RJ-45

[MB]

What is the best way to ensure that RJ-45s connectors do not fall out of
the socket?

[Andy Burns]

MB wrote:

> What is the best way to ensure that RJ-45s connectors do not fall out of
> the socket?

Immediately throw away *every* cable you find that has a snapped off
tang, and always buy cables with protective boots, that reduces the
number that get snapped off tangs.

[Graham J]

MB wrote:
> What is the best way to ensure that RJ-45s connectors do not fall out of
> the socket?
>

Push them in until the barbs click?

--
Graham J

[Tweed]

Aw, that’s far too sensible a response. I was going to suggest 2 part
epoxy.

Seriously, if the clip/tang/tab is unbroken the connector shouldn’t fall
out. Of the hundreds I’ve used it’s never been a problem.

[Andy Burns]

Tweed wrote:

> if the clip/tang/tab is unbroken the connector shouldn’t fall
> out. Of the hundreds I’ve used it’s never been a problem.

I've come across a few where the plastic is 'a bit soft' so the tang
isn't that keen on clicking into place, you can bend it outwards a bit
at the risk of snapping it off ... if that happens you must throw the
cable away, so it's kill or cure :-)

[MB]

They seem to slip out of the protective boot so rarely helps.

[grinch]

On 18/11/2020 18:46, Andy Burns wrote:

Or learn to replace the RJ45 plugs its cheaper that way. I roll my own
anyway I am to mean to buy them.

[Graham J]

Strangely, I've seen this recently, where an elderly woman with small
and probably relatively weak hands had pushed a RJ45 plug into it's
socket but not far enough to click. Moving something else nearby
disturbed the cable and caused the network connection to break.

Similarly she had pushed the IEC mains connector into its socket, but
not sufficiently far so moving the PC a little interrupted the mains supply.

In both cases the connectors were on the rear of the PC, and in that
location were out of sight and awkward to reach, so mitigating
circumstances I feel.


--
Graham J

[MB]

On 18/11/2020 19:07, Tweed wrote:
> Aw, that’s far too sensible a response. I was going to suggest 2 part
> epoxy.
>
> Seriously, if the clip/tang/tab is unbroken the connector shouldn’t fall
> out. Of the hundreds I’ve used it’s never been a problem.

The "tang" often seems to not do mucy good.

I would quite willingly throw away every one if I had something better
to use,

[Mark Carver]

On 18/11/2020 20:59, MB wrote:
> On 18/11/2020 19:07, Tweed wrote:
>> Aw, that’s far too sensible a response. I was going to suggest 2 part
>> epoxy.
>>
>> Seriously, if the clip/tang/tab is unbroken the connector shouldn’t fall
>> out. Of the hundreds I’ve used it’s never been a problem.
>
> The "tang" often seems to not do mucy good.

Then perhaps there is a problem with a socket ?
There must be billions of RJ-45 connectors in the world, the only time,
in my experience of handling thousands of them, that there's a problem
when the plastic tang has been snapped off, or pushed to beyond its
elastic limit

[Graham J]

They're used industrially in data centres and the like and are reliable
enough for that market.

By contrast USB connectors - particularly the miniature ones found on
phones and small backup disks - they wear out and become unreliable in
mating, or fail internally where the cable bends at the edge of the
connector. I know the cables can be discarded and replaced; but in many
cases it is the socket on the device that wears so the whole device
becomes unuseable. So I would never use a USB device for backup; and
always prefer a NAS; which also has the advantage that the NAS box can
be located somewhere secure and accessed over the LAN so the link to the
laptop can be WiFi.


--
Graham J

[Chris Green]

But USB 'charger' connectors get much harder use than RJ45 ones - in
the main that is, I'm sure there's exceptions.

--
Chris Green
·

[Roderick Stewart]

On Wed, 18 Nov 2020 18:58:07 +0000, Graham J <nob...@nowhere.co.uk>
wrote:

And route the wires where nobody will trip over them.

Rod.

[NY]

"Graham J" <nob...@nowhere.co.uk> wrote in message
news:rp5ce0$7lp$1...@dont-email.me...

I've found that the normal failure mode for Micro-USB cables is not the plug
on the cable or the socket on the device (phone, HDD etc). It is the cable,
close to where it goes into the phone. This is especially the case for
phones which tend to be used in your hand with the cable plugged in to top
up the charge (or to transfer photos to PC). Because the connector is on the
bottom of the phone, the cable bends if you use the phone on your lap. It
would be useful if you could get cables where the lead comes out of the side
of the plug rather than the bottom of it. I sometimes use my phone to record
a GPS track when I'm out cycling, and I usually power the phone from an
external USB battery and cable, to avoid running down the phone's battery.
The case that I have which fits to my bike handlebars doesn't have much
extra height, so the lead tends to get bent back on itself: a side-feeding
cable would help a lot!


