Ethernet connectors on LOR boards

[Ralph D]

Morning everyone, I sent this question to Dan this morning too, but thought I'd ask here as well and see what everyone thinks.

over time one of the things that has happened to my Light-O-Rama boards is the Ethernet connectors have either started to pull off the board or loosen-up to the point i cant get a constant signal from them. I was looking to see is anyone made or changed out the Ethernet plug for an external mounted plug (off the board totally) so its more sacred and can handle more pulling and pushing with out damage to the board itself. and then wired it back to the board.....can that be done?

I was thinking maybe some of you guys that build from scratch might have a good idea.

[Greg]

same thing happend to me last year, I reseated them, re soldered the connections and added a few drops of superglue worked great.

[Frank A.]

Good morning

Ralph

I went a different route with a store bought extension

cat 5 extension into a water tight hub with female connector

Frank A.


Attached files

[Frank A.]

another view

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[Frank A.]

and another

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[Surfing4Dough]

Took a slightly different approach myself. I drilled a hole in the side wall of one of the heat sinks and zip tied any cat5 cables to it (homemade strain relief in a sense). I also zip tied the cat5 to an adjacent power cord just outside the controller (right at the opening). That way the connection on the board wouldn't have any strain on it if the cat5 was accidentally tugged.
If making some sort of extension to an exterior plug as you have suggested, I would still think would would want to have some way of securing it and/or the cat5 cable so that an accidental tug of the cable wouldn't damage even that external connection.

[jimswinder]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

I also zip tied the cat5 to an adjacent power cord just outside the controller (right at the opening). That way the connection on the board wouldn't have any strain on it if the cat5 was accidentally tugged.

Good ideas...I hadn't thought about the CAT5 cables, since last year my 3 controllers sat in my garage, but this year will have 30 controllers outside in the yard.

I was going to run all my power in conduit underground, but if I remember correctly, it's not a good idea to run electrical and the CAT5 cable together, right?

Guess I will run a separate conduit for the CAT5. Wonder if they make watertight Ethernet Outlets/Boxes for outside applications?

Glad I saw this post before I started THAT project!! :cool:

[Max-Paul]

Ok, I am sort of a purest when it comes to signal wires and power wires. It has helped me to TRY to keep to this concept. Do not mix or pair up signal wires to power or control wiring. Thus keep your cat 5E wires as far away as possible from your supply power and channel wires.
Yes tie wrapping these wires just outside of your controller should not be a problem. But no guarentee about this. At the same time running comm (Cat 5E) cable right next to the supply power leads to a controller is not a wise thing to do. So, keep this in mind when you run your power and comm cables. Keep them as far apart as possible. If at all possible, keep the parallel runs as far apart as possible. And if you must cross wires, try to do it in a 90 degree intersection.

[Surfing4Dough]

Max-Paul wrote:

Ok, I am sort of a purest when it comes to signal wires and power wires. It has helped me to TRY to keep to this concept. Do not mix or pair up signal wires to power or control wiring. Thus keep your cat 5E wires as far away as possible from your supply power and channel wires.
Yes tie wrapping these wires just outside of your controller should not be a problem. But no guarentee about this. At the same time running comm (Cat 5E) cable right next to the supply power leads to a controller is not a wise thing to do. So, keep this in mind when you run your power and comm cables. Keep them as far apart as possible. If at all possible, keep the parallel runs as far apart as possible. And if you must cross wires, try to do it in a 90 degree intersection.

I agree. All I indicated that I did was zip tied the cat5 to the heat-sink and to the bundle of cords that are all coming out of the bottom of the controller (no closer than they would be already since the all exit the enclosure near each other). I didn't zip tie my cat5 along my runs to other controllers. However, my channel extension cords and cat5 cable were all traveling on the ground near each other (not bundled though) and I never experienced any problem. However this probably depends upon the quality of the cat5 cable and extension cords (thickness of insulation). I don't use spt wire, but only use 16/3 outdoor extension cords. I would think this would make a difference.

[jimswinder]

This last year my 50' CAT5 cable ran right along / on top of my 30 SPT-2 extension cords of about 40' each and I had no problem...

Not saying it was the right thing to do...just saying I didn't have any issues.

[-klb-]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Max-Paul wrote:

Ok, I am sort of a purest when it comes to signal wires and power wires. It has helped me to TRY to keep to this concept. Do not mix or pair up signal wires to power or control wiring. Thus keep your cat 5E wires as far away as possible from your supply power and channel wires.
Yes tie wrapping these wires just outside of your controller should not be a problem. But no guarentee about this. At the same time running comm (Cat 5E) cable right next to the supply power leads to a controller is not a wise thing to do. So, keep this in mind when you run your power and comm cables. Keep them as far apart as possible. If at all possible, keep the parallel runs as far apart as possible. And if you must cross wires, try to do it in a 90 degree intersection.

I agree. All I indicated that I did was zip tied the cat5 to the heat-sink and to the bundle of cords that are all coming out of the bottom of the controller (no closer than they would be already since the all exit the enclosure near each other). I didn't zip tie my cat5 along my runs to other controllers. However, my channel extension cords and cat5 cable were all traveling on the ground near each other (not bundled though) and I never experienced any problem. However this probably depends upon the quality of the cat5 cable and extension cords (thickness of insulation). I don't use spt wire, but only use 16/3 outdoor extension cords. I would think this would make a difference.

The primary noise coupling method is usually magnetic. (EMI) The alternating current in the power wire induces an alternating magnetic field around the wire, which will induce an alternating voltage in nearby wires... Insulation thickness and quality have nothing to do with this at all, aside from thicker insulation prevents the wires from being as close together... Capacitive coupling may also occur, and insulation quality may play some role here, but again, it is ElectroMagnetic Interference that we have all heard about...

