Category 5 Cable

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Category 5 cable

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Category 5 patch cable in TIA/EIA-568-B wiring

Category 5 cable is a twisted pair high signal integrity cable type often referred to as Cat5 or

Cat-5. Most cables are unshielded, relying on the twisted pair design for noise rejection, andsome are shielded. Category 5 has been superseded by the Category 5e specification structuredcabling f or computer networks such as Ethernet, and is also used to carry many other signals such

as basic voice services, token ring, and ATM (at up to 155 Mbit /s, over short distances).

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Contents

[hide]

• 1 Usage and wiring methods

o 1.1 Category 5

o 1.2 Manufacture of Solid Core Cableo 1.3 Solid core Cable vs Stranded Cable

o 1.4 Low-end cable problem

o 1.5 Copper-clad aluminium

o 1.6 The Cat 5e “350 MHz” debacle

o 1.7 Connectors and other information

o 1.8 Conductors required

o 1.9 Bending radius

• 2 Electrical characteristics for Cat.5e UTP

• 3 Dielectric

• 4 Individual twist lengths

• 5 Environmental ratings

• 6 See also• 7 References

• 8 Further reading

[ edit  ] Usage and wiring methods

8P8C modular plug pin positioning

TIA/EIA-568-A.1-2001 T568A Wiring

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Partially stripped cable showing the twisted pairs.

A Cat 5E Wall outlet showing the two wiring schemes: A for T568A, B for T568B.

[edit] Category 5

The specification for Category 5 cable was defined in ANSI /TIA/EIA-568-A, with clarification in

TSB-95. These documents specified performance characteristics and test requirements forfrequencies of up to 100 MHz.

Category 5[2] cable includes twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. This use of balanced lines helpspreserve a high signal-to-noise ratio despite interference from both external sources and other

pairs (this latter form of interference is called crosstalk). It is most commonly used for 100 Mbit/snetworks, such as 100BASE-TX Ethernet, although IEEE 802.3ab defines standards for 1000BASE-

T – Gigabit Ethernet over category 5 cable. Cat 5 cable typically has three twists per inch of eachtwisted pair of 24 gauge (AWG) copper wires within the cables.

[edit] Manufacture of Solid Core Cable

Copper Rod Breakdown The first step in low voltage cable production is copper rod breakdown.Copper is sent to the factory in 5,000 lb coils. These copper coils are continuously drawn through

diamond dies that drastically reduce the diameter of the copper to 10 or 12 gauge. Lubrication isused during this process to reduce the amount of friction and heat on the copper cable. Once

completed, the copper is stacked in vertical coils, called Stem Packs. These stem packs are thentransferred to another drawing operation that further reduces the gauge of the copper. During this

stage, the copper is also charged with an electrical current. This anneals the copper, which is asoftening process. Once annealed and cooled off, the copper runs through a laser measurement

system, to verify it is within manufacturing specifications.

Copper Insulation Process The copper insulation process is continually monitored andcontrolled up to +/- .0001". Once the copper is insulated, it runs through a water cooling trough,

allowing the wire jacket to properly harden.

Copper Twisting Twisting helps reduce crosstalk between the individual pairs of wire. Some Cat6premise cables include a center spline, or wire separator, to further reduce crosstalk and increase

performance. Copper twisting is accomplished by running each individual wire through multiplefaceplates. This helps control pair position. Once twisted, we have what's called a Cable Unit.

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Jacketing The cable unit then goes through the jacketing process. This step varies, depending on

the type of cable being manufactured. OSP cable typically uses a black polyethylene or UV ratedPolyvinyl chloride (PVC). For Cat3, Cat5e and Cat6 Premise cable, varying grades of PVC are used,

depending on flame safety rating requirements. This step begins with molten plastic being

extruded at high pressure and formed around the moving cable core. Shielding, ripcords,armoring and water blocking compound may also be applied at this step. Cables that require dual

shielding or double armor will need to repeat this process. Once completed, the cable passed

through a long cooling bath, then through a laser micrometer to verify the final diameter.

Printing Printing is done just before the cable is put in its final packaging. For OSP cable, a hotfoil printing process is used, that leaves an indented print in the cable jacket. For Premise cable, a

high speed ink jet printer is used. Some cable manufacturers print footage marking from 1000–0ft, making it very easy to determine how much cable is left in the box, or for measuring out cable

runs. Other manufacturers use a six digit footage mark, making the process somewhat moredifficult.