RJ45s are good solid connectors, as RJ11 and BT phone connectors.
Unfortunately the plastic that RJ11/45 plugs are made of is rather brittle
and the tab is prone to breaking off. I've never yet had the tab of a BT
plug break off, but they tend to be more flexible plastic.

A boot over the tab on an RJ45 helps a lot. It is a shame that many cables
do not come with these already fitted.

[Graham J]

NY wrote:

[snip]

> Because
> the connector is on the bottom of the phone, the cable bends if you use
> the phone on your lap. It would be useful if you could get cables where
> the lead comes out of the side of the plug rather than the bottom of it.

You can, see:

<https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/usb-cables/1862851/?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_Cables_%26_Wires_Whoop-_-USB+Cables_Whoop-_-1862851&matchtype=&pla-333953015199&gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0d8E8AYho5ZPU9-D595D7Py8G8PgBshvhJlHZyrCEl2X-JTiiq7MGCRoCxlcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds>

<https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/usb-cables/1862828/?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_Cables_%26_Wires_Whoop-_-USB+Cables_Whoop-_-1862828&matchtype=&pla-299936560496&gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0dwtoy4nc_OUnutm3UPyGRTWEHYvtzOyHBtRPVw26bfNMsvzqUsg1ExoCHMIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds>

<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charging-Braided-Reversible-Charger-Connector-black/dp/B08NPWR5Q4/ref=sr_1_25?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=USB+Cables&qid=1605782349&s=computers&sr=1-25&ts_id=430473031>

> I sometimes use my phone to record a GPS track when I'm out cycling, and

>

> A boot over the tab on an RJ45 helps a lot. It is a shame that many
> cables do not come with these already fitted.

But you can buy them:

<http://www.fiber-optical-networking.com/importance-plug-boot-rj45-cables.html>

--
Graham J

[David Wade]

On 18/11/2020 18:46, Andy Burns wrote:

If you have the proper tool you can snip and replace, but I bought a jar
of these:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324041057107

at around 35p each, they fit most plugs with broken clips and are a god
sent if the cable is routed in such a way its hard to remove.

Dave
G4UGM

[Graham J]

Or get the connectors:

<https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg08372/plug-rj45-8p8c-15u-10-pack/dp/CN16570?mckv=sT1Aw6Qxe_dc|pcrid|451507265956|kword||match|b|plid||slid||product||pgrid|77889377426|ptaid|dsa-881806956157|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-KWL&gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0d65eaBOteXmQX4lney2ndiJTMz4URKcV1D8EO93PcYqOeCxxTcpswBoCl90QAvD_BwE>

And cut of the damaged one. You do need the proper crimp tool. And
it's worth having a cable tester to confirm that you've routed each of
the 8 cores correctly and that they are all crimped properly.
--
Graham J

[NY]

"Graham J" <nob...@nowhere.co.uk> wrote in message

news:rp5q9l$1jb$1...@dont-email.me...

> Or get the connectors:
>
> <https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg08372/plug-rj45-8p8c-15u-10-pack/dp/CN16570?mckv=sT1Aw6Qxe_dc|pcrid|451507265956|kword||match|b|plid||slid||product||pgrid|77889377426|ptaid|dsa-881806956157|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-KWL&gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0d65eaBOteXmQX4lney2ndiJTMz4URKcV1D8EO93PcYqOeCxxTcpswBoCl90QAvD_BwE>
>
> And cut of the damaged one. You do need the proper crimp tool. And it's
> worth having a cable tester to confirm that you've routed each of the 8
> cores correctly and that they are all crimped properly.

I never had any success with fitting plugs, even with a cut-and-crimp tool.
I could never get all the wires to go into the correct holes and *to stay
there*, simultaneously, until I'd crimped the connector. I'd find there was
always one bastard wire that hadn't caught, and having crimped the pin, you
can't re-crimp it after you've put the missing wire back in: you have to cut
the connector off and start again.

At least with modern flat Cat5 cable, the wires are arranged in a line which
matches the row of crimp-sockets in the plug; with older round cable, the
wires don't want to stay in a straight row while you crimp them.

[Andrew]

They do if you buy a proper crimp tool and make your own patch
cables :-)

[MB]

On 18/11/2020 20:52, Graham J wrote:
> In both cases the connectors were on the rear of the PC, and in that
> location were out of sight and awkward to reach, so mitigating
> circumstances I feel.
>

I find I get annoyed at all the plugs, sockets, panels and often the
labelling, all being black.

I put a coloured spot on IEC connectors to make it easier to connect the
correct way. How difficult would it have been for the manufacturers to
mark their "polarity"?

[NY]

"MB" <M...@nospam.net> wrote in message news:rp6n4g$k23$1...@dont-email.me...

