TheOriginalJames
Well-Known Member
If you have access to cat5e and you might need patch cords in the future... I highly suggest you hold onto that cat5e. I have it around me constantly so I thought I'd show you how to make a patch cord. It will require a special tool called a crimper, which I'll show you what it looks like. Mine is old, but it still works.
Start off with your normal Cat5e cable;
Cut the end off about a good 2-3 inches from the tip using any knife available. Some people use their diagonal cutters, but I find it makes a cleaner cut at the end (and you'll see why I like that) when I'm done.
Here's the knife I use, it's on my leathermans which is by far the best 70 dollars I've ever spent;
Next you'll want to seperate the colors inside. The colors include:
White/Blue and Blue, White/Orange and Orange, White/Green and Green, White/Brown and Brown.
For a straight through patch cord you'll do the following color code:
Wh/Or - Or - Wh/Gr - Bl - Wh/Bl - Gr - Wh/Br - Br
This is true for both sides of the cable, hence the "straight through" name.
For a Crossover patch cord you'll use the previous pattern on one end and this pattern on the second end:
Wh/Gr - Gr - Wh/Or - Bl - Wh/ Bl - Or - Wh/Br - Br
Anyway to get back to the crimping: once you get your colors in order you'll use this tool, the crimp tool, to cut the excess off and give you a nice clean edge;
The bottom of the U (red plastic piece) is where you cut the wires to give them a straight edge.
The top hole in the tool is where you're going to crimp your RJ45 plug.
Here they are cut straight;
Next, insert the wires into the RJ45 plug making sure that all the colors are in the correct order;
Grab your crimp tool, insert the plug into the RJ45 spot and push down on the handle. Voila... you've just made the first end of your patch cord!
It's hard to see with my flash, but the RJ45 has a little triangular shaped piece in there that crimps the sheething (the blue outer cover) down to hold the patch cable together. The nicer it is, the better it's held and the more easily it goes into the RJ45.
Thanks for readin'
Start off with your normal Cat5e cable;
Cut the end off about a good 2-3 inches from the tip using any knife available. Some people use their diagonal cutters, but I find it makes a cleaner cut at the end (and you'll see why I like that) when I'm done.
Here's the knife I use, it's on my leathermans which is by far the best 70 dollars I've ever spent;
Next you'll want to seperate the colors inside. The colors include:
White/Blue and Blue, White/Orange and Orange, White/Green and Green, White/Brown and Brown.
For a straight through patch cord you'll do the following color code:
Wh/Or - Or - Wh/Gr - Bl - Wh/Bl - Gr - Wh/Br - Br
This is true for both sides of the cable, hence the "straight through" name.
For a Crossover patch cord you'll use the previous pattern on one end and this pattern on the second end:
Wh/Gr - Gr - Wh/Or - Bl - Wh/ Bl - Or - Wh/Br - Br
Anyway to get back to the crimping: once you get your colors in order you'll use this tool, the crimp tool, to cut the excess off and give you a nice clean edge;
The bottom of the U (red plastic piece) is where you cut the wires to give them a straight edge.
The top hole in the tool is where you're going to crimp your RJ45 plug.
Here they are cut straight;
Next, insert the wires into the RJ45 plug making sure that all the colors are in the correct order;
Grab your crimp tool, insert the plug into the RJ45 spot and push down on the handle. Voila... you've just made the first end of your patch cord!
It's hard to see with my flash, but the RJ45 has a little triangular shaped piece in there that crimps the sheething (the blue outer cover) down to hold the patch cable together. The nicer it is, the better it's held and the more easily it goes into the RJ45.
Thanks for readin'
