• Author Author: colporteur
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The Road to Raspberry Pi4B/ PoE Hat RoadTest Review (cable in between)

colporteur

I have a number of store bought cables of varying lengths I will test with. I will document those in my review. In addition, I will construct a maximum length CAT5 cable using crimping tools and connectors I have locally.

 

I have a basic pin out cable tester for CAT5 cables. I don’t have a Fluke network analyzer to do performance checks to prove out my cable assembly skills. I worked in cable plants for a number of years, so I consider my cable construction skills up to specification. That assumption may come back to bite my in the ***. Hey   care to float me a cable tester for the project?

 

I'm wondering whether stranded verses solid wire in the cable make a difference. I'm going to assume if the cable meets CAT5 specifications it is acceptable. Interesting these are the needle questions I wanted to discover answers for.

 

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I'm curious if the RJ45 cable pinout specification T568A or T568B have any impact? Wait this is DC power. No crosstalk suppression involved. Take that off the list!

  • Hi Sean,

     

    Either solid or stranded cable can be used (and either color code layout can be implemented), there should be no difference, but if you're aiming to simulate a real environment then it should probably be mostly solid core (since that is is what would get used throughout a building). But I think it makes no difference for such a test, it may be worth just using the roll of cable you have, or purchasing the wire type (solid or stranded) that will be useful to you in future too.

    One point is that normally solid-core is not intended to be terminated with RJ45 plugs, rather the sockets (there's a very low-cost tool, perhaps $5, called a 'punch-down' tool to do that, or alternatively some sockets can be assembled with no tool).

     

    If you do wish to terminate solid core directly with RJ45 plugs, then there are specific plugs to purchase (the metal parts of it look bent very slightly different), because most RJ45 plugs out there will be for stranded wire. The same typical RJ45 tool is used for both types of plugs, there's no difference there. If you already have RJ45 plugs, then it's 90% likely they are for stranded wire (they could be compared with normal short patch cables, which will be stranded wire too).