With USB cables, many plug-in devices or cables have a standard USB symbol
(a circular node with three vertical branches leading out of it) embossed or
printed on one side. Almost always, the symbol is on the same side, so you
get to know that a socket in a given computer should always have the
device/cable plugged in with the symbol facing the same way. But a few
devices have the symbol on the opposite side, and some cables (Anker, I'm
talking about you!) no longer have a symbol at all: I've bought several
Anker cables over the years and they all had a symbol on one side of the
Micro-USB plug (always the same side), apart from the most recent batch
which had no symbol.

USB-C plugs (and Apple Lightning plugs) are great: at the expense of
redundant pins/pads on the plug, they can be inserted either way round -
they have 180-degree rotational symmetry. No why didn't anyone think of that
before, for USB-A/B, Mini-USB or Micro-USB?

[Andy Burns]

MB wrote:

> I put a coloured spot on IEC connectors to make it easier to connect the
> correct way.  How difficult would it have been for the manufacturers to
> mark their "polarity"?

Stick your finger round the back and find the earth pin, hope any
capacitors have bleed resistors ...

[David Wade]

As I said:-

"If you have the proper tool you can snip and replace"

.. and I have the proper tool, but I have some cables that are routed in
such away that makes getting at the end to crimp is "challenging" and
removing to remake make would require dismantling an IKEA wardrobe so
for me these were a god send...

Dave
G4UGM

[Chris Green]

'Either way up' USB Micro B connectors are available and work pretty
well, my Kobo E-Reader was actually supplied with one. I have a load
that I bought from CPC and they are our USB leads of choice now, never
again do I get them the wrong way up.

--
Chris Green
·

[Adrian Caspersz]

Or a lifehack,

How to fix a broken ethernet plug (using zip ties) - Lifehack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qCK3Iq8vM

FWIW,
- I just either recrimp or throw the cables away, since they are now
very cheep (less than a quid!) and I've got good recycled stock.
- Also, I can't stand boots. They often get in the way when I'm removing
cables and sometimes they end up being snipped off.

--
Adrian C

[Roderick Stewart]

On Fri, 20 Nov 2020 09:48:52 +0000, Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> wrote:

>'Either way up' USB Micro B connectors are available and work pretty
>well, my Kobo E-Reader was actually supplied with one. I have a load
>that I bought from CPC and they are our USB leads of choice now, never
>again do I get them the wrong way up.

I never knew these existed, but I just searched for "reversible USB"
on Amazon, and there they are! It seems such an obvious thing that I
wonder why anybody makes the old non-reversible type any more, now
that it has the naturally reversible type C to compete with. I think
type C must have a few other advantages, otherwise there would have
been no need to invent it at all.

Rod.

[Roderick Stewart]

On Thu, 19 Nov 2020 10:31:03 -0000, "NY" <m...@privacy.invalid> wrote:

>A boot over the tab on an RJ45 helps a lot. It is a shame that many cables
>do not come with these already fitted.

And you can't fit them afterwards if there's a plug at both ends...

Rod.

[Chris Green]

Adrian Caspersz <em...@here.invalid> wrote:
>
> Or a lifehack,
>
> How to fix a broken ethernet plug (using zip ties) - Lifehack
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qCK3Iq8vM
>
> FWIW,
> - I just either recrimp or throw the cables away, since they are now
> very cheep (less than a quid!) and I've got good recycled stock.

They've always been very cheap, even back when they didn't have much
use in the domestic environment. I can remember buying them way back
more than 20 years ago and being surprised by their cheapness. It's
only the occasional bubble packed for domestic/retails ones that are
expensive.

> - Also, I can't stand boots. They often get in the way when I'm removing
> cables and sometimes they end up being snipped off.
>

Yes, they do often make squeezing the clip difficult.

--
Chris Green
·

[NY]

"Roderick Stewart" <rj...@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:qa8frftev0cpgpid6...@4ax.com...

It is news to me too that reversible Micro-USB connectors exist. Am I right
in understanding that they need corresponding reversible sockets and that a
reversible plug (Micro or A) will not fit in a normal Micro/A socket?

[Chris Green]

The ones I have are all 'reversible A' to 'reversible micro-B' and
they work in ordinary A and micro-B sockets.

--
Chris Green
·

[NY]

"Chris Green" <c...@isbd.net> wrote in message
news:qnpk8h-...@esprimo.zbmc.eu...

I'm intrigued, because the plugs *look* as if they are twice the thickness
of normal A / Micro B connectors. Obviously they can't be if they fit
ordinary sockets. Drawing diagrams for myself of where the contacts are in
the sockets and looking at Micro-USB_1_01.pdf (page 20) in
https://web.archive.org/web/20120207112406/http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/usb_20_101111.zip,
I can see how the design of these reversible plugs still touches the
contacts. I'd always thought that the Micro B plug/socket had *two* rows of
pins, against the upper and lower parallel sides, but it seems there is only
one row, which can be contacted by either side of the duplicate pins in the
reversible plug.


