Cabletron Systems 100BASE-FX, Cabling Manual

Page: 48 / 192

Ethernet Media
4-24 Connector Types
Figure 4-15. Solid and Stranded RJ45 Blades
The solid UTP connector arranges the contact points of the blades in a staggered
fashion. The purpose of this arrangement is to pierce the insulator on either side
of the core wire and make contacts on either side. As the contact points cannot
burrow into the solid core, they clamp the wire in the middle of the blade,
providing three opportunities for a viable connection.
The contact pins and their associated wires are organized into what is known as a
pinout. The pinout of a connector or port is the layout of the wires or cables
coming into the connector. The pinout used in any connector is dependent upon
the wiring specification to which the cable is constructed. The 10BASE-T standard
requires that all the cables used in the network end in connectors with particular
pinouts. The pinout form required by the 10BASE-T standard is the EIA/TIA
568A specification.
The EIA/TIA 568A specification orders the pairs in a four-pair cable into the
pinout shown in Figure 4-16, below. The RJ45 connector in Figure 4-16 is being
viewed from the contact blade end, with the locking clip up.
Figure 4-16. EIA/TIA 568A Pair Association
Solid Core
Insulator
Staggered Teeth
Clamp Core Wire
Stranded Core
Insulator
Inline Teeth Nest
in Core Strands
1845n15
W-OR BL W-BL GR OR W-BR W-GR BR
Pair 1
Pair 2
Pair 4 Pair 3
1845n16