Re: CAT 5 wiring

Any reason why you're considering Cat 5 in particular? The Cat 5 spec
is aimed at handling very high data rate transmission - 100 Mbit/s
Ethernet etc - so is overkill for the kind of application you're
talking about, unless you just happen to have some to hand. Standard
telephone cable is also twisted pair construction, so can offer some
of the noise/crosstalk immunity benefits of Cat 5 when used with one
leg of each pair grounded, but is cheaper than Cat 5. It should be
well able to handle the data rates that you would experience in CNC
applications.

Regards,
Tony

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Jon Elson <jmelson@a...> wrote:
>
>
> JanRwl@A... wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 06-Apr-01 17:16:06 Central Daylight Time,
> > jvicars@c... writes:
> >
> > > Is there a reason not to use CAT 5, 8 twisted pair cable
(ethernet) for
> > > wiring the signal wires from the parallel port to the drivers
(I.E. the TTL
> > > level signals, step, dir, etc.)
> >
> > Joe: I may be all-wrong, but I THINK that will work just fine,
particularly
> > if you carefully make sure ONE-each of each twisted pair is made
GROUND
> > (-ve).
> >
> > Solder what? Cat. 5 wire? Connectors? I don't understand this
part of the
> > question! If you use a good unshorted-to-AC-line iron, or a
> > green-wire-grounded one, I see no reason one COULDN'T solder it,
so long as
> > power is off, and/or (better), connector is NOT connected until
> > done/checked-out!
>
> Some wires made for insulation-displacement connectors do not have
> platings that are compatible with solder. (I don't think this is
true of
> these particular wires, however.) But, I HAVE come across pure
> aluminum wires, and others with strange platings that would not tin
> no matter WHAT I did.
>
> Jon