I would understand to be data or voice (x is a number). But the cat3 is labeled FMX. Why?

Second, and this maybe it for now if I can't remember any others, is there a cheap tone generator that I can get to test the wiring before we get service to the building? I don't need anything industrial, just something to imitate a dial tone. I would like to be able to plug a cat3 wire into it and a phone into the other end and hear something.

That must be it for now. If you read this nonsense this far, thanks for your patience.

Thanks for any tips you can give.

Robert Carpenter
Remember....eternity is much longer than this ~80 years we will spend roaming this earth.
ô¿ô

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[GMgerry]

Sounds to me me that they didn't follow a standard in wiring. labeling should be IDF #-Panel #-Port # i.e 1-2-30.
I have not seen Dx and Vx for a long time and what FMx is I have no clue. All cabling should be universal in nature. Just the label should be different. For the money I install all cat 5e or 6. Cat 3 is a waste of material. Terminate everything on a patch panel. Terminating cable on blocks and patch panels is also a waste in the same closet. I have all my copper on patch panels including the PBX and never need a punch tool or jumper wire and do MACs in no time at all.

You can find a toner at Home Depot, but I would establish an account or at least a relation ship with a local supplier like GrayBar or on online like Black Box. Black Box has free shipping where GrayBar plays games to charge you that. Also let them know you are education for that discount and maybe tax exempt.

Also for books or material go to

http://www.bicsi.org

 

[LeeMcCauslin]

Someone here has a signature block that reads something along the lines of "It's just wires" and that's a good thing to remember - it is all just wires - especially with voice - you have to get the pair from here to there. Naturally, there are right ways and wrong ways to do it but it all boils down to getting the signal from the switch to the phone.

I completely agree with GMgerry regarding setting up an account with someone close by (We have a Graybar down the street so they get most of our spur of the moment business) but we shop oither places too. (In fact, I need to check out Black Box myself - I keep reading about them here and they sound like a good outfit).

As for your tone generator, I am not sure if you are asking for a butt set (to actually test dial tone) or simply a tone generator to hunt wires and check for continuity. You will probably want both though - for my butt set I have a cheap analog phone - an old GE handset (where the whole phone is built into the handset) and a 2 dollar adapter that plugs onto the rj11 plug so I can plug that onto a 66 punchdown block. I either have dial tone (yay!) or I don't (start hunting).

The tone generator is a two piece thing I got for 40 bucks at Graybar - you plug the generator into the jack, turn it on, and go find the signal in the closet with the other piece. Invaluable - especially in a new place where you aren't sure where everything goes yet. (And it doesn't care if it's phone or data - it just finds the wires)

Get a punch down tool for both 110 and 66 blocks - you are likely to need both.

There may be many other suggestions depending what kind of phone system you have but you have a valuable resource in this place - look over to the right of the page here and see all those MVP names - I am convicned they can figure out anything so don't be afraid to ask.

And congratulations on the new job! I still get a kick when I punch that last wire down and plug in the phone and I get dial tone. Even better when the right number comes up!

 

[ISDNman]

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1280317

Above is an older thread that has lots of recommendations for reading material.

Good experience to have even if you move onto more esoteric aspects of IT later in your career.


Best of luck with the new job.

 

[oldtimerbob]

Just a thought, maybe FMx (x=number?) maybe for fax modem.

The adaptor for the 66 block for an RJ11 jack to plug into can be gotten at Graybar also, it's called a one pair tap,and you can get it for more pairs if needed.

Using an old analog phone (like the old Princess phones)is common practice if you don't have a butt set,but not as versatile.

A tone and probe kit is fairly cheap,and along with a contunity tester such as a Modtap (now Molex)SLT3 or a 'test all four' (to check any possible miss-wires,etc from the jack to the panel end) will give you the basic tools you will need for many years.

Good Luck,

Has been in the cabling business for about twenty years and is now the Sr PM for a cabling company located in the Los Angeles area.

http://www.globusinc.net

Also a General Class Amatuer Radio Operator.

 

[ravnz5]

FXM is a faz/modem. Home Depot also sells impact tools (punchdown tool), You won't need a buttset right away for what you are doing, but If you are dealing with hot jacks, then you will want one. I prefer Harris speakerphone models, available at Graybar. A tone generator and spealer probe will be necessary. You can plug your toner into a jack and find the tone in the closet and label it if necessary. The s/l tap, can be 2 prong, 4 prong, 6 prong,and 8 prong, we call these banjos. You will need this when testing pairs at the jacks. Keep in mind that the 8 prong will have a bigger modular tip on it and will not fit into voice jacks with 6 or less condunductors. You will also want to get some cross coneect wire to extend the jack cable pairs to another connection, dial tone or station location on a phone system. Good Luck..

