Cable testers

[tarquel]

LMFAO How true and to continue your comment...

..."harder than finding an ICT teacher (or a ICT Co-Ordinator) that actually knows about IT!!!"

I remember the woman from the county telling me 7 years ago how expensive Cat5 crimping tools are etc., then a 3-4 years ago (when I decided to do some internal cat5 network links i.e. no roofspace jobs) I got one for like £15 - belkin one. Still using it now lol And the cable tester was about £30 too lol

I wonder if theres any "cheap" fibre crimping tools that would do the job (just ramming it into the hole wont work then? :P)

Ta
N.

[StewartKnight]

If only you could crimp fibre, but the ends of the fibre have to be polished smoother that a babys backside! It's possible to use chemical process now.

The fibre "cores" refers to the number of strands of fibre, thus the number of links you could have. Each fibre link needs 2 fibres, 1 tx & 1 rx. Therefore 16 core has 8 links, and 2 core has 1 link, as it were!

[tarquel]

Indeed - i know you cant crimp it (I was just being lazy with my wording lol)

Thankfully, I dont inspect baby's botoms but I hear that theres nothing smoother lol

Not quite sure I follow the cores and stuff (being thick again) - all I have on my links from one section of the school to another is the 100Base-FX and there is two cables (one Tx and one Rx) for each link.

Ta
Nath

[mark]

There seems to be standards for fibre splicing. BT send 4 blokes to do it - one to feed the cable - 1 to splice and polish it - 1 to do a final polish and fit with a very powerful microscope and one to test the signal.

You can go on a course and learn how to splice [get a certificate] yourself. The tool looks not unlike a video tape splicer, but with a blade mounted on a guillotine arm. The cut has to be extremely precise - at something like 5 degrees from right angle, and the blade very sharp. No precise testing is involved - if it works - that's enough.

a'course you can always buy pre-terminated! :P

[ChrisH]

You dont want to be doing Fiber yourself it's a complete pain in the $%(^% . Trying to get a clean break at the end then all that polishing yuck

[Paul_L]

Know someone who has just done the course and brought all the kit.....

£500 for the course and £500 for the kit, but at least it's a one of course for life!


Paul

[tarquel]

[Welcome to the forum Paul - and I think its customary to add your title / school info to your sig too btw ]

Nath

[Ric_]

I remember splicing fibre on a work experience placement from high school (at BNFL none the less!). Seemed pretty easy to me - I was 15 at the time!

To be fair the equipment was pretty high spec and involved effectively arc-welding the pig-tail onto the end of the fibre run

[ChrisH]

Yes thats the easy way with the ££££ of equipment the cheaper way is much more time consuming and tedious.

[ninjabeaver]

Originally Posted by tarquel

Thankfully, I dont inspect baby's botoms but I hear that theres nothing smoother lol

Ta
Nath

I'll have to disagree on that one Nath. Try me after my mid week morning face shave. Thats smooth, but could be due to all the blood pouring out of the gashes I make. Can't afford razors on my wages, I have to use flint now.

[Paul_L]

[quote="tarquel"][Welcome to the forum Paul - and I think its customary to add your title / school info to your sig too btw ]

ops: Sorry I will consider myself told off!

Paul

[tarquel]

@ninjabeaver:

LMAO - you sir are crazy.... but I like it :P

@Paul_L:

Sorry I will consider myself told off!

It not compulsory or anything - sort of a unwriten rule methinks (er...that I wrote? ) lo

No apologising is needed mate

ta
Nathl

[broc]

We need to get a basic ethernet cable tester, I am getting tired of trial & error CAT5 cable/socket problem diagnosis . Has anyone bought one fairly recently that they can recommend? Budget of no more than £100.

[plexer]

Have a look at the test-um range of testers from:
http://www.openxtra.co.uk/

We have the NT750 kit and it's nice to use. They also have some cheaper ones on there and also the validator range.

Regarding some previous comments about not being able to crimp fibre we had some fibre installed at the last place by NS and there installers used crimpy connectors, you'd first use a tool to cut the end of the fibre clean what it do was sort of score it then you snapped it before inserting it into the connector and crimping it.

The crimp connectors were expensive though.

Ben

[webman]

We have an Peak Atlas IT Network Tester - best piece of kit we've ever bought.