At 08:23 AM 11/22/2005, Bill Kuncicky wrote: >I know this is a very elementary question, and one that I should >know the answer to. But I don't know, and hope that someone will >give me an answer. > >I need to make some short little cables that have a plug on either >end to plug into RJ12 sockets. What I need is some sort of crimping >tool to fasten the connectors to the cables, but cannot find it in >any of the catalogs that I am looking at. What is that tool >called? And where could I order one? What I would really like is a >kit that has the tool, connectors, and the correct cable, if such a kit exists. They go by various names, but "telephone cable crimp tool" should get you close. Be careful when you purchase the connectors: there are 4 variants for each size: round or flat cable, stranded or solid conductors. I have not had good results with any connector that claims to work with both stranded & solid conductors. I'm *very* partial to the AMP series of tools and connectors - very pricey but I've never had a connector fail in years of service. I have indeed had a lot of grief with the cheap import tools - there are some good buys out there but you have to take a very close look at the crimp quality. Both under-crimping and over-crimping are common faults that will cause failure at some later date. The Amp tool I use (body only, no die set) is AMP/Tyco 2-231652-0 Some of the available die sets are: 853400-1 8 Position RJ-45 (standard)(Black) 853400-0 8 Position RJ-45 (high performance) (White) 853400-2 6 Position RJ-12 Line (Blue) 853400-3 4 Position RJ-22 Handset (Green) 853400-4 2-4 Position RJ-11 Line (Lt Grn) 853400-6 6 Position Offset RJ-12 (dec connect) (Orange) 853400-7 6 Position Long Body (Violet) Some good deals can be had on eBay. When it comes to picking out connectors, be careful. You could purchase genuine Amp connectors - pricey but worth it if you are installing connectors that go into professional equipment or in a location that is hard to access. I often purchase relatively no-name connectors. The cheap connectors found as Radio Shack or other consumer outlets are often plated with only 5 micron gold flash. Better connectors have 15u plating, Telecom or Industrial grade uses 50u plating. Check with the supplier! 5u gold plating is NOT acceptable for long term use! Take a close look at the pin shape that pierces the conductors. A flat pin (no side-to-side displacement) with two rounded points is intended for stranded conductors. A pin that has two slight cuts with the center portion displaced from the front and rear edges is intended for solid conductors. A pin that has a single slight cut with the front edge slightly displaced from the rear should not be used. This is most likely one of those so-called "universal" connectors and I have NOT had good long-term results with them. Hope this helps! dwayne -- Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax Celebrating 21 years of Engineering Innovation (1984 - 2005) .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .- `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' Do NOT send unsolicited commercial email to this email address. This message neither grants consent to receive unsolicited commercial email nor is intended to solicit commercial email. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist