Phone wiring question

[Steven Reynolds]

I purchased a new home three years ago and I wanted to add an additional phone jack. In my closet, there's the home "Media Center" behind a panel. I see that there is a mainboard with 10 terminals that leads to the phone jacks throughout the house, nine of which are in use, so I would like to tap into the 10th set of terminals. My question is how do I attach the phone wires to this type of terminal? Judging by the other wires already attached, it appears you just push the insulated wire down into the slot in which the insulation is pierced and held in place. I attempted this without success. Below is a link to a photo I have taken of this mainboard. I've asked around and nobody knows what I'm talking about and my home builder was no help at all and did not include manuals for do-it-yourselfers, rather "hire a qualified electrician." I would appreciate any help and thank you in advance. Please Cc me via e-mail as I don't always check news. My email is [e-mail]

Click this link to see the photo of the mainboard:

Steve West Sacramento, CA

[RBM]

What you need is called a punchdown tool. You can buy one but there pretty expensive:

. If you go to an electrical supply or Home Depot, Leviton sells a Keystone RJ-11 telephone jack, that comes with a disposable tool, which should work

[Varactor]

Check the 10th socket is connected to all the others. Use the correct wire and a wire insertion tool (you may find it at radio shack for wiring wall ethernet sockets if not for telephones). It should work unless you have passed the ringer equivalence number for your domestic installation (the wires to the house will not support an infinite number of live outlets). Better yet get a wireless phone with multiple handsets?

Cheers

[Cliff Hartle]

the right kind of punch down tool will have a 110 tip not 66.

[Bill]

That is just a phone punch block. Basically it just connects all the blue wires together and all the white wires together.

Same thing as if all the white wires were stripped and twisted together and all the blue wires were stripped and twisted together.

But the punch block makes everything neater and easier to add or remove wires. There are little sharp metal scissor like pieces where the wires are punched (pressed) into the block. When you punch a wire into a connection, the metal cuts through the insulation and makes the connection.

There is a little tool called a punch tool which is used to punch each wire down. There are different "heads" on these tools for different types of punch blocks. Get the correct tool.

Your punch block can connect together 8 wires (called 4 pair). But you only need two wires for a phone. Only two wires are connected on each terminal of your punch block. The other wires are wrapped around each cable in case you would want to use them in the future and want to punch them down.

It is important that you connect the correct color the the correct terminal on the phone jack. It you were to install the colors backwards, you would not be able to dial out.

Sometimes when a wire is not punched down far enough, the insulation is not broken and no connection is made. If no dial tone, try removing the wire and punching it down again. You can also strip a little insulation off the end of the wire, then punch it if having trouble.

If you want to get the same type of wire, look on the jacket of a cable and it will say "CAT 5", "CAT 3", etc.

Here is some basic information on CAT 5 phone wire...

[Bill]

The phone jack you buy will have the little plastic punch down tool you need. The board you have is probably from HD, or Lowes.

[Bob Eld]

If you don't have a punch down tool metioned in the above posts, you can use two long nose pliers to push the wires into the terminals. With a long nose in each hand simply grab the wire with each plier spacing them about 1/16 inch apart. Then push the wire down into the terminal slot with a plier on each side of the tab until the wire is seated. The idea is to support the wire on both sides of the terminal tab as it is punched down so the wire doesn't bend out of place. There is no need to pre-strip the wires as the terminal slots displace the insulation.

You can also simply solder the wires to the terminal tabs the traditional way. That's what I would do.

BTW, these terminals are usually set up for 24 or 26 AWG solid copper wire. Do not use stranded wire or wire of other gauges unless soldering.

[Tomes]

This is what I have done, not using any special tool at all and it has worked fine. I used only one long nose pliers and pressed on the other side of the terminal with my finger. Then I snugged down the finger side with the pliers. Tomes

[tim]

"Steven Reynolds" wrote in news:c4dRj.11212 $ [e-mail]:

That is known as a punchboard, and as such you need a 'punchdown tool' to press the wires in properly. Head to your local Home Depot/Lowes/Menards/Ace and look in the electrical/phone section. They should have everything you need. In a pinch you can use a couple of needlenose pliers but it doesnt work as well and you run the risk of breaking off the wire. Make sure you either coil the ends of the wires you are not punching down like the others are, or just go ahead and punch down all four pair.

** Posted from **

[krw]

You use a device called a "punch down tool", which should be available at varying prices from your lodcal BORG.

[S. Barker]

What you need is a 110 punchdown tool. They have them at the big box stores.

s

[Steven Reynolds]

Wow, all I can say is THANK YOU to everyone! I never thought I'd get this many responses. I will see if I can find a punchdown tool, but maybe I'll try using the two sets of pliers first. I only have two wires to seat and punchdown tools are quite expensive. What I'm doing is setting up a phone jack in my closet in order to move my DSL modem and router into the closet, out of site from everyone. I've gotten enough "contact" from two wires to hear a dialtone, but the wires were not seated very well and fell out quickly, but at least I know the slot is active. I just need to get the wires in the slots.

Thanks again for all the great posts!

Steve

[HeyBub]

Hint: Do not use a screwdriver as a substitute punch-down tool! It may work, but it'll spread the contacts leading to all sorts of almost undetectable and intermittent problems later.

[krw]

Don't. You won't get a good connection and may damage the block.

Some are simple pieces of plastic, given free with the blocks. They're certainly not as good as an automatic tool, but far better than what you suggest. You should be able to buy one for a buck or so.

I'd leave the modem and router out where they can be seen. I've made quite good use of he blinkin' lights recently. :-(

[Steve]

"Steven Reynolds" wrote on 29 Apr 2008 in group alt.home.repair:

Check a place like Radio Shack--they might give you an old disposable punch-down tool.

[S. Barker]

GOOD GREIF!!!! IS A DOLLAR TOO MUCH??

[Stormin Mormon]

For terminal jacks needing punchdown, solid wire works. Stranded does not. I found this out the hard way, on a repair call.

[Steven Reynolds]

Bob,

I used this method with two pairs of needle-nosed pliers and the wires snapped right in place on the first try and the phone jack works great! I'll probably never do this again, so I couldn't justify purchasing an expensive tool I'd only use once.

I thought of that too, but I was looking for something real quick and simple.

That's right,. That Rat Shack wire looked a little thinner than the one that builder used, but it all worked out. I needed a phone jack in my closet to hook up an audio InStreamer, which is hooked to my scanner that is scanning the railroad radio band to be broadcasted to the Internet. This new device must be plugged directly into my router and since I have DSL, I must have a phone jack in my closet without running telephone cord under the carpet, etc. Besides, the router/DSL modem is better out of site from everyone. If you or anyone you know is interested in trains, my broadcast is at:

Thank you again for the message and to everyone else who gave me great ideas as well. I haven't posted to Usenet in many years and it has never let me down yet.

Take care,

Steve