Coiling The completed cable is then wound onto a reel or coil. The coiling process requires veryprecise tension controls to ensure the cable won't tangle when being pulled out of the box.

Final Testing Once the cable is printed and coiled, it goes through one last set of tests. Themanufacturer will test it against a large set of mechanical and electrical performance

specifications. Once tested, the cable is ready for shipment.

[edit] Solid core Cable vs Stranded Cable

Solid core cable is supposed to be used for long permanently installed runs. It is less flexible than

stranded and more prone to failure if repeatedly flexed. Stranded cable is used for fly leads atpatch panel and for connections from wall-ports to end devices, as it resists cracking of the

conductors. Stranded core is generally more expensive than solid core.

Connectors need to be designed differently for solid core than for stranded. Use of a connector

with the wrong cable type is likely to lead to unreliable cabling. Plugs designed for solid andstranded core are readily available, and some vendors even offer plugs designed for use with both

types. The punch-down blocks on patch-panel and wall port jacks are designed for use with solidcore cable.

The maximum specified distance for Cat5 cable is 100m. This allows for 10m of stranded cable ateither end. Solid core has less attenuation than stranded cable, so a switch-to-switch link of solid

cable, where the only connections are cable-plug-switch at either end can be significantly longerthan 100m in practice. Experiments show that the practical limit is around 200m for 100 Mb/s.

1000Mb/s is intermittent at 200 m. These distances are partially dependent on the individual

switches.

[edit] Low-end cable problem

The examples and perspective in this article dand do not represent a worldwide view o

and discuss the issue on the talk page.

The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association, Inc. (CCCA) in 2008 cautioned that

many low-end communications cable products could present a significant fire risk. In response toconcerns from the industry, the CCCA commissioned an independent laboratory to analyze

whether nine randomly selected low end samples of these products met U.S. minimumrequirements for performance and safety. Test results showed that none of the samples fully met

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all of the minimum requirements and eight of the nine samples failed to meet the National Fire

Protection Association (NFPA) minimum code requirements for low flame spread and/or smokesafety requirements for installation in commercial buildings, schools and multi-tenant residences.

Many of the samples failed the flame spread and smoke tests catastrophically. Because of the

seriousness of these safety concerns, the CCCA plans to work in cooperation with the majorleading independent telecommunications industry testing agencies to establish a new product

certification program. Although details of the proposed program have not yet been established, a

key component will be independent laboratory testing of structured cabling products that havebeen procured from point–of-sale locations.[3] 

[edit] Copper-clad aluminium

This section does not cite any references or sources.Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced

material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009) 

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.

Please improve this section if you can. (September 2009) 

The examples and perspective in this article d

and do not represent a worldwide view o

and discuss the issue on the talk page.The American market was flooded with copper clad cable imported mostly from China and falsely

presented in the market as being a 100% copper Cat 5e cable. With less copper involved in themanufacturing process, the cost to the consumer is lower, yet the consumer is not getting a true

100% copper Cat 5e cable.

Installation of copper clad aluminium Cat 5e wire was proven — by low-voltage contractors in theSouthern California market, where this cable first arrived — to have poor test results and often did

not pass the Category 5e transmission standard. Since copper conducts electricity better than

aluminium, signal strength has shown to be very weak over long runs using this substandardcable.

Additionally, some manufacturers falsely represented their Cat 5e cable conductors as being 24AWG. In actuality, a 26 AWG conductor is being sold and is hard to detect unless further

examination beneath the sheath of the conductor is performed. A 26 AWG Cat 5e cable will notmake proper contact on Cat 5e jack modules as most jack modules require 22 or 24 AWG per the

specification and qualified connectors.[4] 

The United States Federal Government will not accept bids from China for Cat 5e cable due to

China being absent from the Trade Agreements Act of 1979. In general, a product is only "TAAcompliant" if it is made in the United States or a "Designated Country".

