It is obviously cheaper to make my own cables and custom legnths are possible so making my own is a no brainer. Videos talk about 6wire cable and connectors and 8 wire cables and connectors. I will be using an nce dcc system so here are the questions.
1. Are all components 6 wire or are some 8 wire?
2. Who is a good source for cable and connectors?
3. Who is a good source for a crimper?
Thank you
Which cables?
6 conductor wire cable is commonly referred to as 3 pair Telephone wire, 8 conductor is 4 pair.The connectors are 6 conductor RJ12 and 8 conductor RJ45.Home Depot here in Bakersfield stocks both connectors well as crimpers. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
NCE uses RJ-12 6P connectors and 6-conductor wire cable for their UTP panels. I'm not aware they use 8P connectors.
I purchased my RJ connectors, cables, and (Eclipse) crimper from Litchfield Station. The connectors you can purchase in any quantity and the cables by the foot. The cost (& shipping) is very reasonable, too. The crimper will handle 4P, 6P, and 8P connectors.
When you correctly crimp the connectors to the wires, the wire coloring will be exactly the same when you compare the tops of the connectors to one another moving left-to-right (or right-to-left). So, make sure you have the cable correctly oriented before you squeeze the handle.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Hello All,
Check out Show Me Cables.
The NCE DCC system manual shows the pin configuration and recommended connectors.
If you don't have the manual for your NCE system, contact them and they will provide you with the necessary schematics.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Just a word of caution from NCE:
https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201799499-NCE-DCC-Cables-Explained
"The Flat 6 wire cable used for the Power Cab is custom made to our specifications and only available thru NCE. Do not attempt to use any other cable. Any 4 or 6 wire cable you purchase from other vendors will not have the same size wires and will void your Power Cab factory warranty. For other applications the maximum length is 40 feet."
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterJust a word of caution from NCE:
i believe this comments regards the issue that most telecom cables are designed for communication not power, which 1 pair of the 6 conductor NCE cable carries between the PowerCab and layout.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Given that they are primarily a DCC vendor, I can verify that the RJ12 cable I purchased and received from Litchfield Station works as advertised.
tstageWhen you correctly crimp the connectors to the wires, the wire coloring will be exactly the same when you compare the tops of the connectors to one another moving left-to-right (or right-to-left). So, make sure you have the cable correctly oriented before you squeeze the handle...
Fortunately you can usually see the colors of the wire ends in the connectors.
This was lots of fun in the old days of Ethernet (4 twisted pairs) when some patch cables were wired differently. Modem designers made the outstanding decision to accommodate this 'plug and play' so that either kind would just work if you plugged it in. I don't know if model-train makers feel the need (or have the development money) to do such a thing...
tstageNCE uses RJ-12 6P connectors and 6-conductor wire cable for their UTP panels. I'm not aware they use 8P connectors.
According to Larry Puckett, they are going to 8 wire connectors. The Powercab, if is is the command station, uses 6. If you have a smart booster, it uses 4 wires.
There is a CAT-5 UTP panel, whose purpose is to power long runs.
Well I can't link to the Youtube video. https://youtu.be/H07Wym7LYE4
I can never remember is NCE cables are cross pair or not.
Cross pair, if I have it right, means what color wires are in the connector, from left to right, are in the same order on the other connector of the wire.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I can recall Randy Rinker (MHRIP) responding that for throttles like the Digitrax 4XX series, a phone cable is fine. For loconet and similar packet transmission, use the cable where all wires run parallel to arrayed pins, and not like in the phone cable where two of them cross.
ndbprr It is obviously cheaper to make my own cables and custom legnths are possible so making my own is a no brainer. Videos talk about 6wire cable and connectors and 8 wire cables and connectors. I will be using an nce dcc system so here are the questions. 1. Are all components 6 wire or are some 8 wire? 2. Who is a good source for cable and connectors? 3. Who is a good source for a crimper? Thank you
Amazon is a great source. I got a crimper kit which included the 6 / 8 wire crimper, a cable tester, 6 and 8 wire ends and shields, cable stripper, a punch down impact tool, and a case all for about $20. Used it to put an ethernet in my house. I would suggest getting the pass through connectors as it's is a lot esier to get the correct color into the correct hole.