How do I attach Econet or 10baseT cable to the socket boxes?
You need a special insulation-displacement (“tonking”) tool. You can buy one from RS; their order code is 470-128. The IDC connectors are the same that are used in some telephone sockets, and so the same tool will work – and indeed if you’re only installing one or two sockets you can probably make do with the plastic tool that usually comes with telephone extension kits. If you’re installing a lot of sockets, though, you probably want the proper metal version. E.4 I want to make my own 10baseT drop leads. Can I? Yes. You need some category 5 UTP cable, some RJ45 plugs, and a special crimp tool to fix one to the other. The wiring is “straight through”, so pin 1 connects to pin 1 and so on. Be warned though that you can’t just connect wires to pins at random – things have to be arranged so that one pair is on pins 1/2, one is on 3/6, one is on 4/5 and the last is on 7/8. It doesn’t matter which pair is which. Note that some of the cables you can buy off the shelf are actually wired incor
