Has anyone installed a UTP in only 3/16" hardboard or in 1/4" plywood? If so, was there an issue with the regular plugging and unplugging of the throttle cable?
Bearman
You could always reinforce your fascia where you need to attach things by laminating another layer or two of material to the back side of the fascia.
Yes. Cut a piece of plywood about 6"X4" and cut out a square hole about 2"X1". Then use the thing like a wooden fastener on the back side of the thin fascia. Use wood screws to go through the fascia and seat in the backer board, pinching everything together.
Robert
There must be something I am missing. It’s an RJ12 plug, not a trailer hitch.
If the 1/4" ply or the 3/16" hardboard is well attached there is no need for any backing.
I was not ready to attach fascia, so I slapped a piece of 3/16" hardboard to the leg and leg support. Therefore it is not parallel to the edge of the the table top layout. Looks like I didn’t install the UTP panel level either. The RJ plug is going to break, long before the hardboard gives way.
Actually, Big Daddy, it is an RJ11 4 conducter plug, but that is neither here nor there. And, attachment of the hardboard is not going to be an issue…it will be attached and secure.
Robert, I think I will try that. The foam and plywood are 1 1/2 inches thick. The fascia hardboard will be 6 inches wide/deep leaving 4 1/2 inches of hardboard underneath the base foam/plywood. When I built the bench work I never expected to install UTP’s in these two locations, which is why I asked the original question.
There are some things than can’t be learned,…at least by me. [;)]
You are not the only one Big Daddy.
Sorry, but that is an RJ-12, 6 conductor, at lease that’s on all of my NCE parts.
As I understand it, with an SB5 booster the Power Cab throttle is now an Rj11 4 conductor, with the coiled cable connector, and the CAB 06 throttles are both 4 conductor connectors.
The jacks on the SB5 are 12’s for the cab bus. They may only use the center four.
The curly cable that came with my 6 has the RJ-12 form Factor with only four conductors. The curly cable with my Power Cab has an RJ-11 on each end. From this, I’d say use an RJ-12 and wire the center four to be sure whatever cord you have fits.
I used leftover RJ-45 jacks on mine and an RJ-45 splitter as a passive hub for the three additional jacks I added to my layout, which is now gone. The nice thing about this series of parts is the smaller plugs still work in the larger jacks, just contact fewer pins.
Guys, guys, guys…at this point I do not care about whether it is an RJ12, or an RJ11 or an RJ1000, the question is will a 3/16" fascia with a UTP hold up in the long run?
Nobody ever heard of ‘Radio Control’? No RJs needed.
I have heard of radio control and I am not interested. Just something more complicated that can go wrong. Besides I have too much invested in wires and cable and all that stuff.
Big Daddy you mention that the RJ plug will break before the panel does. That is my big concern. Is it difficult to replace the plug or do you need to buy a new cable? Can you make your own cable and thereby get a longer reach? Thanks wdcrvr
You can make your own cables, but I just pay someone locally to do it.
I don’t think Big Daddy Henry said that the connector would break, I think he was saying that the panel was unlikely to break before the connector would. I think he was saying the connector wouldn’t break in a million years, but the panel was even sturdier and it would take a million and one years to break.
Regarding making your own cable, there is a special tool to do that. It cuts the cable, strips the wires, and crimps the little plastic connector. You can buy one, but the easiest thing to do is borrow one from your company’s IT Department or from one of your computer buddies. Unless you make a lot of cables, you don’t really need to buy a special tool.
Robert
I think I understand now. Your fascia is 6" top to bottom, but the top 1.5" is aganst the plywood and foam base of the layout. Your question is will the remaining 4.5" of hardboard be strong enough to withstand repeated plugging and unplugging?
I would say yes. My pic is the power panel for the Power Cab, but the UTP panel doesn’t look that much different in the height and width you need to cut out of the fascia. From memory…1.25" high and 2.5" wide. You will have plenty of meat on the hardboard around the panel so it won’t crack unless you have anger management issues or a King Kong thing going on.
The plugs, whatever the correct designation is, have a little plastic arm to help them clip on. It’s plastic and plastic gets brittle over time and you are flexing it each time you plug and unplug it. It’s going to break eventually. The are easily replaced with the tool you can find at Home Depot. I would not lose any sleep over that little clip.
If you want to lose sleep over something, buy a microwave made in South Korea. When the handle breaks off while it is under warranty, they won’t cover it.
Yes, Henry, you are correct.
LION has one of those tools. Actually the LION has TWO of those tools. Him could not find where him left the first one, and so him bought an udder. Tool Costs $30-$70
OK, so LION runs a computer network, and so him has to make lotsa cables. Guess what? BIG FURRY PAWS WITH ARTHRITIS AND DIFFICULT VISION can no longer put those things together without a lot of ROARING and cussing. and so the Abbot and I agreed that it would be best to buy pre-made cables in the long run.
Now I got drawers full of NIC cables of different lengths. Long distance runs are CAT-6 cable and are difficult to terminate in a male plug because the cable is of greater diameter than the plug thingies. LION uses CAT-5e Strtanded for patch cords, but like him said, him buys those now rather than making them.
The Cat-6 cable terminate in the female plug and these him can punch down with no problem at all. So I get maintenanace to run the CAT-6s for me and then I punch in the terminal plugs at each end.
Oh Well. I do not now about this DCC stuff at all. but it seems to me that you can terminate cables in a punchdown plug, and then use patch cords to connect them to your appliances.
ROAR