Lab 3 – Cable Making

Objectives: Create a working CAT5 cable and a patch panel using the supplies provided.

Equipment list: Crimper, 2x RJ-45 connectors, cable tester, scissors, cable insulation stripper, patch panel, punch down tool, and 2x 3-foot length CAT5 UTP.

Notes and Observations: To make a working cable I began by removing the cable insulation so the wires were exposed. After the wires were exposed I separated all 8 wires and straightened them all out to ensure they fit into the correct RJ-45 pin. After the wires were straightened I then lined them up in the correct order and proceeded to trim them down to a shorter length and inserted them into the RJ-45 connector. After inspecting the wires inside the RJ-45 connector to ensure they were in the correct order I used the crimper tool and repeated the whole process again on the other end of the wire.

The second project in this lab asked to connect a CAT5 UTP cable to the patch panel, I began by untwisting the ends of the wires and placed them in the correct pin so that they wouldn’t move. After all the patch panel wires were in place I used the punch down tool to lock them in place and repeated the process for the other end of the wire.

Diagrams, flowcharts, and figures:

References: McBee, David Barnett, David Groth, Jim (2004). Cabling : the complete guide to network wiring (3rd ed.). San Francisco: SYBEX. p. 11. ISBN 9780782143317.

Questions: Why are the UTP cables twisted together?

UTP cables are twisted together because it helps reduce “crosstalk” between other wires and also reduces external electromagnetic interference.

Conclusions: Before this lab I was unaware of how UTP cables were used to create Ethernet cables, I have now learned how to create an Ethernet cable and much more. I had a few difficulties such as the wire going in to the wrong pin on the RJ-45 connector. However, through trial and error I found it much easier to connect each wire to the correct pin if I trimmed down the wires to be as short as possible before trying to attach the RJ-45 connector.