Lab 5.3.6 Straight-Thru Cable

Estimated time: 45 min.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate skill with a cable tester more advanced than a simple continuity/pin-out tester
• Use the Test feature of the tester to check for opens and shorts with coax and UTP cable
• Understand the use of the Cable ID feature

In this lab, you will learn the Cable Test – Pass / Fail features of the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter (or its equivalent). Basic cable tests can be very helpful in troubleshooting cabling problems with UTP and coaxial cable. You will learn how to use a cable tester to check for the proper installation of Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Coaxial (Thinnet) for an Ethernet network. You will test different cables to determine some problems that can occur from incorrect cabling installation and termination.

The cabling infrastructure (or cable plant) in a building is expected to last at least 10 years. Cabling related problems are one of the most common causes of network failure. The quality of cabling components used, the routing and installation of the cable and quality of the connector terminations will be the main factors in determining how trouble-free the cabling will be.

Prior to starting the lab, the teacher or lab assistant should have several correctly wired CAT 5 cables (both straight thru and crossover) to test. There should also be several CAT 5 cables created with problems and a coaxial cable to test. Cables should be numbered to simplify the testing process and to maintain consistency. A cable tester should be available that can do basic cable test for UTP and coax. Work individually or in teams. The following resources will be required:

• CAT 5 straight-thru and crossover wired cables of different colors. (some good and some bad)
• CAT 5 straight-thru and crossover wired cables with open wire connections in the middle or one or more conductors shorted at one end of different colors and different lengths
• Coax cable with a short in it
• Cable Tester (Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or similar) to test cable length, continuity, wire map

Here are several web sites where you can get additional information on cabling standards:

• http://www.bicsi.org/techsem
• http://www.fluke.com/

These instructions pertain to the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter. Turn the rotary switch selector on the tester to the TEST position. Press the SETUP button to enter the setup mode and observe the LCD screen on the tester. The first option should be CABLE: Press the UP or DOWN buttons until the desired cable type of UTP or COAX (thinnet) is selected. Press ENTER to accept that setting and go to the next one. Continue pressing the UP/DOWN arrows and pressing ENTER until the tester is set to the following cabling characteristics depending on the type of cable you will be testing.

Tester Option	Desired Setting - UTP	Desired Setting - COAX
CABLE:	UTP	COAX
WIRING:	10BASE-T or EIA/TIA 4PR	10BASE2 or RG58 (thinnet)
CATEGORY:	CAT 5	N/A
WIRE SIZE	AWG 24	N/A
CAL to CABLE?	NO	NO
BEEPING:	ON or OFF	ON or OFF
LCD CONTRAST	From 1 thru 10 (brightest)	From 1 thru 10 (brightest)

 
Step 2. Setup the Cable to be Tested (UTP or COAX)

For each cable to be tested use the following procedure, place the near end of the cable into the RJ-45 jack labeled UTP/FTP on the tester. Place the RJ-45-RJ-45 female coupler on the far end of the cable and then insert the Cable Identifier into the other side of the coupler. The coupler and the cable identifier are accessories that come with the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter. Multiple Cable Id's with different numbers can be purchased to help in identifying which cable you are working with. For coax cables, insert one end of the BNC connector into the jack labeled COAX on the tester. Coax cables should not have a terminating resistor.

Using the tester’s Test function and a Cable ID Unit (for UTP), you can determine the functionality of the cable. Perform a basic cable test on each of the cables provided and fill in the following table based on the result for each cable tested. For each cable, write down the number and color, whether the cable is straight-through, crossover or coaxial. Include also the tester screen test results and what you think the problem is. The Cable ID can be used to identify a particular cable by moving it to another cable.

Cable No.	Cable Color	How cable is wired (UTP or coax)	Tester Displayed Test Results (Note: refer to the Fluke manual for detailed description of test results)	Problem Description
1
2
3
4