Re: Twinax Tester

>I recently took on new customer.. He wants to use twinax for his
>local devices(approx 20)sooooo I said fine, we will use twinax but
>he has insisted on making up his own cables(I was against this) but
>here we are.. While at an older customer site this weekend, I ran
>across a twinax tester made by IBM that was shipped with his old
>9406-D35... It was still in the box and to my knowledge, never been
>used... We couldn't find the manual that goes with the tester...
>Does anybody know what the correct manual is for this device or maybe
>a short telephone course on how this puppy works..... It looks like
>it can test either twinax or twisted pair so it could come in handy
>for other site problems....


This is definitely a do-it-yourself type of job; just a bit more
complicated than putting ends on a cable TV cable (with only a single inner
lead).

You can test without the tester... a multi-meter will let you perform a few
basic tests on the cable.  [If you have more than the 20 or so devices; get
a tester!]

There are 3 conductors to deal with:  the 2 inner leads and the shield.

First test:  Make sure there are no shorts between any of the 3 conductors.

2nd test: Make sure each conductor is continuous from end to end.

3rd test: Make sure the inner 2 conductors are properly aligned.  This
means that the 'left' pin really connects to the 'left' pin at the other
end.

With a little practice (and the Black Box Cable End Preparation Tool (a
gadget that holds a bank of razor blades at the proper depths to strip the
insulation, shield, and inner filling)), you'll be stuffing cable into
connectors like crazy!

If you're careful (and don't have 'frizzies' of wire shorting things out),
the only test you really need to be concerned with is making sure the 2
conductors are properly aligned.   One is 'send,' the other 'receive.'  If
you swap 'em, the cable won't work.  But it's a simple matter to unscrew
the connector shell and reverse the pin positions.  A nearby terminal may
be the only test tool you need-- if the terminal gets a signon screen, your
cable's OK.

MAKE SURE TO PUT THE SHELL OF THE CONNECTOR ON THE CABLE BEFORE YOU START
SOLDERING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn@ix.netcom.com


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