web statisticsweb stats Business Phone Systems Tech Talk Forum - VOIP & Cloud Phone Help

Business Phone Systems

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 1 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
#606956 01/12/17 04:24 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Hey guys, simple and mundane question here. Are there any conventions for the colors of cross connects? I'm planning to rearrange my backboard a little bit and I'm wondering how it should be done. Right now, my KSU cables come to one side of a block, and the station cables are on the other side. This allows me to pull the bridging clips to troubleshoot, but makes zero allowance to change the numbering. I don't really see much need to change stations around, but there's times when I'd like to. I plan on moving the KSU cables to different blocks and cross connecting to the existing station blocks. Also, I have a "CO" block and related KSU "CO" blocks, and they're cross connected with whatever I had around. I have better than half a roll of 3 pair x-connect, so I was using that, and I really hate the tri-colored x-connects. I bought a roll of yellow/blue single pair x-connect wire, so I have that to work with now, but I'm thinking the station x-connects should be different colors than the CO x-connects. This is all for my personal/hobby setup, but of course I want it to look right.

Atcom VoIP Phones
VoIP Demo

Best VoIP Phones Canada


Visit Atcom to get started with your new business VoIP phone system ASAP
Turn up is quick, painless, and can often be done same day.
Let us show you how to do VoIP right, resulting in crystal clear call quality and easy-to-use features that make everyone happy!
Proudly serving Canada from coast to coast.

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,732
Likes: 2
Moderator-Nortel, Computers, General
*****
Offline
Moderator-Nortel, Computers, General
*****
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,732
Likes: 2
WARNING! Using colors other than yellow/blue will get you an EDucation from Ed, although I disagree with him.

Personally I use a different colour so I know when I walk in whether someone's been screwing with it. Just my 2 cents...



Scientists say that the universe is made up of Protons, Neutron & Electrons. They forgot "Morons".
Dave. (CTUB) Canadian Techs Use Bix!
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Member
***
Offline
Member
***
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Oh man! Now you've gone and done it. Ed will be here shortly... popcorn

-Hal


CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: Some comments made by me are known to the State of California to cause irreversible brain damage and serious mental disorders leading to confinement.
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Offline
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Chris -

Station cable numbers shouldn't change. (I do remember trying to troubleshoot one job where the station cables were marked with the names of the people who sat at those desks - when the job was cabled!)

As far as cross-connect colors - 3 pair x-connect is for 1A2 only. (There is a 2.5 pair cross connect that we used to use for transmission work on DSX bays that looks similar, but isn't). For single pair White/Blue was very common. NY Tel used Yellow/Blue at some point. GTE used White/Orange.

When I did a very large job I used to use different color cross connects for different things (ex. In a hospital W/BL for patient phones and W/OR for Admin phones, W/R for emergency sets. On the Trunk side W/BL for OGT, W/OR for DIDs etc..) It made tracing cross connects easier on a frame 20' long.

Basically though on a small job not much of that is necessary. I would advise against one color of single pair for everything, especially if some of the connections require 2 or 3 pairs. It makes trouble shooting very difficult. I remember finding an Electronic Key System (NEC Electra 100 maybe?) where the entire job was done with BL/Y. I called the foreman in charge and had the installer come back and do it right - on his own time. It was either that or get laid off.

Sam


"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Offline
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Ha ha, Dave and Hal!

I'm going to have to disagree for a few reasons. First, it's hard to maintain a uniform standard of different colors. That means you have to tote around several spools just for what is perceived to be a convenience. If there was a national color standard, then by all means, it should be followed by everyone. If someone comes up with their own unique set of colors, the next technician that comes along isn't going to know what they were thinking. It's all about block markings and effective use of a toner at that point.

Secondly, I seriously doubt if anyone is going to walk two blocks or down a dozen floors just to get the "correct" color of jumper wire. Be honest, you're going to run that one unexpected jumper using what you have or what you find in the closet.

Third, what's to stop your supplier discontinuing your color(s) of choice? That actually happened to me a few years back when I standardized with yellow/red for digital stations and yellow/blue for analog stations or CO lines. The manufacturer (General Cable) stopped making yellow/red in quantity, and my suppliers stopped carrying it for this reason. We now just use yellow/blue for everything. Anyone who knows what they're doing shouldn't have to rely upon unique jumper colors to do their job.

Lastly, most of our competition uses white/blue for everything. Bell uses yellow/blue for everything. On our installs, it's easy to spot if the customer has had someone else in there working on our systems. Verizon technicians sure aren't going to be messing with station jumpers, so it's not likely that their yellow/blue will ever be an issue mixing with ours.

My thing is more about the quality of the cross-connect wire. Yes, you can buy cheap white/blue anywhere, but it's loosely-twisted and often falls apart if you don't pay it out from the spool properly. Who's going to worry about how the spool is dispensed? Nobody. The result is loosely-twisted pairs that snag on anything in sight. I prefer type F cross connect wire, which maintains a CAT3 twist level and has more robust wire insulation. Sure, it costs more, but unless you're buying miles of it at a time, a $10.00 difference in the cost of a spool isn't going to break the bank. Besides, I used to buy a dozen spools a month. Now it's more like a dozen per year.