Separation is good, but the cables are leaving the controller in the middle of a bunch of cords anyway. If you cable tie the cat 5 to one of the inlet cords, you are keeping it further away from the dongle cords. If you tie it to a dongle cord, you are probably keeping it further away from the inlet cords, and the other set of dongles.. Yes, it likely is not linear, but it is still a compromise however you go...

The 20+ controllers on the long run into the park all have had their cat 5 wire tied to an inlet cord or dongle, with no exceptions. So far, we have had no apparent communication issues. But, if we did not do it, and someone walked through the display, even one of us out at night resetting GFCI, and tripped on one of the cat 5 cables, and damaged a RJ-45 jack, we would likely have more than just spurious communication issues...

[Max-Paul]

I see me being quoted several times. Maybe I was not clear and thus the responces to my post. Or I was a bit to pure on the closenes of the cables.

I agree with what you guys are saying about tie-wrapping the cat 5 and either power or control wires just at the base of the controller box. I agree that this is a good step towards preventing the RJ-45 jack from being ripped from the control board. Me, I made stakes from 2.5" angle iron with a plate mounted to it and then the control box to the plate. So, I just do an overhand knot with the cable to the stake and then bring cable up and into the controller. Thus if you trip, you might rip the cable in half before you will pull it out of the box.

Jimswinder, I am happy for you. But if you went back and read both here and on P.C. for the past year. You will see from time to time some hapless chap having problems. And once he repositions his comm cable in relation to his power leads. All of the problems go away. And if this ever does happen to you. You will have a clue for what to do. So, good for you, but not everyone is as lucky as you..

Oh and for the different power cables and thickness of the jacket. There are many varibles involved. Jacket thickness is just one. How about the current draw? More current the more gauss is created to induct voltage / current in neighboring wires as klb has pointed out. And I am sure in our case of the controlled wires fades will reduce the effect but at the same time rapid full on and full off will cause a greater chance of comm failure.

As I was trying to convey earlier. I just try to practice good layout of my stuff so I dont have to scratch my head and arse wondering what and where is my problem.
This is just a suggestion, you do what you please. And if what I suggest has no bearing on your display. then coming in here and saying well I didn't follow your suggestion and my display still worked. I have to ask, so what are you trying to prove? Or are you wanting me to kiss your arse and say that you are wonderful?

Just take or leave it. Remember its free..

[cmoore60]

jimswinder wrote:

I was going to run all my power in conduit underground, but if I remember correctly, it's not a good idea to run electrical and the CAT5 cable together, right?

Guess I will run a separate conduit for the CAT5. Wonder if they make watertight Ethernet Outlets/Boxes for outside applications?

Glad I saw this post before I started THAT project!! :cool:

Jim,

Early this past season there was a person that posted about having his cat 5 and power placed in conduit. This person made mentiong that the person he hired to do the work brought both the power and cat 5 connections into the same box. Just mentioning this so that you don't have surprises. Also keep in mind that the communication is a daisy chain. So putting the cat 5 in conduit underground might be a nightmare with the in and out cable arrangments.

Simply some food for thought.

Chuck

[TJ Hvasta]

I drilled a third hole between the dangle outlets, and mounted a 1/2" clamp just for the Cat5 cable, so the strain relief is the clamp itself.. if the cable is tripped over/caught be a shoe, the force is contained by the clamp. I also have abt 6" of extra cable inside the box as a length of "arresting cable" as a second stop-gap..

[grandad]

OK. For what it's worth, and maybe not quite the right thread, here is my two pennuth on CAT5 sockets on L-O-R kit.
This last season I had a mad panic the day before switch-on where I could not communicate between PC, controllers and / or ELL units using the USB485B
I had been testing OK prior to that. I ended up dumping the shows onto SD and running from my DC-MP3 unit, which I hadn't planned on doing.
I have just got around to looking at the USB485B and, after much head scratching and checking for dry solder joints, what I found was that the pins in the CAT5 socket had become somewhat "flattened" i.e. had lost their "angle" so to speak.
A little (very) careful teasing with a special tool I developed (bent paperclip) to lift the pins and voila! all is working again
I have seen Dan warn of strain on these sockets causing problems so I guess it was my ham-fistedness that caused it. :?
So just a heads-up worth checking if you are having problems.

Martin

[Ralph D]

Hey everyone and thanks for all your ideas. its been a little while and thought Id update. I cant beleave I never thought of adding a clamp to the cat 5 for relife wow i must be getting old. I had to send 6 boxes to dan to get fixed, all the cat 5's are loose. I love the cat 5 extension cord. Ill be getting those this week! were can i get them from, hd or lowes or on line.

[Frank A.]

Hi Ralph

hopefully this is the extension your looking for

don't remember supplier

I will check my records

search internet for best price

Frank A.


Attached files .pdf"]RJ45-outdoor[1].pdf

[jimswinder]

Frank A. wrote:

hopefully this is the extension your looking for

If you are making your own enclosure, or even if you are just making your own Ethernet connections, I would suggest just buying a black Cord Grip, similar to what you see in the pdf Frank attached ...

You can get them at any Home Depot or Lowes...

[Ralph D]

you mean something that's going to hold the cak5 in place so it cant be pulled right.

[jimswinder]

Ralph D wrote:

you mean something that's going to hold the cak5 in place so it cant be pulled right.

Right...

I like what Frank suggested, but if you are trying to cut costs...

Doing I quick search they look like they are between $5 and $6 each...

While the Cord Grips are about 40 cents each