Things to Know When Selecting a Modular Plug - Vol. 8 No. 19

Find Out How You Can Get A Free Gift! Volume 8, Number 19 Things to Know When Selecting a Modular Plug Are you making your own phone or Ethernet cables? If so, L-com carries silver satin (phone) bulk cable, twisted pair Category 5e or 6 bulk cable, and modular plugs. Before selecting the plugs you need, however, there are a number of things to keep in mind. We asked David Gallagher, L-com's Product Manager of Modular Products, for his thoughts: Cable OD (outer diameter) Question: What are the nominal OD limits? Answer: Most Ethernet cable has a nominal OD of 0.180" to 0.250"… read more... Conductor OD Question: Why is the conductor OD important? Answer: Cables come in many different types and styles... read more... Question: What are the typical values? Answer: Most 24AWG Stranded Ethernet cable is less than 0.043" insulator OD… read more... Question: Why are they different? Answer: Serial data cable is often designed to carry simple voltage signals… read more... Plug Types Question: How can I tell what to get? Answers: Descriptions - Handset plugs are often designated as (4X4)… Common Terms - RJ11  (6X4) - 6 contact positions but only 4 populated with contacts… Shielded vs Non-Shielded - Shielded plugs have a metal outer shell and are often specified in areas where a shield or ground connection is required... read more... Contact Types - Plating Question: Why would you use Gold rather than Nickel? Answer: As everyone knows, gold is soft and malleable… read more... Question: How much Gold is enough? Answer: This varies greatly in the market especially with Gold over $800 per ounce… read more... Contact Types - Design Question: How do contacts work? Answer: Often I get calls from folks that notice that the contact seems to miss the conductor to one side… read more... Question: 3-Prong versus 2-Prong? Answer: Often 3-prong contacts are used with both solid and stranded conductors… read more... Question: What are your thoughts on contact quality? Answer: Often this is not considered by users when selecting plugs… read more... L-com lists compliance information on every product to save you time. Latest News at L-com    Website Updates    L-com Home Page    About L-com Custom Products and OEM Services    RoHS Compliance    Product Wizards Technical Resources    Press Release Archive    Newsletter Archive Request Print Catalog and Download PDF Files    Newsletter Feedback Latest News L-com Announces Release of New 2008 Master Catalog 2.0 Did You Know... L-com remains committed to protecting the environment Helpful Links L-com Home Page About L-com Custom Products and OEM Services RoHS Compliance Product Wizards Technical Resources Press Release Archive Newsletter Archive Request Print Catalog and Download PDF Files Newsletter Feedback

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