Yes, type F is available in many different color combinations.


Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,198
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,198
I carry 3 rolls of cross connect in my bag. Blue/white for digital phones, yellow/blue for analog phones, red/white for CO lines.

No one else has access to my closets, so I'm not worried about anyone messing with my blocks.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
The lost art of telephony, as lamented on this very forum recently. Back in the old days, everyone used the same convention for colors, and there were no peckerhead civilians allowed in the closets. We could walk into a closet that we had never seen before, and know exactly what the previous ten guys had done.

I was able to install and repair 4 gazillion 1A2 telephones over the years with triple-pair (B,O,G) for station features, Blue/Yellow for CO lines, and solid color red, green and black, single leads stolen from quad wire when spools were too far away, for ringer matrix, CMB, relays, etc. Same color codes as used by the manufacturer on KTU's and PBX equipment plates.

Red = power, Black = ground, Green = interconnection between relays.

Yellow/blue for buzzers.

Red/white for special ckts, such as alarms, tie-trunks, pushbutton on the secretary's desk to let the boss know that his wife just got off the elevator, and boy, does she looked pissed!


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
I guess I should hide my spool (or is it two?) of Y/R crossconnect wire, and, possibly the spool of r/bl & r/or two-pair frown


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Guys, Thanks. I always love getting an education from you. I guess yellow/blue it is. I'm not going to be messing with my 1A2 connections... yet. This is strictly for my Partner system, so 2 pairs per station, some only one. Sam, what I meant was I can't easily change the number of a particular station. The station cables go where they go, but with the station cables and KSU cables on opposite sides of the same block I can't really make extension 20 become extension 15, for example. That's why I want to get the cables off the same block and cross connect, so I can assign an extension number to the room of my choice. The problem was brought on by my own short sightedness. As I built out the system, I just worked down the block, adding cables to various stations and devices in numerical order (numerical being the partners port numbers.) Some of these "Extensions" were to VoIP gadgets, or just stuff I don't have a need for anymore, so now there's gaps in the numbering sequence. I'm currently in a state of, call it contraction if you want, where I'm thinning things out. I love my old phones, but the honest truth is, they aren't all that practical. For the places where I work and actually use a telephone regularly, I've replaced the 1A2 set with a proper Partner set. To me it just seemed like, I have this sophisticated, relatively modern, and fairly expensive telephone system with all kinds of features, and I'm not really using it. My 1A2 will always be there, just not as my "daily driver".

Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Offline
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Got it, Chris. I didn't understand you were bridge clipping extensions from the Partner system.

Sam


"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Member
***
Offline
Member
***
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Quote
This is strictly for my Partner system, so 2 pairs per station

For Partner and any other two pair station systems it's always been two pair crossconnect: W/B and W/O.

-Hal


CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: Some comments made by me are known to the State of California to cause irreversible brain damage and serious mental disorders leading to confinement.
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
I have a bunch of different colors but normally use yellow/blue type F 24 gauge.


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
For electronic telephones requiring 2 pair, I use WE Red/Blue-Red/Orange cross connection wire.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Offline
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
When I worked that AT&T ISDN plant we used the R/BL-R/O 2 pair too. W/BL fro SLTs and W/BN for power.

Sam


"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of multi pair cross connect wire. I have a spool of 3 pair I use for my 1A2 and I find it unwieldy. I know it's the right thing to use, but what a pain in the butt. I just can't get it to lay down nice with those pretty "drip loops" I've seen in some of the pictures of really good work on here. Mine just looks like crap. I try to do the drip loops but they end up going in every direction except down. Maybe Uncle Arthur will show me how it's done at the TCI show in June. smile

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
It takes experience and patience. I always wanted to strangle the guys who would take itty bitty pieces of cross connect to tie the cross connects together to make the frame look "neat". I was a maintenance tech. It took a long time to troubleshoot stuff trying to find those hidden little gems. My other pet peeve cross connecting from the bottom up. Gravity works.


John 807
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Member
***
Offline
Member
***
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by ChrisRR
I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of multi pair cross connect wire. I have a spool of 3 pair I use for my 1A2 and I find it unwieldy. I know it's the right thing to use, but what a pain in the butt. I just can't get it to lay down nice with those pretty "drip loops" I've seen in some of the pictures of really good work on here. Mine just looks like crap. I try to do the drip loops but they end up going in every direction except down. Maybe Uncle Arthur will show me how it's done at the TCI show in June. smile

Maybe you aren't using type F if the pairs all seem to come apart. Give it a few twists before you punch it down.