[edit] The Cat 5e “350 MHz” debacle

[dubious – discuss]

The 350 MHz term started a couple of years before the arrival of Category 6 cable by the BeldenElectronics Division and promised better performance. Although the performance of this new 350

MHz cable was slightly better it was an easy way to sell the consumer on future proofing their

needs while charging around 15% more and leading to a higher margin on the 350 MHz cablethan the standard 5e cable. Soon after many other manufactures also offered a 350 MHz cable

and followed the trend of an easy way to add to a higher margin. Some low-end cablemanufacturers have the term “tested to 350 MHz” printed on the jacket as a way to appear to the

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consumer that they are receiving a better quality of 5e cable, but the cable was only “tested to

350 MHz” and no promise of a performance guarantee is ever mentioned.

As the 350 cable and term gained momentum, many manufacturers began offering a 400 MHz 5ecable[5], a 550 MHz 5e cable, and so on. This led to the consumer and communications contractor

assuming and leaving them confused that the higher a MHz rating meant for a better performingcable. The arrival of the Category 6 cable standard which specified a delivered performance at 250

MHz left many people confused.

EIA Electronic Industries Alliance / TIA Telecommunications Industry Association only recognize

the Category 5e standard TIA/EIA-568-B.2-2001 as guaranteeing performance of attenuation,NEXT, Power-sum NEXT, ACR, power-sum ACR, ELFEXT, power-sum ELFEXT, return loss,

propagation delay and delay skew at 100 MHz. No standard is issued for 350 MHz cable andreview of manufacturer spec sheets such as General Cable,[6] Superior Essex,[7] and Berktek[8]

show us different performance numbers for 350 MHz. With no standard for 350 MHz cable,promised performance, if any, will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and leave the

consumer and contractor to continue to be confused.

[edit] Connectors and other information

The cable exists in both stranded and solid conductor forms. The stranded form is more flexible

and withstands more bending without breaking and is suited for reliable connections withinsulation piercing connectors, but makes unreliable connections in insulation-displacement

connectors. The solid form is less expensive and makes reliable connections into insulation

displacement connectors, but makes unreliable connections in insulation piercing connectors.Taking these things into account, building wiring (for example, the wiring inside the wall that

connects a wall socket to a central patch panel) is solid core, while patch cables (for example, themovable cable that plugs into the wall socket on one end and a computer on the other) are

stranded. Outer insulation is typically PVC or LSOH.

Cable types, connector types and cabling topologies are defined by TIA/EIA-568-B. Nearly always,8P8C modular connectors, often incorrectly referred to as "RJ-45", are used for connecting

category 5 cable. The specific category of cable in use can be identified by the printing on the sideof the cable.[9] 

The cable is terminated in either the T568A scheme or the T568B scheme. Canada and Australiause the T568A standard, and the United States commonly uses T568B scheme. It really doesn't

make any difference which is used as long as you use only one of the standards so all connectionsare the same at your location to avoid confusion and potential problems. Mixed cable types should

not be connected in series as the impedance per pair differs slightly and may cause signaldegradation. The article Ethernet over twisted pair describes how the cable is used for Ethernet,

including special "cross over" cables.

[edit] Conductors required

10BASE-T (IEEE) and 100BASE-TX (IEEE) Ethernet connections require two cable pairs.

1000BASE-T (IEEE) and 1000BASE-TX (TIA/EIA-854, requiring category 6 cabling,unimplemented) Ethernet connections require four cable pairs. Four pair cable is by far most

commonly available type.

[edit] Bending radius

Most Cat.5 cables can be bent at a radius approximately 4 times the diameter of the cable.[10] 

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[ edit  ] Electrical characteristics for Cat.5e UTP 

Property Nominal Value

Characteristic impedance @ 100 MHz 100

Nominal characteristic impedance @ 100 MHz 100

DC-Loop resistance  ≤ 0.188

Propagation speed  0.64Propagation delay  4.80-5.30

Delay skew < 100 MHz < 0.20

Capacitance at 800 Hz 52

Inductance 525

Cutoff frequency  50323

Max tensile load, during installation 100

Wire size AWG-24 (0.205 mm² )

Insulation thickness 0.245

Maximum current per conductor 0.577

Temperature operating -55 to +60

[ edit  ] Dielectric 

Example materials used as dielectric in the cable:

Acronym Material

PE Polyethylene 

FP Foamed polyethylene

FEP Teflon / Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene

FFEP Foamed Teflon / Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene

AD/PE Air dielectric / Polyethylene[14] 

