Cat-5

[Guest guest]

I'm going to need to link two controllers this year at a distance of around 120 feet. I was going to order some lengths of cable when I ordered my controllers this month, but see that they only go up to 100 feet. Are there longer lengths of cable out there, or do you have to modify them somehow in order to extend them? I checked out the wiki page without much luck and everytime I typed in "Cat-5" to search on this site, it makes my computer crash.

[Guest guest]

You can use over 100' between controllers I don't know what the maximum is but I think it's over 1000'. There is a maximum connection length from the computer to the first controller. That length is 100' maximum. So just make sure your first controller is within 100' of your computer....

[Guest guest]

You can always make your own cables; you can make them to any length you want. You can but Cat-5 and the end at home depot or almost any electronic shop. But this will cost you a good amount.

They do make network couplers where you can join 2 cables together just like any other cable, they may be tricky to find but do work. But this is a much more cost effect method.

FROM LOR Wiki:
"What is the maximum distance allowed between controllers?

The total distance of your LOR network can be 2000 - 4000 feet, depending on the wire type - CAT5E will give you further reach than standard phone cable. Also, if you are using the SC485 Serial Adapter, the connection from the computer to the first controller needs to be under 100 feet. If you are using the USB485 or USB485B USB Adapter, the 100' limit does not apply. "

[Guest guest]

Here are a few Cat5 Inline Coupler:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10519&style=


I highly recomend this site, they have GREAT prices and any cable you may need. I have ordered from them A LOT

[Guest guest]

I luckily have access to whatever lengths of Cat 5 cable I need, and I ran the cable the other day. In total, the cable was about 110 feet long from my computer, threw the walls, to the basement where the controller will actually hook into it. When I tested it, There were not problems what so ever. I have the USB adapter and it worked like a charm with no delays what so ever.

Greg

[Guest guest]

CAT5 is very easy to work with. If you can get your hands on a spool or case of it, that would be good. Just go to any electronics store, or hardward store, and get ends for it. Shoot. You'd also need a crimper, for crimping on the ends. (my brother got one in Washington DC from a hotel! It was "lying" around......) It is very easy to do...you just get the colors matched correctly and it should work. If you have the tools and CAT5 (as my brother does), it isn't that hard. I'd just suggest to go out and buy just a few lengths.

You can search around online and find some good deals on lengths over 100'.

[Guest guest]

Careful, the colors need to be matched in a specific order so that each twisted pair carries on data wire and its complimentary ground. If you mess up the pairing, it will likely work for short runs (as long as the wires are still wired to the same contact at each end), but longer runs will suffer some bad crosstalk between pairs and may not function.

Here is a good reference for the correct pair configuration.

http://yoda.uvi.edu/InfoTech/rj45.htm

Ethernet carries data on (1,2) and (3,6), with the remaining (4,5) and (7,8) pairs unused. Not sure if the LOR requirements are the same or not, as it does not use ethernet signaling.

DavBro

[Guest guest]

terminate pairs in the following order (ive done 1000s of these at work)


pin 1-white/orange
pin 2-orange/white
pin 3-white/green
pin 4-blue/white
pin 5-white/blue
pin 6-green/white
pin 7-white brown
pin 8-brown/white

white is primary, and the color is secondary...notice how they alternate back and forth


thats how the colors should look like when looking at the top...meaning the 'tab' used to release the jack from the port is facing DOWN
and away from you like youre plugging it in in front of you


and also...dont go over 315 feet in length when using cat 5 or cat 5e...certification tests fail when you go over that length, even if you use cat 6

[Guest guest]

Here's a visual:

http://www.netspec.com/helpdesk/wiredoc.html

[Guest guest]

I would try and keep the lengths uninterrupted and not use couplers. Not so much
for the signal loss but if the couplers get wet at all they will short out and you'll loose
connectivity. I know this from experience.

I used bulk cat5 cable from a 1,000' box. Shop around and you can 1,000 feet for
under $80. You don't need cat5e so look for plain old cat5.
I have a crimper that uses JR45 connectors with the ends open so you can push the
wires right through the connector and the crimper cuts and crimps. This is much
easier than trying to stuff the correct wires into a dead end connector.

Oh and I think you can go way more than 500' between controllers.

http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?productID=8911&ta=detail_imgπ=Y&st=2


Attached files

[Guest guest]

Of course you can always go wireless by using the Easy Lite Linkers (ELL). They did great for me last year. I put my controllers in the garage last year, three on one side and two on the other. I used ELL's to run them without having to run cat5 to them and to my laptop.

Good Luck

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all of the quick and helpful responses everyone. I actually got off my lazy rear end today and went out to measure the existing cable that I had, in order to find out how much more I needed and found out I had miscalculated. My "100 foot" cables that I thought I was using last year turns out were only 50 footers, so no problems now. My yard is over an acre in size, though, so I still may need some longer cord in the future and I'll keep everybody's tips in mind.

[Guest guest]

WireCat, those Cat-5 plugs are awsome! Not only do I usually get the colors wrong but usually in the process of twisting them one gets broken or is too short to make good contact. The pass-thru idea was genius.

Pete, since you already have 50' cables, if the 100' is still too short, I'd go the coupler route....especially if you can keep the coupler inside. (Like our place... we go 40' diagonally from the PC inside to the exit point at the front of the house.) If the coupler has to be outside, you could probably put it inside an outdoor electrical box. Under $5 for a couple (.95 from Cyberguys!) sure beats $80 for a box of cable. (I've seen the RJ45 couplers at Home Depot, Staples, Radio Shack, etc.)

[Guest guest]

On thing I forgot to mention and that's if you have a far mount of boards
to connect consider getting an inexpensive cable tester. Nothings more
frustrating than trying to figure which connector or connection is bad.

Another thing I do is run an additional LED status light to the outside of
my enclosures so I don't have to pop each box open to check status.
With 28 enclosures, every short cut helps.