I can't imagine using individual pairs if there are two or three going to the same place. I take the two or three pair in my left hand then maybe two or three inches from the end fan it out in order while holding it that way with my fingers. Then, all at the same time, I slip the wires through the slots and hook them on the 66 block clips. While still holding them in the hooks I form the loop with my right hand finger by applying a slight downward pressure. (Wire should be coming from above from the rings.) I adjust the individual wires on the clip hooks if necessary to see that all wire lengths are the same and the loop is not "coming apart". Then I punch them down.

It takes practice and dexterity but it actually is quite fast.

-Hal

Last edited by hbiss; 01/14/17 12:26 PM.

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: Some comments made by me are known to the State of California to cause irreversible brain damage and serious mental disorders leading to confinement.
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by hbiss
Maybe you aren't using type F if the pairs all seem to come apart. Give it a few twists before you punch it down.

It's not that the wires are coming apart, it just doesn't lay straight. It seems to hold too much of the curl from being on the reel. (Despite my best efforts.)

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
You need to run it through your thumb and finger first to take the "lay" out of it and make it sorta straight.

Like Hal says, it's just a matter of practice. Put a Help Wanted ad on Craig's List for "1A2 installer" and you'll get plenty of experience. I hear that there's plenty of 1A2 work in Afghanistan these days.

I agree that putting little tie-downs around them is a pain when trouble-shooting, but the number of times you need to go back into an installation are few and far between.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by Arthur P. Bloom
Put a Help Wanted ad on Craig's List for "1A2 installer" and you'll get plenty of experience. I hear that there's plenty of 1A2 work in Afghanistan these days.

I hate to ask what kind of... ahem... improvised devices they would connect to all those unused line keys...

I think I'll stay up here in the frozen north and live with slightly messy jumpers on a phone system that hardly gets used.

In all seriousness, I will try both Hal's and Arthur's suggestions to make my install a bit nicer. I have a best offer in on some red/blue-red/orange x-conn on ebay. 2 pair for the digital stations, single pair to the SLT's and maybe I'll get another color for the CO stuff, but I'll probably do the single pair jumpers all in yellow/blue.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Arthur,
You are right really shouldn't need to go into the cross connect field too often. Today was just one of those days, doing cross connects where part of the job is krone, part bix, part 66 and of course it wouldn't have been complete without 110. The equipment was all bix (Nortel) The station cables were the flavor of the day.


John 807
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
I'll never understand why people can't just stick to one method. What a pain to have to keep switching punches. I have one punch with just a 66 blade and my other punch is 110/66. If it's one of those days I find myself going back and forth doing keystones and punching cables on a block I'll carry both so I don't have to keep changing the tip over. But to have four different styles in one closet is just stupid.

I live in ex-Nynex territory and they had a thing for krone. I bought a krone tip for my punch and I think I've used it twice. Mostly it sits in my kitchen drawer so it doesn't get banged up. I haven't run into any bix yet, but I'm not out doing this stuff every day like you guys. I just get the occasional job adding a jack or two somewhere for either voice or data. Around here it seems all the data (patch panels and such) are all 110 and voice is almost exclusively on 66.

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Here is my basement MDF which I rarely mess with anymore:
[Linked Image from i1246.photobucket.com]
yellow/red 22 gauge for CO feeds
violet/blue 24 gauge for Panasonic and Norstar stations
yellow/blue 24 gauge for Inter-tel stations
red/orange 24 gauge for paging and music
3 pair for 1A2
2 pair for buzzer and power


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Jeff,
You are a better man than me. I gave up on neatness like that years ago. I have a BCM 400, IP Office, a Samsung Os7400, Os7200 and Bcm 200 all mounted in the same rack. An Option 11 with a card option mail mounted on the wall a Os 7030 nesting and testing on a shelf and our office is running on an Os 7100. All test boxes for the madness. Oh and a 1A2 for when I'm bored.

Last edited by John807; 01/14/17 10:47 PM.

John 807
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Member
***
Offline
Member
***
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by ChrisRR
It's not that the wires are coming apart, it just doesn't lay straight. It seems to hold too much of the curl from being on the reel. (Despite my best efforts.)

Ahh. How are you taking it off the reel? I don't have a picture but every backboard I do has two #10 sheet metal screws about two inches apart sticking out usually at one end of the crossconnect area. Anybody who works with me knows what they are for. In my tool pouch I carry a bracket that I made (actually a Kindorf saddle or threaded rod support bracket) that I put a 3/8" threaded rod sticking out of it. The bracket has oversize holes that line up with the screws in the backboard and hooks over the heads. The threaded rod has a couple of nuts at the end jammed together so they won't loosen. When I need to run some crossconnect, I put the bracket in place and put the reel on the threaded rod. The reel spins nice and free and the nuts keep it from falling off. Grab the end of the wire, thread it through the rings or over the spools then down the side of the block. No curly cues or kinks.

-Hal


CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: Some comments made by me are known to the State of California to cause irreversible brain damage and serious mental disorders leading to confinement.
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Offline
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Chris, Verizon (formerly NYNEX) is very big on Krone - as are AT&T and some of the other carriers.

