Cat5 cable nightmare

[dingbat]

I've run a Cat 5 cable which I've crimped myself plugging from a wallplate to PC. I've made the connection straight through - 1to1 wiring but it doesn't seem to work. I've checked continuity and it's fine. I've made plenty before and there hasn't been any problems but this one has me stumped. I've already wasted 6 plugs.
I've even moved the wire colours around in case any were damaged between the used and unused.

I can use a straight wired smaller patch cable and it works fine.

The run itself is about 9 metres which shouldn't be an issue.

Any ideas or am I losing my mind?

 

[crossdaz]

Any ideas or am I losing my mind?

You're losing your mind - it happens to the best of us

Maybe it's just a duff length of cable and the connections are OK.

 

[KM-Tiger]

If it's any reassurance I have seen this - where continuity checks out OK, but the damned thing doesn't work!

Trouble is I don't know what the answer is, other than start again with a different piece of cable.

 

[DotNetWebs]

If it's any reassurance I have seen this - where continuity checks out OK, but the damned thing doesn't work!..

I used to so simple con checks with a DVM and occasionally had problems.

Nowadays I use one of these:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CX079R.html

That was £12 well spent IMO.

Regards

Dotty

 

[dingbat]

Looks like it just must be duff and I had better save myself the aggro. It was almost the end of the reel.

I've got one of those testers too. I tried using it for the first time on the duff and working cable and it didn't work with either. But it did on a smaller 2m cable. :|

Oh well...the brain exercise might have done me good.

Cheers guys.

 

[PurpleCommunications]

I have had this before and it was the RJ45 Crimper that was the problem. It was not pushing one of the IDC connectors down far enough when crimped. It would sometimes work on a tester and some times it would not.

Just a thought.

Jon

 

[LightingGiants]

to re run a cable is a nightmare but unfortunatley its your best bet

 

[Roytheartist]

Just a thought- do you know the length already in the wall, if your adding a long drop cable from wall socket to pc? May be excessive length added together?

 

[StephenW]

Jon is right, could just need re-crimping. When my tester shows shows up a problem I just re-crimp. A look through a magnifying glass or loupe will usually show its one on the edge that is not bedded into the wire.

 

[stugster]

I have had this problem with a really short piece of Cat5.

It turned out that the outer insulation was fine, but the inner insulation was a bit faulty on red and green and half way through the wire had touched each other.

A continuity meter wouldn't pick this up, as the electricity did flow through all wires. Data however would not.

I'd start over for the sake of your sanity to be honest mate.

[edit: read orange and green - not red ]

 

[Beachcomber]

Only other thing I can think of is that maybe the cable is running alongside some power cables that are causing interference?

Anyway, should use Cat6 - it's a nicer colour!

 

[asonda]

I'd personally save yourself the aggro and put a new cable in. The length you said should be fine.

Have a look see if your crimper is pushing all the pins fully into the cable, mine latest one was fine, but then for some reason, nowadays I have to push down really really really hard to get a good crimp.

 

This is a 'patch' lead you have run? ie a stranded Cat 5 cable with RJ45 ends crimped on it?

Unless this is a weird length, why would you be crimping your own really, rather than just buying one with strain relief boots etc already on it?

A decent set of instructions for making a Cat5 patch cable can be found here

 

[PurpleCommunications]

Did you get it sorted? what was the problem in the end if so?

 

[wardourdrive]

Remember for a straight through cable you only need TX and RX
TX= pins 1 & 2 1 = orange/White 2 = Orange
RX - pins 3 & 6 3 = Green/White 6 = Green

4,5, 7 & 8 are not needed

 

[Ash77]

yep sounds like a break in the cable of some sort, easiest thing to do is start again or get a tester, they really are handy.

I've actually just put a little site together with the pin out info in, its' also got a daft little vid of one of the lads in my office building & testing a cable so you can see how they work. The idea is it's a cat 5 cable making contest! Prizes are yet to be confirmed but will be at minimum a Wii or something like that, I had a domain I just had to do something cat5 related too – I can’t post a link yet as I’m new here but the domain is cat.5e with co.uk at the end.

Ash

 

[Ash77]

Yay I can post links now, here are the CAT5 Howto if you need them still and also here is the CAT5 Competition I was talking about in the last post which has just gone live today

Ash