[SOLVED] How to crimp a flat ethernet cable

[fcimeson]

Hello everyone,

I've crimped a lot of cables but this flat ethernet cable is giving me issues. Specifically, the insulated conductors themselves are quite a bit thinner than a normal cable. This is allows the conductors to float around in the connector, which makes it difficult to line up the conductors. Additionally, the conductors pull out easily.

Is there a connector that is made for these small stranded conductors?

 

[punkncat]

You are talking about RJ 45 "Cat 5" (or later) connections for wired internet?

Are you making the plug that would, for instance, plug to the wall and computer, or for the plate on the wall and punchdown block?

 

[gggplaya]

I would do a punchdown connector instead of crimp on.

 

[USAFRet]

Q: "How to crimp a flat ethernet cable"

A: You don't. The flat cables are not actual standard gauge. The wire is too thin (that's how it can be so 'flat')

While they make look better, they do NOT work as well.

 

[punkncat]

I prefer the "pass through" style RJ 45 ends.

Cut open the jacket and use the pull string to get a couple of inches of the stranded wires.
Unwind them back to within ~1/4" or so of where the jacket is not open.
I typically hold the wires under my fingernail as I align them in the schedule desired. Use your other hand finger and thumb to get them into position and straightened out in relation to one another. You want them to be in line like the teeth of a comb. All the while keep them together and taunt with your fingernail.
Cut off the excess wire with a good sharp set of dykes. I typically leave about 1/2-3/4"
Gently push the wires up into the connector all at once. You have to watch as they go in such that each one stays within it's channel. I like to use the pass through ones so that you can see that each wire is on schedule.
There are specific crimping tools that will both crimp the connector into place and cut off the excess wire you have with the push through type.

If you are feeling really fancy you can get a tool that will test the connections for you before use.

 

[bill001g]

They make very special connectors that take the smaller wire. I have seen them someplace on amazon but you should not use this wire. It may look like a ethernet cable but it is not. As soon as you use wire less than 24 gauge it is immediately fails to meet the standard to be a ethernet cable. I suspect part of the reason they are hard to find is there is no actual standard for manufacturing them.

 

[punkncat]

What am I missing here? Are we not talking about a CAT 5 class wire?

 

[USAFRet]

What am I missing here? Are we not talking about a CAT 5 class wire?

There's Cat 5, and then there is the fashionable flat/thin cable. Which is not quite standard, but is sold as if it were.

 

[punkncat]

There's Cat 5, and then there is the fashionable flat/thin cable. Which is not quite standard, but is sold as if it were.

Lol, I'll be dipped. Learn something every day.
Never seen that one.

 

[USAFRet]

Lol, I'll be dipped. Learn something every day.
Never seen that one.

Crap like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ethernet-Cable-White-Connectors/dp/B00WD017GQ


"High-Performance Cat6, 30 AWG "

 

[Ralston18]

And people all too often use the wrong connectors: solid wire vs stranded wire.....

 

[SamirD]

Crap like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ethernet-Cable-White-Connectors/dp/B00WD017GQ


"High-Performance Cat6, 30 AWG "

Yep, and this peddling is why amazon sucks big time--they just allow this fake junk to be sold. If a traditional retailer with brick and mortar stores did this, they'd have a lynch mob outside...hence they typically don't. This is why Best Buy is actually the 'best buy'.

 

[fcimeson]

Crap like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ethernet-Cable-White-Connectors/dp/B00WD017GQ


"High-Performance Cat6, 30 AWG "

Yup, that's what the cable looks like. It came with the house I bought and it's running through the walls/ducks so it would be good to preserve it, even if it's not up to standard.

 

[SamirD]

Yup, that's what the cable looks like. It came with the house I bought and it's running through the walls/ducks so it would be good to preserve it, even if it's not up to standard.

Best to leave the stock connectors on it too then.

 

[fcimeson]

Thanks everyone, it sounds like these cables weren't really meant to work with the standard connectors. I did try pass through connectors that were suppose to work with stranded as well as solid but still no luck. I might just give up and use the cable as a fish line for a proper cat 6 cable.

Thanks again.

 

[fcimeson]

Best to leave the stock connectors on it too then.

I stupidly cut it thinking it would be easy to repair...

 

[bill001g]

Even worse if someone ran that though ducts. Many times that will fail a inspection on a house sale. You need very special cable ethernet cable with a special jacket called plenum cable. Plenum cable does not promote the spread of fire and it does not release toxic gases if it burned. This is mostly a commercial building thing, I think you have much worse problems if you already have a fire in the ducts in your house to worry if the cable will burn also.....but it is against the building codes in most places.

If you dig around amazon I am sure someone sells those. As mentioned it is 30awg wire and it needs to accept a flat cable in the back rather than a round cable. A very similar cable is used for some PBX systems used by large companies. The minimum wire gauge was 26 on the ends the pbx guys used and not 30.

All this is because copper metal is so expensive and rather than just raise the price they sell this fake crap to consumers. It is so strange amazon will prevent sales of fake purses but not fake cables and even fake cpu chips.