I did a job for Bellevue Hospital here in NYC before I retired. Two floors of the Laboratories and Offices of the Infectious Disease section. Probably 300-400 stations of Voice & Data.

Part of the job called for me to pull a feeder cable for Verizon from the MDF/MC to the Demarc in the basement - and terminate it on both ends.

On 110 Blocks.

When the Verizon foreman came to look at the job he freaked out and insisted that I change the blocks. His men had nothing but 66 and Krone tips for their punch on tools. He had no idea how he could get them 110 blades.

I suggested - buy them? NY Tel always had accounts with Graybar. Did not Verizon? Yes, but....

I showed him my spec (stating 110 blocks on both ends) and told him to take it up with the GC.

I never heard back.


Sam


"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by Silversam
I never heard back.

Pretty much par for the course with Verizon, no?

That's actually a pretty funny story.

Hal, that's part of my problem. I know I can't just lay the reel on the floor and pull the wire off the side, it'll be a huge knotted mess. I don't have a good way to spin it off, though, either. I need to just get a hook thing or something. There's a Graybar about a mile from my house. I like the idea of something removable because the room is so narrow, a permanent hook sticking out would be a real hazard.

I'll take and post some pictures in a little bit of my setup, the good, the bad, and the ugly. My data wiring is a disaster right now because my 48 port POE switch died and I had already sold my other good switch, so there's like three switches hanging there just to keep everything working.

Jeff, Cool setup. You have more phone systems than I do, at least up and running. Right now I've only got the Partner ACS and the 1A2 going. In storage I have another ACS rev. 6, a partner plus, and two merlin 410's. I went on a mission looking for a working merlin breadbox and the first one I bought had a few dead ports and a horrid hiss on the rest. Paul hooked me up with a spare one he had and I was happy as a clam. But.... Ever the tinkerer I am, I took the first 410 apart and replaced a couple thermistors and the dead ports came back to life. Then I recapped the power supply and the hiss is all gone. So now I have two sitting in my workshop.

What's with the mushrooms halfway down?

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Here is looking in the door. In the back you can see the disaster that is my data cabling at the moment. It was neat at one time. Yes, I own a cat.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

This is looking at the main field of 66 blocks. On the left are the station blocks for the partner system. The next two rows are the 1A2 stations and the rest are spare. The four in the upper right corner are just basically splices because the 25 pair cables were too short when I redid this the last time. The block in the lower right is the CO block, essentially an unofficial demarc. One of the relays is a power fail relay. It puts the one real copper line on the phone upstairs that is normally on the Comcast line and puts the copper line onto the 1A2 ringers that are usually CMB. The other relay shuts the 1A2 ringers off via the contact closure adjunct.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

This is just a closeup of the ACS and the 501. I have the last module unplugged because I'm not using it right now. I need some more 2 pair cat 3. I know... good luck.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

This picture shows the three CO blocks. The left is where all the lines appear that actually exist. The middle block is the CO lines to the Partner, and the last block is the CO lines to the 1A2. Those 25 pair cables just go up the side, they don't connect to those blocks.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

This is a closeup of my better looking cross connects. This is all 1A2. The partner has none, and that's what I plan on changing, hence the original purpose of this post. Those numbers on the block are meaningless. It was a used block. I know, I know.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

The little bastard himself... He follows me around like a shadow. He's generally lovable and well behaved.

[Linked Image from i34.photobucket.com]

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Sure...blame it on the cat.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
The only thing I blame on the cat is the coating of dust on all my equipment because I have no other place for the damn litter box.

I could start a whole other thread just about that cat. He was an unwelcome (at the time) gift from my sister who was moving into an apartment where she couldn't have him. The short version is he was a stray, feral, miserable critter when she found him. He wasn't violent, and that was his only saving grace. Turns out, now that I've had him for a couple years, he's really friendly. He can be pretty timid, especially if there's new people he doesn't know, and he'll hide somewhere. When it's just me and him, he's always by my side. I have to admit, I've grown quite fond of him. Guess all he needed was someone who cared. God knows my sister didn't. It took me months of slow training to get him the way he is now. He was afraid of all people, including me.

Last edited by ChrisRR; 01/15/17 04:49 PM.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Honestly Chris, your work looks better than about 95% of what I usually saw when I went to do equipment installs (switched access dialers, D4 channelbanks, CSU/DSUs and data).

Remember what you found in Lowell?

I would add colored back boards for the blocks and mushrooms...but that is my own thought

I was hoping to see the 410 fired up! frown


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Chris,
Quit embarrassing us and "complaining" that work isn't upto snuff. I wish to see that quality in the field. Well marked cut down cleanly, room to work. Anybody else agree?


John 807
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Chris...I see no issues with your work, it looks very nice!
Can you share some details on that power failure relay?


