Twist, but no shout, from sore fingers

Bill Runge

NEC BNS (West) Inc.

Problem

Fingertips are sore and tender from terminating cable all day.

Solution

Use a ballpoint pen casing or an 8-inch section of plenum-cable jacketing that has been cut at a 45° angle. The open end of a pen casing or cable jacket is placed between pairs and rotated to get the twist out.

Procedure

•Remove about 6 inches or more of plenum-cable jacketing, depending on the application.

•Remove the Kevlar.

•Cut the end of a pen casing or plenum-cable jacket at a 45° angle to form a point.

•Use the point of the pen casing or plenum-cable jacket to separate pairs.

•Rotate in the direction of the twist to undo.

•To remain compliant with tia/eia-568a, only a half-inch of each pair can be untwisted.

The pen casing or the jacket of a plenum cable can be cut at a 45° angle. The resultant edge is used to separate the pairs; when rotated, the twist comes out.

Bill Runge is a project leader at NEC BNS (West) Inc. (Iowa City, IA). This tip was submitted for the Cabling Installer Tips` Contest at Cabling Installation Expo `98, last October in Atlanta.