atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Outside Plant OSP Construction 3m 4010 blocks and impact tool

Anyone had the pleasure, or pain, of working with the wizardry of 3m's 4010, and 4011 blocks?



[img]https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSu7zK1fslxtUm82BPx_xevVSeChshvTSevTSeSSSSSS--[/img]

[img]https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=66666UuZjcFSLXTtlXfynXM_EV76EbHSHVs6EVs6E666666--[/img]

Never had the pleasure of working on them but they are the standard OSP cabinet for MTS here in Manitoba.

Here as well...

They're molded with hard plastic, so its fairly often after a few 100 terminations the side retaining walls around the IDC get cracked and broken - causing intermittent issues like static or just opens. Effectively causing a pair to be flagged as defective when all that is wrong is the block.

Atleast in my experience.

Did Nortel ever make an OSP cabinet?

All I have ever seen are the 3M ones here in Manitoba.

Or do they all look the same on the outside with just different punchdown blocks inside?

Most certainly did. The names are beyond my memory right now, but it'll come to me.

I believe that northern telecom used recessed screw-binding posts. I'll take a closer look next time im out in the sticks and come across some old plant.

The terminals they used had BIX blocks in them. I believe they were 400 & 600 pair counts. I'll try and remember to get a pic of one tomorrow & post it.

Any Bix terminals I've been working out of have been corning, and not actually bix - UMOXS. Only seen REAL NT Bix in building IT's

I've only had to work with those cross-connect cabinets at one site and it was a horror show. I hated them. The density was way too tight in my book.

In my area, I only know of two of these cabinets still in service that were originally installed by CONTEL. GTE took that territory over in 1990. From what the Verizon techs here have told me since they took the area over, they just pluck the pairs off and frog them together using Scotchloks on service issues. They don't even carry the punch tools for these cabinets any more.

I can't say that I blame them.

Occasionally that is the solution, i'd say roughly 10-15 of my cross connects within the last 6 months are scotchlok'd - its a terrible practice. Most of the time we just declare the pair defective and use a spare.

Could you imagine Scotchlok's in the CO.
I'd lose my ever loving mind.

Perhaps, but the connections would probably last forever.

Now about that 'ever loving mind' thing: Do you mean that you still have anything left of your mind after having worked in this business? Mine went out the window years ago.

No problem with that here, Ed. My wife gives me a piece of hers every day!

at&t still carries those tools but they also use the cabinets with the white and orange terminals. You just use a screwdriver on them.

USE? A? SCREEWDRIVE?!?!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
MOTHER OF SWEET JESUS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Yep, 3M self strip connecting blocks-
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...6EV76EbHSHVs6EVs6E666666--&width=226

Completely different system. There are IDC systems that use simple quarter-turn split barrels, not even close to the 4010/4011 system.

I can't tell from the picture, but they could be full-turn traditional screw terminals where the jumper is stripped and wrapped around the screw shank. 3M, Corning and HUB make them all day long and they are in wide use here in Verizon territory. They also use a simple flat-head screwdriver to tighten the screw.

White/orange terminal marking in cross connect cabinets has been quite the norm for many years, regardless of the manufacturer or termination method. Others use many other colors as long as tip and ring are easily-identifiable.

I know 3m makes a product called Quick Connect System, which is model 2810. That looks like this...



That is the only product I can think of that is orange but copper. (We do not use this - atleast anywhere that I am aware of). We generally only use orange in mulitmode fiber.

https://therealandycook.com/img/P5190116.JPG
https://therealandycook.com/img/P5190117.JPG

old OSP - It's unbranded inside but I believe it was manufactured by Northern Telecom for Bell. Prior to our use of 3M, and later Corning.

Is black/red the standard for OSP cross-connects up North?

No, black/red is 23 (or heavier) gauge used for terminals with screw binding posts. A lot of older buildings still have screw binding posts which use an even thicker rubber coated wire [also black/red]. However - very few of techs carry it so commonly the jumpers are being replaced with Yellow/Blue ones. [As seen in the second photo on feeder 3,(9),10,and 20.]

Typically Yellow/Blue cat3 24 gauge is used for voice and ADSL lines. The jumper wire is typically stored in OSP enclosures.

Bell wants White/Blue cat5 24 gauge to be used for high priority VDSL circuits.


Below is a photo of a 4010 enclosure, here the blue/white jumpers are from techs like me who carry this wire with them, and does not signify a VDSL circuit.

https://therealandycook.com/img/P4280105.JPG

edit: I believe the w/brown in the upper left corner is feeding a pressure transducer but I do not remember.