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,732
Likes: 2
Moderator-Nortel, Computers, General
*****
Offline
Moderator-Nortel, Computers, General
*****
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,732
Likes: 2
I wouldn't worry about the litter box in there. We're all used to going into an equipment room and finding a pile of crap in there. smile


Scientists say that the universe is made up of Protons, Neutron & Electrons. They forgot "Morons".
Dave. (CTUB) Canadian Techs Use Bix!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Hey Chris,

You mentioned earlier that you have the last card in the Partner ACS carrier unseated pending the location of 2-pair CAT3 cable.

4-pair can be used for station wiring despite the fact that Partner system phones use only 2 pairs.

Matter of fact, I've eliminated most of the 2-pair cables used with the Church's Partner and Magix systems.


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
I have to admit, I'm a bit humbled. Thank you guys for the compliments. The truth is, I have you guys to thank. Before I found this forum 3 years ago I didn't even own a punch down tool, let alone know how to use it. If I'd never had a problem with the stupid batteries of that first processor, I would never had found this board. My partner would probably be hanging on the wall with the station cables plugged in directly with 8p8c plugs crimped on the ends of the cables. I probably would have zip-tied them all together and thought that was neat and pretty. Then uncle Arthur got me interested in TCI and I've never looked back.

I had the 410 going out in my workshop. I had an epiphany not too long ago about my phone systems. All those old relics are really cool, but the partner is still modern enough to be relevant. I've made a little extra cash the past few months, in addition to quitting smoking, so I've decided it's time to invest in my little partner system. I'm gradually replacing all of the old MLS sets with Euro sets, mostly series 1 because they're a little cheaper and they are essentially the same as the series 2 with the big backlit displays and such. Many of the phones were non display sets, so it's been nice upgrading those especially. I have one MLS set I'll hang on to because it has a macabre past and it's a neat story to tell people and watch their faces wrinkle in horror. Incidentally, it's the only MLS set I've ever seen with a backlit display.

Jeff, the power fail relay is really simple. It's a 24 volt relay powered off the 1A2 power supply. It's on all the time, except of course with the power goes out. It has four sets of contacts. One pair of contacts has the kitchen cordless phone pair on the common terminals, with the comcast line on the normally open contacts, and the copper Fairpoint line on the normally closed set of contacts. When the relay is energized the comcast line is connected to the cordless and when the relay drops out the fairpoint line goes to the cordless. The cordless phone is on a circuit that is covered by the backup generator, otherwise I would have used a corded phone. The fairpoint pair also jumps over to the other pair of normally closed points. The matching normally open points go to the common audible output of the 1A2 KSU. The matching common points go to the ringers in the 1A2 sets. I only have three 1A2 sets wired to ring now, so no danger of too many ringers on the line. I also have my fairpoint line in one of the power fail transfer ports on the partner so a single line phone in my kitchen is connected in the event of a power outage. The circuit going to my equipment can be switched to the generator, but I never will. Not without some power conditioning equipment that I currently can't afford. I'm not putting all that stuff in the hands of a harbor freight generator... no, no, no.

Paul, I like the 2 pair cable because it's smaller and I can route it through the guides on the modules much easier. Once you fill a module with three CO lines and eight extensions, that gets really tight with 4 pair cabling. As it is, you can see where I split a couple of four pair cables for CO connections. I hate it. One I covered in heat shrink so it's less ugly, but still... no.

One thing you'll also notice is a little box sitting on the mushrooms just under the partner. That's the head of a little gizmo that's plugged into the wall and everything is plugged into that. It's essentially a power meter. I'm trying to keep an eye on efficiency because our light bill has been ridiculous lately. When I had the POE switch, that meter was around 250 watts 24 hours a day. Without the POE, its been holding just under 100. I only had 4 or 5 things that were POE so in the long run it didn't make any sense to really have it. I gave up on my lone IP phone, and the raspberry pi, web cam and IP clock can run off wall warts far more efficiently than that. I have a WIFI AP in my shed out back to cover the yard in warmer weather, but there's power out there anyway.

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by dexman
4-pair can be used for station wiring despite the fact that Partner system phones use only 2 pairs.

All my station cabling is 4 pair. I want 2 pair just for the run from the KSU to the 66 block. In fact there are a few places where I've used the spare two pairs for another phone. My workshop is an example of that. I have one phone on my workbench and one on the computer desk. Both are 18D Euro sets. I could have used an SLT, but why not use those spare pairs.

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by MooreTel
I wouldn't worry about the litter box in there. We're all used to going into an equipment room and finding a pile of crap in there. smile

Yeah...there's no vacuum, mop, light bulbs, or trash can in his closet :P


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
The job I am doing right now, the alarm guy ran 2 pair cat 3 for his keypads and contacts...might be able to get you some scraps!


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,722
Likes: 18
Member
****
Offline
Member
****
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,722
Likes: 18
I've got some two pair, might even have a full box or two. You pay me for what I've got in it and shipping and it's yours. I've had this stuff a long time so I'll have to dig up the invoices to see what I paid for it. PM if you're interested.


