Posted by Max Baun on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 @ 11:24 AM
Your company’s office keeps on moving desks and computer
around and you find that every time you move, you need a different sized Ethernet cable to reach your desk without leaving a mess of excess cable on the floor.
Maybe 
your office needs to run multiple network cables from one side of the
office to the other. At the end of the month, you realize you have spent
hundreds of dollars on cable that just needs to be moved next week.
Being able to make and fix network cables is a very
resourceful technique when it comes to rewiring an office network. All you need
is a big spool of quality Ethernet, also known as cat5 cable, RJ-45 connectors
(make sure they are compatible with the type of cable you buy), and a
crimping/wire cutting tool.
The following are a list of steps to making an Ethernet
cable:
1. Cut off
a piece of cable off the spool to the desired length.
2. Strip
no more than an inch of the insulation to expose data wires inside. Depending
on the type of crimping tool you get, it may also have a built in cat5 wire
stripper that will strip off the perfect amount of insulation. After pulling
off the insulation, you will see 8 wires hopefully color coated.
3. You
will now have to separate the eight wires into the following order:
NOTE: When you separate the wires,
put them side by side.
White-Orange|Orange|White-Green|Blue|White-Blue|Green|White-Brown|Brown
4. With
the wires lined up, clip the wires so their ends are all even and stick out no
more than a ½ inch from the insulation.
5. Hold
the RJ-45 connector with the release clip faced toward the ground. You will
probably need to pinch the coating so the wires do not move around on you.
6. Carefully
insert the wires into the connector, making sure the wires do not change places
with each other. Make sure the ends of the wires are touching the ends of the
connector.
7. Once
the wires are in, push the cable insulation into the connector as far as it
will go. If your wires are sticking out of the side of the connector you put
them in, they are prone to damage.
8. Before
crimping, make sure all the wires are aligned correctly. Insert the RJ-45
connector into the crimping tool and give it a nice firm squeeze. If you over
squeeze the crimping tool, the connector will break. Just do the other end of
the cable and you are ready to use it.
9. Check
cable with a cable tester that is rated for the speed and media of the type of
cable being made. A proper cable tester is an instrument called a time-domain
reflectometer. They are not inexpensive but a quality unit will last quite some
time. A cheap continuity tester is inappropriate and should not be used.
With the ability to customize your cables, you can save the
time and money of having to go buy new cables every time you change something. Instead
of buying 12 7’ cables, buy a 100’ Ethernet cable, split it into 7’ sections,
and save roughly $40. You will eliminate the current mess of cable you have
tucked behind your desk with the perfect cable length. Finally, you will be
able to trouble shoot and fix any problem with any current cable problems you
have.
Even though it takes time to make your own cables, the money
you save and the satisfaction of using your own custom built cables outweighs
the time spent.