[ edit  ] Individual twist lengths

By altering the length of each twist, crosstalk is reduced, without affecting the impedance.[12] 

Pair

color[cm] per turn Turns per [m]

Green 1.53 65.2

Blue 1.54 64.8

Orang

e1.78 56.2

Brown 1.94 51.7[12] 

[ edit  ] Environmental ratings

US & Canada Fire certifications:

Class

Acronym Standards

CMP Plenum CSA FT7 [15] or NFPA 262 [15](UL 910)

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CMR Riser UL 1666

CMGGeneralpurpose

CSA FT4

CM UL 1685 (UL 1581, Sec. 1160) Vertical-Tray

CMXResidenti

alUL 1581, Sec. 1080 (VW-1)

CMH CSA FT1[16][17] 

Where CMR can be replaced by a CMP and so on, due better rating. CM stands forCommunications Cable.[16] 

Some cables are "UV rated" meaning they can be exposed to outdoor UV radiation without

significant destruction. The materials used for the mantle are usually PVC.[18] 

Any cable which contains air spaces can breathe in moisture, especially if the cable runs betweenindoor and outdoor spaces. Warm moist air can cause condensation inside the colder parts of the

cable outdoors. It may be necessary to take precautions such as sealing the ends of the cables.Some cables are suitable for "direct burial", but this usually requires that the cable is gel filled in

order to hinder moisture migration into the cable.

When using a cable for a tower, attention must be given to vertical cable runs which may channel

water into sensitive indoor equipment.[19] This can often be solved by adding a drip-loop at thebottom of the run of cable.

Plenum rated cables are slower to burn and produce less smoke than cables using a mantle of materials like PVC. This also affects legal requirements for a fire sprinkler system. That is if a

plenum rated cable is used, sprinkler requirement may be eliminated.[20] 

Shielded cables (FTP/STP) are useful for environments where proximity to power cables, RF

equipment, or high power equipment may introduce crosstalk, and can also be used where

interference with radio receivers or where eavesdropping likelihood should be minimised.

Welcome to the Low Voltage Product Talk blog by Discount-Low-Voltage.com. Today we are going

to demonstrate How to Make an Ethernet Cat5e or Cat6 Cable. Here is a list of the items youwill need to make your ethernet cable:

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Wire Stripper

Cable Cutter

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RJ45 Crimp Tool

RJ45 Modular Plugs

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Ethernet Cable - Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6

Cable Tester

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Now that you have the right tools, lets make an ethernet cable.

Step 1) Strip off 2 inches of jacket on the cable. Cut the excess ripcord off. (Note: If your usingCat6 cable, it may have a wire separator between the 4 pairs of wires. Cut that off as well).

Step 2) Untwist all 4 pairs of wire.

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Step 3) Follow the standard 568b Wiring Diagram:

Orange/White

OrangeGreen/White

BlueBlue/White

GreenBrown/White

Brown

Step 4) Hold the wires flat and use scissors to cut straight across, leaving 1/2" of wire exposed.

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Step 4a) If your making Cat6 cables, your mod plug will come with a loadbar. This small plastic

piece must go on before you insert the wires into the mod plug. (for detailed instructions on

installing the loadbar, scroll down to the comments located at the very bottom of this article)

Step 5) Insert the wires into your modular plug, making sure to keep the wires flat and in thesame order. Verify that the wires are all flush at the very end of the plug. Note how the cable

 jacket is past the crimp spot on the plug and the wires are all the way to the end.

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Step 6) Insert mod plug into crimp tool and squeeze handle. Keep slight pressure on the cable

(towards the crimp tool) as your crimping the plug. This will ensure nothing comes loose as yousqueeze the handle and crimp down the mod plug.

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Step 7) Remove mod plug from crimp tool and verify everything was done correctly. Note how

the crimp is pushing down on the jacket and the pins have seated into the wire. Now follow thesame process on the other side.

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Step 8) Now that you have a completed ethernet cable, plug one end into your Transmitter andthe other end into the Receiver. The wires will light up either "Green" or "Red". If you have done

everything correctly, you should see all green lights. If not, you will need to go back and redo theside causing the error.

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Like watching it done on video? Mercy will demonstrate the process of making an ethernet cable

for you. Enjoy