Retired phone dude
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by jeffmoss26
Yeah...there's no vacuum, mop, light bulbs, or trash can in his closet :P

Nope. Just a water dish, food dish, litter box, boiler, water heater, chimney, broom & dustpan, water meter. Only thing missing is the breaker box. Some genius put that in the garage, but on an interior finished wall so adding a circuit is a nightmare.

It looks nicer than it really is. That room is maybe four feet wide.

I'm not crazy about the large number of water pipes in there. I have nightmares about one letting go and ruining everything and flooding my apartment.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
I have 2-pair CAT3. I can spare some hanks.

I'm holding onto my existing stock of pull boxes and spools...including a spool of shielded 2-pair CAT3 that Ed provided several years ago. smile

Last edited by dexman; 01/16/17 07:24 PM.

I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 664
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 664
For what it is worth, I've only seen BIX in the COs around here. One of the CLECs uses it to crossconnect from the LEC krone frame to their equipment. Useful when needing to bypass a bad piece of your equipment and you don't want to wait the mandatory 5 day waiting period on a LEC station wiring change. So LEC Krone block -> 25 pr cable with amphenol connector -> BIX block with amphenol connector -> crossconnect wires -> 2nd BIX block -> 25 pr cable to equipment.

LEC uses Krone blocks a lot in the CO. They had a lot of 3-pair Krone blocks that they'd use in homes and businesses. Haven't seen anything larger in the field.

I see the LEC technicians using violet crossconnect wire for NID jumpers and actual crossconnects at binding posts. It is thicker than the wire that I use (general cable blue/wh.blue crossconnect).

Last edited by hawk82; 01/16/17 08:58 PM.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
When my former employer, Frontier Communications, built out their Congress Street Boston switch site, they had Verizon install a 25-pair cable that ran from the phone/storage room out to a spot underneath the switch room floor. This was intended to be used to bring dial tone out for dialup modems.

At one point I got so sick and tired of dealing with the Krone blocks that Verizon used, I swapped them out for 66 blocks.

Then, when Level(3) bought us out and I moved to their Cambridge MA landing, I found that Verizon had installed a rack mounted frame full of Krones for Level(3) to wire to in order to bring dial tone into the colo cages as needed.

Many of the blocks had broken hinges with the covers dangling...and...the wiring looked atrocious. puke

Verizon could have done a better job if it had installed 66 blocks instead.


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 664
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 664
I disliked Krone at first, but once you get the punchdown tool and the pigtail test cable, life is good. Being able to test the circuit *in both directions* without removing wires is awesome. It has some integrated wire management too. (at least in the 300 pair blocks)

Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 60
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 60
Slightly off topic. I was wondering if anyone has run into 70 type coil spring terminal blocks. These were developed by Bell concurrently with 66 blocks in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I only saw them once in a Municipal Building on Staten Island ,NY. They looked like they were a pain to work with,which probably explains why they were discontinued.

Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
So how can you tell if the cross connect wire is type 'F'? I haven't seen it listed on any spools that I have looked at buying


Patrick T. Caezza
Santa Paula, CA 93060
C-7 - Low Voltage System Contractor - Lic# 992448
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Type F has more twists per foot than standard crossconnect wire. Non F will untwist quite easily. F holds up much better.


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Member
***
Offline
Member
***
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,342
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by Mercenary Roadie
So how can you tell if the cross connect wire is type 'F'? I haven't seen it listed on any spools that I have looked at buying

Easy. If it doesn't say type F then it isn't type F.

-Hal


CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: Some comments made by me are known to the State of California to cause irreversible brain damage and serious mental disorders leading to confinement.
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
Well, what is considered a normal amount of twists?

So all of the wire I've looked at like that from General Cable is garbage because it doesn't have the F which?

I even looked at the cross connect wire that Sandman sells and it doesn't say anything about Type F. It just says 'With tight Twists"

Ask a simple question and get no real answer WTF

Last edited by Mercenary Roadie; 01/17/17 01:25 AM.

Patrick T. Caezza
Santa Paula, CA 93060
C-7 - Low Voltage System Contractor - Lic# 992448
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Hawk, I've run across that same violet 22 gauge wire in older installations around here. Seems they use yellow blue 24g mostly now.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Around here the heavy violet xconnect was used primarily in outside cross boxes.


John 807
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,821
Retired Moderator
****
Offline
Retired Moderator
****
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,821
I am showing up a bit late to this discussion, but I can't resist.

I carried a cross-connect caddy everywhere I went. It held up to five reels of wire, unless one of them was three pair. I was a color-code freak. Ed can confirm that..he has visited most of my installs since I retired. Here was my method. I stuck to it most of the time on large installs.

Blue/white...analog phones (reserved orange white for large jobs)
Red/white....digital phones
yellow/blue...co lines
red/blueand red/orange....ancillary equipment such as paging speakers, service observing, etc.

