Cabletron Systems 100BASE-FX, Cabling Manual

Page: 99 / 192

Connector Types 9-13
Token Ring Media
Figure 9-6. The Shielded RJ45 Connector
The shielded RJ45 cable is made up of the plastic and metal outer housing and
locking clip. Within the housing, a series of contact blades are lined up next to one
another to provide contact points for the pins of the RJ45 port. The contact blades
themselves are square-shaped, flat on three sides and with a set of two or three
triangular teeth on one side. The teeth of the connector are at the bottom of the
blades to pierce the individual wires of the STP cable when the connector is
crimped shut.
Shielded RJ45 connectors are available in configurations designed to attach to
either solid core or stranded core STP wires. Be sure when selecting cabling and
connectors that the RJ45 connector chosen is correct for the type of cabling to be
used. The blades of the RJ45 connector (shown in Figure 9-8) end in a series of
points that pierce the jacket of the wires and make the connection to the core.
Different types of connections are required for each type of core composition.
These connectors are differentiated by the arrangement of the teeth of the contact
blades.
An STP cable that uses solid core wires requires the use of contact blades with
three teeth. This is due to the inability of the teeth to effectively penetrate the solid
core of the STP wire without damaging the cable. The three teeth are placed in a
staggered left-right-left orientation that pierces the insulator of the STP wire and
wedges the core between the teeth, making an electrical contact at three points.
A cable that uses stranded core wires will allow the contact points to nest among
the individual strands. The contact blades in a stranded RJ45 connector, therefore,
are laid out with their contact points in a straight line. The contact points cut
through the insulating material of the jacket and make contact with several
strands of the core.
Contact Blades
Locking Clip
Plastic Hood
Metal Shielding
1845n25