We all need a little help once in awhile. Tony the Phoneman..

 

[LkEErie]

Unlike some of the others in here, I'd spring for an inexpensive toolkit deal and replace each item as needed.
Yeah, $180 is probably a lot of money, but it gets you started with the proper, although not spectacular, tools.
Try

http://www.techtoolsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=620

for an example of what you can get.

LkEErie

 

[robertjo24]

A little light reading.

http://www.siemon.com/us/standards/

http://www.siemon.com/us/standards/glossary.asp

 

[mikeydidit]

Although they are small and just starting up, they are going to have to spring for you (at least the basic) tools. Its not going to cost them very much for you some tools Vs. having to get someone in and pay them to use theirs.

The Graybar is a good recommendation. I will give you one that most do not hear of but are really great people to do business with. Accu-tech. 1-800-432-0325 ext. 111 . They will usually beat the Graybars and Anixters in price and I get a good delivery time from them.

Black box has the gadgets and some bells and whistles but the really pricey on their stuff.

As for the tools, a good butt set, tone amplifier, (electrician snips), needle nose, both screw drivers, and bag. If they can afford it I would highly recommend the Micro scanner pro. Good tool for network troubleshooting and not that expensive (around $450.00)

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

 

[mikeydidit]

Also it sounds like they may not have labeled everything like it needs to be but it is labeled. Thats a major plus. I have seen places that were rats nest and nothing was labeled. You may in the future fell frisky and relabel everything thats not done like you want it to be, so you will need a good label maker too. Look at the top of the page and do a search for label makers and you should see a lot about this topic.

Good luck to you and feel free to post here with your questions. We all had to start somewhere and their are a lot of good people here that are willing to help.

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

 

[theEclipse]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions! Everything said is valuable information.

Update then a few more questions at the bottom.

Here is an update: As I said I work for a school and the building we are moving into was not a school building, but a tech office (read: well wired with cat5/3). It is a small school with a small budget so most stuff I need comes from ebay or donated from another local place.

The small town I live in does not have any sort of tool outlet. I usually buy stuff @ home depot, because I often need the thing that day.

I bought a cable tracker (plug this box into a jack and use a probe at the patch panel that sings when it gets close) and I already have a cable tester -- I believe its just a continuity tester that verifies correct wiring, but not signal propagation. I also already have a volt/ohm meter and cat3/5 crimper and rg6/* crimper that have served me well for a few years now (though neither of them are what you might call *quality* items).

Its go time: the school moves in this weekend, starting tomorrow (friday). The critical systems are the dsl internet, including computer lab & teacher workstations, and the dual phone lines wired to the front of the building (done).

Set for immeadiate construction is the bell/P.A. system and smart classrooms (ie. computer, projector, speakers, etc.).

Questions:
We are planning on installing generic ceiling speakers for the P.A./Bell system. I am getting some nice new 6" off of ebay for _cheap_. Because there is so much cat5 running around this place, the contractor suggested that we might be able to save tons of time and money by using a section of the cat5 for the Bell system speakers. He wants to pull a drop out of the wall and move it across the ceiling for the speaker in each classroom. This sounds good to me. Is there something wrong with this? I am thinking that there could be a *big* benefit here because then we can install other junk onto that wire (e.g. a lockdown lite, or an emergency button, or ....).

My worry is 1) what kind of amplifier do I need to drive 12-15 speakers and 2) is using an amp like that with 12+ of the cat5 in a bundle going to cause problems with the internet/phone wires that run with them?

Again, small budget, so setting up a 70v PA w/transformers at each speaker is slightly out of budget. The sound source for the PA is going to be a linux computer in the closet, playing a wav file for each bell and a switchable mic. My current thoughts are this (see link) type amp with the speakers split into the outputs (4 outputs * 3 speakers = 12) with the speakers hooked up in series.

http://tinyurl.com/2b72s7

(ebay auction). I know that this is getting off topic but.....

Thanks again!

Robert Carpenter
Remember....eternity is much longer than this ~80 years we will spend roaming this earth.
ô¿ô

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[theEclipse]

another update....I found an amp. I stumbled upon a distribution amplifier and bought it because its exactly what we need!

Robert Carpenter
Remember....eternity is much longer than this ~80 years we will spend roaming this earth.
ô¿ô

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[ravnz5]

If you no longer need a wall jack in each classroom then I believe it would be okay to relocate to the ceiling for speakers. Tone the cables and hook up to your amp. You also should look to Bogen products for correct applications for school paging systems. I have installed a few of these. Lots of luck to you...

We all need a little help once in awhile. Tony the Phoneman..