How to crimp a Network Cable with a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife

The need is the mother of the creativity. As a Support Technician, many situations make me try some unusual ways to solve troubles. This one is a good sample, when I need to crimp a CAT5 network cable in a Bank here in Brazil, but I haven't my crimper tool with me. My Victorinox Tinker is always on my pocket, so I try to do the task only with it and works very well! MacGyver will be proud about me! ;)

So, it is one more Instructable for all of you, my friends of this website, and as in all my Instructbles, I'm sorry about English Language mistakes, ok?

Please give me your comments!

With Best Regards!

Cesar

Step 1 The material list

To do this job, you only need:

- 01 Swiss Army Knife with a blade, can opener and bottle opener. The most basic Victorinox models have those implements (Tinker, Camper, Spartan, etc.)
- RJ45 connectors
- Network (like Furukawa) cable.

Comments

[teodoropires]

Oi Cesar,

Adorei o instruct. Achei genial a sua solução e já adotei para emergências, pois também já estive na mesma situação.
E fico feliz de encontrar um brasileiro aqui.
Ab

[cesarscavone]

Legal Teodoro!

Sabe que esta foi uma situação que ocorreu não apenas uma vez. Por causa de mau uso, cabos de rede são geralmente os primeiros a apresentar defeito, principalmente em terminais de acesso público, como caixas eletrônicos, lan houses e totems de auto atendimento. é uma das conexões mais frágeis que eu conheço e arrebenta com muita facilidade. Pode reparar: sempre tem um cabo de rede para consertar, não importa onde você esteja. Um bom victorinox sempre ajuda numa situaçã odessas! Obrigado pelo comentário!

[ab727]

Thanks for this.
I had purchased a network cable of about 15m length but my computer refused to connect to the internet via the cable - "Low or no connectivity". I talked to the guy from whom I had purchased it and he opined that it might be due to the length. So, I bought some RJ45 connectors, cut the cable to about 5m. One side already had the connector so I just crimped the other side.
I used the following wire pairing though -

Orange / Whit Orange
Green / White Green
Blue / White Blue
Brown/ White Brown

I was confused with all the standards and stuff and so I just mirrored the pairings that were on the other side, the one where the RJ45 connector was still intact.
I reasoned that it the connection works - good, otherwise I'd cut out both the connectors and re-crimp them using your pairing scheme. Luckily the connection is working.
Any reason why we use different pairings schemes when the simple scheme that I used also works?

[cesarscavone]

The error in network connectivity isn't because the length of the cable. Companies send network access via RJ45 between floors of distance, running inside tubes inside the walls (sometimes, some hundreds of meters are used to link a desktop to a server or network station). So, if the connection worked after new crimp, the original one may be failed.

Color Schemes are not important at all, since inside colored wires are only coper strings, so despite the color scheme used, since it is the same in both sides, you have connection (as parallel cable... for data transfer you need to invert some pairs, to build a cross cable).

I'm happy they your connection is running! Enjoy!

[bunnydeath]

 Very nice.  I never leave home without my Swiss Army Knife!

[abadfart]

nice i figured out that you could do this after i bought my crimper  

[econtrerasd]

Very nice, I tought it would be harder or maybe imposible without a crimping tool!

[lilpepsikraker]

;( i have the Signature knife. no can opener. a Sportsman is in the mail, should have one tho.

5* good information, may use it later

[Nucleus]

Great tutorial I will try it. I have the same knife but it's transparent blue.

[cconnector01]

Its difficult but you can trim it slowly. This is good information and i just searched many websites and blogs for this news. But there are no news other than here. thanks for that. Many people learn here the basics.

http://www.compressionconnector.com

[cesarscavone]

THank you for your comment. I have looked to your website and you have really cool equipments for cabling. Don't you think in have partnership outside USA? Here in Brazil we havent so nice tools like yours. You can find a reseler here easy! Think about and you may increase your slice of the business! Keep contact! Cesar

[AndyGadget]

I've always used a slightly different order and your instructable made me wonder why. The reason is I use EIA/TIA 568B whereas you are using EIA/TIA 568A where the greens and the oranges are swapped. (I love standards - there's always so many to choose from ;¬)
Here's a LINK to the detail.

[cesarscavone]

Here in Brazil the standard is to use White Green/Green first. Regards!

[dudeman999]

Here in the states we use A for residential and B for commercial installs. I got all confused when I started a new job and they had a crazy wiring scheme (568B). As long as their terminated the same on both sides it will work, not to say it wont confuse someone else when they see you did something crazy. This is an AWESOME tutorial BTW.

[AnarchistAsian]

ahhh, that's nice. that might come in handy some day for me...

[VirtualG]

thanks for the instructable, I was browsing the web to find out how the RJ connector is assembled. I didn't notice that the plastic bar you have to push down to hold the cable is movable, so I was wondering how this connector was assembled without moving parts and apparently without cluing. I thought the crimp tool would do some sophisticated trick *LOL* ... now I know :D Thanks

[cesarscavone]

The RJ connector is easy to build.. I have saw how it is make in Modern Marvels (History Channel). The "rails" are pressed inside the plastic connector by a robot that arrange each rail with magnet. Millions of thousands of rails are on a large box that delivers the rails 8 by 8 and a magnetic arm take them and arrange in assembling position. The plastic connector arrives below the arm that push them down until fix. FYK: More than 2 milions of RJ45 connectors are produced each day only in China. Cheers!

[Fred82664]

SWEET ! been in them kinds of spots my self

[Phil B]

Cesar, Your English is fine. There may be some small things where it is not quite as smooth as a native speaker of English, but anyone who has studied a 2nd language knows how difficult it is to do as well in another language as you do in English and will not be at all critical. I learned to do the same thing you have done, but with modular telephone connectors. I did not use a Tinker Swiss Army Knife, even though I have one, but I used a separate small screwdriver. The process is the same. Thanks for the Instructable. It is good and helpful.

[cesarscavone]

Dear Phil: Thanks a lot for your comment! I've studied English for many years, but never been on a regular class. My study is based on literature (magazines, books), websites in English (like this one) and movies and music. Yet, I have some online friends (like my Bishop of Orthodox Church that I'm a member, that live in Denver) that help me to improve my practice by Skype or even email. About this Instructable, this was like I tell in the beginning. I am Support Technician of Santander Bank end they send me to install an IBM server on a Bank Agency here in São Paulo, Brazil, but I wasn't in service that day, I was on the street and without any tool with me. The call was an emergency and I needed to attend them as fast as possible. The installation of the server (Disk Image, configuring and placing on the rack) was fine, but at the time of connect it on the network, the RSA cable was damaged, and no other cable was available, AND I SIMPLY CANNOT TO BUY ONE OR BUY A CRIMPER TOOL AT 8:30 PM! And to make the situaton even worse, the switch was about 30 meters far the server (so no other CPU patchcord will have that length). My Tinker was a gift from my wife, so it is like a charm to me, and I carry it to me all the time. So the Tinker was the only tool I have in hands and what I've done was to cut the breaked connector and replace it with another one that came with the server (the kit come with 2 meters (!!!)network cable, 2 connectors, CDs and Manuals). Was a good night of work, and the feeling of "mission completed" filled me. As I know that some situation like this is common to IT Support Guys, I decide to make an Instructable to share this experience. Feel free to contact me by email if you want at [e-mail] ! Thank you for your comment! Best Regards! Cesar

[chalky]

Good job buddy:)

[cesarscavone]

Thanks Chalky to visit my instructable! I hope you enjoy! Regards!