My pet peeves when it came to cross connect...loops too big or no loops at all. Not enough Spindles which meant wires crossing the top of a 66 block, looks bad. Cross connect wire bundled. Keeps you from being able to gently pull on it to trace it. I used the 66 rings, the half circle things that snap on a block and you run the wires behind them.

If my frame was in a not so good closet where other things were there, like a sink or something, then I used plastic covers on all the blocks. If the block was 25 pair from a system, then I used the orange covers. All my bridge clips were the plastic covered pairs, easy to remove by hand not with needle nose pliers. I used a color code for them as well. I had white for analog, red for digital. Green for other things.

For me..hanging blocks, arranging station wires, cross connecting, this was my time to make a work of art, with the goal that when a tech other than myself came to the site, they could understand what the wiring did and where it went.

I flagged my station wiring as well as labeling the block.

I miss installs sometimes, until I remember how hard it was getting to see it all, and how sore my hands, feet and most things in between were the next day.

Last edited by Derrick; 01/17/17 09:55 AM.

www.myrandomviews
"Old phone guys never die, they just get locked in some closet with an old phone system and forgotten about"

Retired, taking photographs and hoping to fly one of my many kites.
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Offline
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Originally Posted by ugly1
Slightly off topic. I was wondering if anyone has run into 70 type coil spring terminal blocks. These were developed by Bell concurrently with 66 blocks in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I only saw them once in a Municipal Building on Staten Island ,NY. They looked like they were a pain to work with,which probably explains why they were discontinued.


Yes, I've seen them in some high rise buildings in Washington, DC, and yes, they were built in the late 50s/early 60s. I was certainly not a fan of them.


Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Offline
Moderator-Vertical, Vodavi, 1A2, Outside Wire
*****
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 13
Originally Posted by John807
Around here the heavy violet xconnect was used primarily in outside cross boxes.


Yes, that's type G cross connect wire, one pair, 22 gauge, double jacket, white/violet. It is specifically made for use in outdoor cross connect boxes. Because of its polyethylene insulation, it is not rated for indoor use.


Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Offline
Moderator-1A2, Cabling
*****
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,058
Likes: 5
Wow, I stay off the board for one day and you guys fill up 3 pages on one subject! I think that's a record...

Sam


"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,713
Likes: 10
Admin
***
Offline
Admin
***
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,713
Likes: 10
You don't own a cat, it owns you :-)

Also, you need to scoop the litter box!

The type "F" crossconnect wire (2113054 and 2114307 for bl/wh and or/wh 1 pr 2 pr) is in the General cable catalog. https://public.carl.airpost.net/misc/General_XConn.pdf



Carl

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
"I was wondering if anyone has run into 70 type coil spring terminal blocks."

I saw them in only one building during 20 years of service in NYC. They are used as house terminals, in the East and West fire stairs, of a high rise "pre-war" apartment house, #808 West End Avenue aka "The Allendale." click https://streeteasy.com/building/808-west-end-avenue-manhattan

What a memory! If you would like, I can arrange a walking tour of my old district, and include this building on the itinerary.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,423
Likes: 1
I forgot to mention the yellow/black wire at&t is now using for uverse connections...I think I have a spool of it smile


Jeff Moss

Moss Communications
Computer Repair-Networking-Cabling
MBSWWYPBX, JGAE
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by Carl Navarro
You don't own a cat, it owns you :-)

Ain't that the truth!

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
The last time I ran into that violet/white cross connect, I was doing some wiring for a friend that was getting DSL installed in his shop. It was a disaster of old abandoned telephone wiring that I promptly ripped out. Nothing historic just miles of quad wire and silver satin used as station wire. Yuck. Anyway, the place has three drops, two single pair rubberized drops, and a 6 or so pair drop going into a metal hinged cover terminal (Western Electric, no less.) Some tech had used the x-conn wire to jump from the old style protectors on the two rubberized drops to an indoor plastic 6 pair NID. The 6 pair drop goes into and out of the metal terminal and into the ground to an adjacent building. The other building must have had a newer drop installed at some point, because when the Fairpoint tech showed up, he completely ignored the single pair drops and pulled the 6 pair drop out of the terminal and into a new 6 pair indoor NID, and my friend's DSL comes out of that.

Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 519
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by Carl Navarro
The type "F" crossconnect wire (2113054 and 2114307 for bl/wh and or/wh 1 pr 2 pr) is in the General cable catalog. https://public.carl.airpost.net/misc/General_XConn.pdf



Carl

Thank you Carl


Patrick T. Caezza
Santa Paula, CA 93060
C-7 - Low Voltage System Contractor - Lic# 992448
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

Ed hooked me on using color-coded backboards and color specific cross-connect wiring. I guess I'll be holding onto these for a while.

R/BL R/OR for Partner ACS system telephones.
R/YL for Merlin Magix 4400 series telephones.
BL/YL for analog devices and POTS lines.