I wonder why reversible plugs have never become more common, replacing the
original non-reversible design. Maybe they are less robust and can't
withstand as many insertions or as much bending force if the appliance tugs
on the cable.



The USB-A sockets on my PC are recessed into the case so the plugs don't
stick out and get knocked. But it does mean that it's a bit hit and miss
trying to plug a memory stick or plug in: you have to do it by feel (the PC
is on the floor, so I'm bending over from a chair to reach the socket) and
try to work out a) which way round the socket is and b) whereabouts on
recessed panel it is.

[NY]

"NY" <m...@privacy.invalid> wrote in message
news:rp8fou$rgh$1...@dont-email.me...

> I wonder why reversible plugs have never become more common, replacing the
> original non-reversible design. Maybe they are less robust and can't
> withstand as many insertions or as much bending force if the appliance
> tugs
> on the cable.

What a coincidence! I'd bought a couple of short right-angled USB A-MicroB
leads which have just arrived. When I looked at the Micro B end, I was
initially worried that I'd ordered USB-C by mistake, because the plug is
symmetrical rather than the normal asymmetric D shape. But it turns out to
be a reversible B plug. What is the chance that I first learn about the
existence of this type of plug and then see one "in the flesh" only a few
minutes later? ;-)

[Chris Green]

NY <m...@privacy.invalid> wrote:
> "Chris Green" <c...@isbd.net> wrote in message

> > The ones I have are all 'reversible A' to 'reversible micro-B' and
> > they work in ordinary A and micro-B sockets.
>
> I'm intrigued, because the plugs *look* as if they are twice the thickness
> of normal A / Micro B connectors. Obviously they can't be if they fit
> ordinary sockets.

The A ones just have a standard rectangular metal 'case' and the
plastic tongue is more floppy than in a normal A plug so can go either
way.

The micro-B end is, obviously symmetrical, not trapezoidal:-

_______
/ \
\_______/


While a standard one is:-
______
/ \
/________\


Exactly the same thickness and go in just as easily, sometimes the A
end needs a bit more of a push than a standard A.

--
Chris Green
·

[Newman]

When trying to insert a USB A cable blind, I guess wrong 90% of the
time. You would think it would be nearer 50/50, but it is not!

Regards

[Ian Jackson]

In message <rp8fou$rgh$1...@dont-email.me>, NY <m...@privacy.invalid> writes

Although you can't really do it with 'portable' devices, I try to avoid
frequently plugging and unplugging anything directly into my 'fixed'
PCs. Instead, I use extension leads, which I leave connected. Not only
does this minimise wear and tear on the PC connectors (and even
potential actual damage to them), it also means I don't have to fumble
around behind it - first trying to find the socket, and then failing to
get it the right way up.
--
Ian

[MB]

On 20/11/2020 14:39, Newman wrote:
> With USB cables, many plug-in devices or cables have a standard USB
> symbol (a circular node with three vertical branches leading out of it)
> embossed or printed on one side. Almost always, the symbol is on the
> same side, so you get to know that a socket in a given computer should
> always have the device/cable plugged in with the symbol facing the same
> way. But a few devices have the symbol on the opposite side, and some
> cables (Anker, I'm talking about you!) no longer have a symbol at all:
> I've bought several Anker cables over the years and they all had a
> symbol on one side of the Micro-USB plug (always the same side), apart
> from the most recent batch which had no symbol.

Embossed in black plastic, usually somewehre dark.

[NY]

"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVET...@g3ohx.co.uk> wrote in message
news:WUJRjLDX...@brattleho.plus.com...

> Although you can't really do it with 'portable' devices, I try to avoid
> frequently plugging and unplugging anything directly into my 'fixed' PCs.
> Instead, I use extension leads, which I leave connected. Not only does
> this minimise wear and tear on the PC connectors (and even potential
> actual damage to them), it also means I don't have to fumble around behind
> it - first trying to find the socket, and then failing to get it the right
> way up.

Yes, I've got one of the recessed sockets on the front of my PC connected to
a short (20 cm) extension to I can easily plug in temporary devices like
memory sticks, or my phone when copying off lots of photos (ie too many for
me to arsed attaching a few at a time to an email).

[NY]

"MB" <M...@nospam.net> wrote in message news:rp8o2h$onf$1...@dont-email.me...

Not in the case of the micro B plugs on the end of the new Anker leads. The
older one have the Anker "A" logo (not the USB one - I was wrong) etched
onto one side. The new ones have nothing on either side. Manufacturing fault
or change of design?

Micro B are the ones that need the symbol more, because it is harder to see
which is the short and long side of the D connector, compared with seeing
which side of the A plug has the half-thickness plastic insert to indicate
polarity.