Make Your Own VGA Cord of CAT5 Cable!

As most of you know, getting a descent length of VGA monitor cable is a costly thing. With this instructable I'll show you how to make a 15m long VGA cable, out of plain ol' CAT5 network cable.

Step 1: Strip You Filthy Cable You! Strip!

To make life a bit easier, strip of about an inch of the CAT5 outer insulation. And behold: 8 precious wires in pretty colors. Make sure you strip about 2/3 mm of the inner wire insulation. Try using an wire stripper. I use my teeth, because Macgyver does it too. Don't make it to long as it could shortcut when fiddling all the wires in the VGA connector.

Step 2: Soldering Is Fun!

Well the next thing to do is solder the wires to the VGA connectors you bought. The best connectors are male ones. But my local radioshack didn't have em, so he sold me the female ones with an male-male adapter. As long as it works i say! The connector have got the pin numbers on the solderside, and with the help of a scheme i stole from http://www.geocities.com/dougburbidge/vgaovercat5.html i can solder the right wires to it. Note that im not using an RJ45 connector as shown on the illustration, thats not necessary in my application (very awsome home cinema set).
Just solder the shown colors to the right pins. Good luck with the bridge for pins 5, 10 and 8, naah it's not really that hard =)

Step 3: Decoration!

I bought some VGA connector housings, it really tidies up the lot. After that i popped on the adapters, but if you bought the good connectors you don't have to, of course. Repeat steps 1-3 for the other side of the cable. You're awesome!

Step 4: Check If It Works!

Connect the cable to the computer and to the beamer. Make sure your graphic card settings are correct and presto! VGA over a CAT 5 cable! I have no idea how long this cable could be. i made one that was 15m long and it worked perfectly @ 1024x768, so hallaluja! Enjoy!

Comments

[junbata]

Halo ! I am new here.. I have a question? May be you can help me. I want to control may LCD monitor through cutting of one of the pin of D-sub cable and not the Power source. (To Avoid damaged).
May purpose to this is to Always run the CPU and only Blank the screen if nobody used or force to blank screen to stop the user.

NOTE : I will used relay to ON/OFF this LCD by separate control. Through opening of contact of 1 of the 15 pins.
my problem is I dont know which pins is i will going to control OFF/ON.

Hoping for your future answer..
Thanks !

GOD BLESS..

[aidamprince891]

have you guys try VGA cable to connet to a tv and phone or smart phone

[zealroy]

Use pin 13 or 14 or both f you want using dpdt relays...

[jvkumar333]

I brought VGA Extender Adapter to Cat5/cat6/rj45 Cable but its not working picture is blinking every 2 to 3 seconds I don't know what is the problem I think cat 6 cable colour code crimping to RJ45 kindly suggest me what is the colour code to crimp the cable

[MillerB1]

Archive snapshot link to the now-dead geocities link referred to in the article:

https://web.archive.org/web/20070615023412/http://www.geocities.com/dougburbidge/vgaovercat5.html

[AnuragAgrawal333]

Thanks for posting this. I've made two cables, one is 10 meter long and another is 25 meter for duplicating my monitors display in TVs in two different rooms, and both are working fine. I've used a vga splitter also.

[Talegmam]

Thanks for sharing that one.

I tried it and it worked. It's a lot of fun

.

[Talegmam]

Thanks for sharing that one.

I tried it and it worked. It's a lot of fun

.

[JonB130]

I did this, followed everything step by step. I have an issue now and not sure how to fix it. The cable is about 4.2m long and when I plugged it into the TV, the resolution is unsupported. Okay, so I plugged it into a monitor, same thing. What could case this? I used cat 6, not cat 5 if that is the issue. I can redo the whole thing. I would not have thought that to be an issue unless there is a difference. If there is any help, that would be great.

[mde landgraaf]

Hi Jon

Sorry, i am not using my other account anymore. Regarding your question, im not sure what the issue can be, i do know there is a data line that carries the resolution information:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0BE-eXEC5fA/TqDkU4bIC0I/... pin 12.

Maybe this helps you. It is possible your monitor needs this pin to function, maybe try a different screen?

[JonB130]

Thank you. I will see about running another wire to that. I did start the computer up normally with a traditional monitor, and set it to the lowest resolution, then plugged it into the TV. After that, I up'ed the resolution to max from there. Also, after 4 cores, I was able to get a little bit of a clear image, but still seems to have 4 echos. Its not noticeable from about 15ft away, but I have problems with details. I complained about seeing the screen divider in a movie theater... I will give another go at it, ill run it outside the casing. If it does make it better, Ill see about getting a new cable made with 10 or 12 lines. Thanks for the feedback.

[mde landgraaf]

also make sure your screen resolution is 1024x768

[RenrickI]

I tried to use CAT5 cable to connect it on a projector using this converters/adaptors but the output display is yellowish. can you tell me what might be the problem in this case? TIA.

[ManA7]

try to change the straight or cross cable...mybe it will help u

[imark77]

i have made adapters just like that and have experienced the yellow, usually it's a indication that one of the pins is not making correct contact on the cable. I unplug and reseat the cable and usually that fixes it. if that doesn't work you might want to check that all wires are connected properly and wired correct.

if that doesn't work you might want to redo following the standard ( or what I am calling a standard ) in the linked image. the guy who made this spent a lot of research and development just to get the manufacturer to make them. I discovered this on a AVS forum, he developed them for use in churches. and if you go digging for the original forum it lists distance and resolutions ( be warned it was very very long.......).

[deniuwish]

You can buy 2 video baluns with a standard cat5 cable and run the signal up to 300 ft. or something around that distance. This is meant only as an option if you don't feel comfortable soldering that many wires. Not to mention Running a VGA Signal over 25 ft degrades the signal noticeably.

[CorH]

Does anyone have experience with cables up to 50 meters long? I would like to extend a VGA cable to a projector. The distance is about between 40 and 50 meters. Is it a problem with that length? I wonder if there is anyone who has this experience. I can just buy a VGA to VGA cable, but this is obviously cheaper.

[GeorgeK9]

I am the a/v person for my church and have set up a ceiling mounted projector 100 feet away from the computer and the projector's monitor output going 50 feet to a monitor. I used one 100 foot VGA cable from the computer to the projector and two 25 foot cables to the monitor from the projector. It has been a total success for years.

[imark77]

the most I have been able to achieve is 50 feet (15.24m) 1024x768. as you increase length the resolution has to be lowered. however using a shielded cat 5e cable I was able to achieve 100 feet (30.48m) with little side effects ( somehow managed to get a ground loop, but I was running on a different circuit than the audio system ).

[GeorgeK9]