I think I have some other color combination for the DSL cross-connect.


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Paul, that's a nice little hoard you have there.

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
I like to think of it as "squirreling some away".

Still, if you have a specific length of 2-pair CAT3 needed, let me know and I'll see of I have any loose hanks long enough to cover. smile


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Well, to do what I want to do is 11 pieces for that last module, and the other CO lines to the other modules, it looks like about 9 pieces of about 10 feet. 8 station ports and 11 CO ports. The ones for the CO ports could be a bit shorter, 6-7 feet, the 8 for the station ports need to be 10 feet to be safe, I think. This will be especially helpful if I decide to get cables run to my collection of old phones. I'll need that last module for sure. Honestly, an 012E module would be more useful since I don't need 15 CO lines. But... I don't really need all those station ports either, and if I ever reconnect all the VoIP gateways for the C*NET, those CO ports might be useful. It's always in a state of flux. For now, I'd like to just get the module cabled the way it sits so I can just work off the blocks as I need to.

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Wow, I just reread that post and that was confusing. Tally was about 20 pieces altogether, roughly around 10 feet per piece.

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
200'...I'm sure that the hanks don't add up to that much, but, I'll see what I have. smile


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Chris 200' gray 2 pair pvc?


John 807
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,722
Likes: 18
Member
****
Offline
Member
****
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,722
Likes: 18
Cable was mentions a couple times, but I think he's talking cross connect wire.


Retired phone dude
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Nope, this is for 2 pair pvc. I have oodles of cross connect and I just ordered some 2 pair red/blue-red/org for the stations.

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
Ironically, when I took that partner off the wall when I acquired it, it was all wired with cross connect. Two pair for the stations with mod plugs crimped on and single pair for the CO lines. It looked atrocious.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Well as Mr. Haney would say "lemme see now, I just might have some on the truck


John 807
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Chris,
Will this work? I'm sure I can spare 200 feet.

[Linked Image]


John 807
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
That looks exactly like the box I originally was working out of. I have to laugh... "High Speed - 10 MBits/Sec" If you can spare it, I'd love to have some. Thanks. Before you get your snips out though, let's give Paul a chance to see what he has laying around.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Snips always on the hip. LoL. And yes I can spare it. Last time I used a hunk it was for a drag. I only run plenum now, it's cheaper than the time spent explaining open and closed plenum to inspectors.


John 807
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
That looks like the brand sold at Home Depot.

I'll check on what I have available tomorrow. smile


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
I don't remember seeing 2 pair cat3 at home depot last time I was there. If they do have it, I probably ignored it because it was more expensive than the 4 pair cat5E. I know I saw 4 pair "cat3" once and it was more expensive than the 5E. Seems pretty stupid to me.

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
John, PM sent

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Home Depot used to carry 1000' 2 and 4-pair CAT3 boxes. They now have precut hanks.

I think that the topic discussion has gone way up a side street. crazy


I Love FEATURE 00
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
ChrisRR Offline OP
Moderator-1A2
***
OP Offline
Moderator-1A2
***
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 657
I'm really ok with a slightly drifting topic. I like these topics that get a lot of members involved. Especially when there are so many points of view and different ways to accomplish the same goal. I'm actually glad I was able to start one of these long winded threads. But, to get back on topic, this is what I've decided to do; Digital stations will be red/blue-red/orange 2 pair, analog SLT stations will be yellow/blue, and CO lines will be red/white. The usual three pair for 1A2, and I'll have to find something obscure for special circuits like the power fail relay and buzzers and such. Unless there's some reason I should do it differently?

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,290
Swap the red/white for use on special circuits. Use blue/white for CO lines.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
Member
*****
Offline
Member
*****
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,014
I'll second that.


John 807
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Spam Hunter
*****
Offline
Spam Hunter
*****
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,162
Likes: 8
Ok Chris...

I have quite a bit of coiled and hanked AT&T, Lucent and, possibly, Avaya branded CMR 2-pair CAT3 cable. I didn't have too much time to spend straightening out some of the longer runs though. I'm not sure of the total length either.

If you would like it, PM me and we can set up a meet time @ the Church.



I Love FEATURE 00
Page 1 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Moderated by  Silversam 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums84
Topics94,262
Posts638,693
Members49,757
Most Online5,661
May 23rd, 2018
Popular Topics(Views)
211,096 Shoretel
187,702 CTX100 install
186,791 1a2 system
Newest Members
BPopilek, Rich F, LewisR, TDKs79, Buttinset
49,757 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
dexman 18
Toner 14
TDKs79 8
jc2it 4
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 99 guests, and 241 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Contact Us | Sponsored by Atcom: One of the best VoIP Phone Canada Suppliers for your business telephone system!| Terms of Service

Sundance Communications is not affiliated with any of the above manufacturers. Sundance Phone System Forums - VOIP & Cloud Phone Help
©Copyright Sundance Communications 1998-2024
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5