How To Use A Punch Down Tool

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If you're repairing or installing cables for your home, you'll probably exist faced with the need to cut and secure wires. Exposed wires tin can exist dangerous and may cause your connections to short out. To ensure that your wires are secure, utilise a punch down tool to trim and incorporate the wires in a bones jack. If you're ofttimes terminating wires, consider upgrading to a faster, more efficient dial down tool.

1
Strip back the cable jacket. You should leave about 2.five inches (six cm) at the stop of the cable. Insert the cablevision into the cablevision stripping tool or modular crimping tool and spin it around a few times. You should meet that the jacket is cutting. Remove the jacket.^[1]
- Stripping back the cable will help you remove the jacket to expose plenty of the cable and so yous can split up it.
2
Expose the wires. You should accept a few inches of exposed cable in one case you remove the cablevision jacket. Gently pull abroad the wire pairs from the center of the cable then they fan out. Separate the wire pairs by twisting in a counterclockwise motion. ^[2] ^[3]
- Try to straighten the ends equally much every bit y'all can since this tin can make them easier to terminate.
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iii
Place the cable wires in the jack. Accept the protective cover off the height of the jack and set the cable into the block of the jack. Insert each wire (conductor) into its own split slot, making sure that the wire matches the A or B configuration. The conductor wires should be extending out of the jack.^[4] ^[five]
- Consider whether or not you want to use the T568A or T568B wiring scheme. The T568B is becoming more popular since information technology can be used with older color codes every bit well every bit newer codes.^[6]
four
Terminate the usher wires. Take your dial downwards tool and press it downward on the conductor wires to cut them. The angled (cut) role of the blade should come into contact with the shoulder (the long sturdy side of the jack). This volition likewise make sure the wires that are cut are flush with the jack.^[vii] ^[8]
- Be sure to dial direct down and non at an angle. This will prevent the jack from angle.
- You should hear a loud click when you lot punch down. This just ways that you've terminated the wire correctly.^[9]
5
Inspect the wires. Once you've finished terminating the wires, await at each wire to brand sure there is no overhang out the side of the jack. You should too make sure that the edge of the cable jacket is nigh the base of the jack and the wires you but terminated. The wires should exist deeply in place.^[10]
- If you notice wires sticking out the side, take a wire cutter and carefully trim the wire so that information technology'due south flush with the jack.
half-dozen
Place a dust cap on the jack. Snap the grit caps in place so that the wires are protected. This will keep the connection secure and tin can prevent strain on the wires. You can easily remove the dust cap if you need to brand changes to wiring afterward. Just pop off the dust cap using a apartment-head screwdriver inserted into the indentation on the side.^[eleven]
- If you lot tin can't set the dust caps back on the jack, your wires may not be seated correctly. Check the wires again to make sure they are secure and trimmed.

1
Notice a bones hand-powered punch downwards tool. If you'll but occasionally be terminating wires, you tin can notice a simple dial down tool that relies on force per unit area to trigger a cut mechanism.
- These are commonly the least expensive and y'all can purchase replacement blades if they become dull.
2
Consider ownership a battery-powered punch downwardly tool. If you'll exist terminating lots of wires or demand to do it rapidly, y'all may want to use a bombardment-powered punch downwards tool. These usually come with lithium batteries that don't require much charging.
- You can choose the voltage for your punch down tool besides as whether or not you'd similar to purchase replacement blades. You may want to purchase the actress blades if yous'll be terminating a lot of wires.
iii
Get a multi-wire punch downwards tool. You might detect that you're still terminating and then many wires that a standard punch down tool can't keep upwards with the work. Multi-wire dial tools piece of work by terminating several pairs of twisted wires then yous can finish more wire more chop-chop.^[12]
- Multi-wire punch down tools are also more efficient than standard dial downwards tools. They tin as well subtract hand fatigue which is more common in standard dial tools.