1. Creating an Ethernet Cable By Daniel Baxter

2. Step 1: Gathering the Materials When I started the class in August one the first things I did was order the Ethernet cable materials. I ordered a: Wire clamping/crimping tool Ethernet CAT5e cable RJ-45 plugs A cable tester. I actually ordered two cable testers because the first one did not work correctly. It turns out that was more of user error than an issue with the tester.

3. Step 2: Preparing the wire I determined to create T-568A standard cables. The first thing I did after sorting my materials was take the sheathing off of the wire using the crimping tool. I tried to strip about an inch to two inches of the wire off. So far so good.

4. Step 3:Unraveling and sorting the wire After I stripped the wire I started the incredibly frustrating process of unraveling and sorting the wire into the proper order to make the correct cable connection. The individual wires have the be separated into the order that is shown on the right. This was a very frustrating process because I have big hands and I could not get the wires to stay in the proper order. Also I was terrified that my order would get lost while trying to insert it into the RJ-45 cable. Another added difficulty is that I am color blind which compounded my frustration.

5. Step 4: Preparing the wire After I got everything the way I wanted it, I inserted the cords in the RJ-45 connector. I tried to make sure I pushed as far as I could to make sure the wires would connect with the end of the connection. Once I got everything in order, I clipped the ends of the wire down to about half an inch. I tried to get them straight, but as you can see in the photo no one is perfect.

6. Step 5: Crimping Once I got everything perfect on my wires and had firmly pressed them into the RJ-45 connector, I began crimping. Unfortunately, in my first attempt I crimped the connector backwards as seen in the photo. Needless to say I was a little frustrated about that. I quickly learned that I was using the tool wrong and did not make that mistake again.

7. Step 6: Testing Cable 1 In my next attempt at making a cable after ruining my last cable in the crimping process, I finally got a chance to test the wire. This was the part of the process that about made me lose my mind. I went through at least 4 cables and a new tester before I was able to get a positive cable test. Needless to say when I saw the test light up in the correct way I nearly cried (not really, but I was really happy).

8. Step 7: Creating and Testing Cable 2 After at least 5 attempts I was able to get cable to test correctly. It was driving me crazy, but I think what I was doing wrong was I was not matching up the ends of the cables identically. I was putting in one end backwards when inserting it into the RJ-45. In my second attempt to create a working cable I was nearly as frustrated as the first try. I will not take you through the whole process since It was identical to cable 1. You can see my constructed cable 2 in the above photo.

9. Reflections on creating an Ethernet cable I really did not know what it expect from this assignment. I had never done anything of this nature before and frankly I did not know it was even possible before this class. Although I found the process frustrating, it was rewarding. I love working with my hands and there is a sense of accomplishment in creating something that works like this. It really gave me a greater appreciation for how networks work in a way because it is amazing to think that so much complicated information can travel through something as simple as an Ethernet cable. I know in the future I will make a cable faster and with greater effectiveness because of how I was able to learn through my mistakes in this process. I made my share of mistakes that I clearly outlined, but that made the information stick better because of it.