The connection between the outside BT line and the inside

plugwash said:
tynan said:
I couldn't see how the phone wires plus insulation were supposed to fit into the tiny gaps between the metal teeth
they aren't.

they are a one time use connection method

you insert the wires first (without stripping them) then you squeese them hard (there are proper tools but pliers should do if you are carefull. The metal teeth bite through the insulation and connect to the wire inside, meanwhile the "jelly" is squeezed arround inside the connector covering everything inside and waterproofing it.

so person would have to physically get the wires between the teeth then?

thanks for clarifying that
 
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yeah when you insert the wires the teeth are above where the wires go then they are squeezed down over the wire.

you know those punchdown blocks you get on the back of phone sockets? its like those but the teeth move rather than the wire moving.

as for the bag sizes lets see 300 connectors, 2 per join in the cable (a phone line in its pre-master socket form is two wires). so if your diy one bag is probablly a lifetime supply.

on the other hand if you have a 100 pair cable that has been dug through and you have to make two joints in every pair (not unlikely if a section of cable is missing) a bag may last less than one job
 
For those who do not know, the joints we are talking about look like this:

joint.jpg


They are very easy to use.

Cut your wires, but do not strip them
wires.jpg



Insert the wires into the joint so the go right the way to the bottom
unpressed.jpg



Squidge it with pliers

The metal bit in the joint cuts into the wires like this

wiresback.jpg

You can see some of the gel on the orange wire

wiresside.jpg





(I didn't have any phone cable, so used cat5 instead)
 
got it, so the act of closing the thing actually forces the wires between the teeth

I've got this far in my life without even seeing one of thee things before, I suspect a 100 is rather more than a lifetime supply

so these things are the professional way to join wires then? rather than the socket and plugs the likes of B&Q sell for extensions? with a dinky box to tuck it all inside of?
 
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they are mainly used by BT and others who are interested in reliable and permanent connections especially outdoors.

i don't think those installing inside buildings use them much, mostly you are running straight from one patch panel or wall outlet to another anyway and everything like that tends to terminate on punchdown blocks, you can also use small junction boxes containing punchdown blocks (i still reccomend you stick to jellies here though if only so you can stick with BTs original box, the less there is to indicate your install wasn't done by BT the better).

screw terminals are generally frowned upon for phone wiring, even with the metal plates to stop the wire going up the side of the screw they are still far from optimal because thin solid core cable is pretty hard to strip without nicking it and the nick forms a weak point that is prone to break.

BTW don't try to use punchdown blocks or jellies with stranded wire, they aren't designed for it and you will not get good contacts. Also when using RJ45 and similar plugs make sure you buy ones matched to the cable type you are using with.
 
tynan said:
thank heaven you were here to stop me wasting my life
Oh I think you're mistaken; I never had a hope of stopping you - I'm just adding a bit of pointless sarcasm to bring out the flavour of an otherwise immensely tedious and repetitive topic.
 
I wouldn't class it as repetitive.

It's the first time I've seen questions about gel filled IDC connectors.


Who knows, maybe someone actually learned something from this thread ;)
 
The ones on Ebay still have no bids........could get a bargain if it wasn't for the postage!
 
RF Lighting said:
I wouldn't class it as repetitive.

It's the first time I've seen questions about gel filled IDC connectors.
Me too, and I grant you that I've learned something, but the thrust of my point was my amazement that the OP has drawn this out to three pages whilst deciding whether or not to use something that will cost him mere pennies.
 
Did you know that due to the petrolium jelly the crimps create a fire risk and the same guide lines for jelly filled cable apply?

So they should not be used inside a building under H&S rules and if they are they must be enclosed in a fire rated box.

With BT jelly filled CW1128 cables they must terminate within 3m of the building outer wall (or be contained in metal fire stopped trunking) and the cable must rise to a termination box.
Reason being that should the cable drop to the box, jelly will run out of the cable.

Funny thing is the picture showing the jelly joins and the cable cores is wrong :rolleyes:

Reason? The jelly joins would be used for like for like cable cores, that one shows an orange solid core being joined to a white orange core, thats wrong :LOL:
 
tim west said:
but engineers get off on this sort of thing :)
I agree, which is why I read the topic, and now I'm trying to find a reason to use some of them there gel connectors. ;)

Hmm, wonder if I can get them cheaper than 4.5p each...
 
the subjects of your sarcasm work out at 45p each

HTH
 

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