I'm wiring up an extension socket. I am happy with what wire colours to connect etc.
But do I need a special tool to make the IDC connector? If so, are there any cheap alternatives I can use rather than buying a new tool (a thin screwdriver, perhaps). It's just the one extension I need to wire up...
You really need a tool with the correct cross-sectional profile - a screwdriver won't do.
You can get cheap plastic tools which are *just about* ok for occasional use - but still not as good as a metal one. If you're *ever* likely to use it again, I'd recommend investing 8 quid in one of these - it'll last you for ever!
You _MUST_ use a special tool. None of us have the dexterity to do it with a screwdriver more than twice without screwing up at least one connection, popular though this is. You can "make" the connector with any amount of bodging, but it won't run 100baseT, it won't run ADSL and it won't even be long-term reliable for voice phone.
A real(ish) Krone tool is a tenner. A cheap plastic one is 50p / quid. So long as you don't bend or mis-align it while it's in the connector, the plastic one will last through a job.
The plastic tools may just last for one socket. A small standard (not jewellers) screwdriver with a flat end can be used - but you need to hacksaw (standard hacksaw not Junior type) a slot in the blade so it looks a bit like this where l is the slot:-
x x x x x l x x l x xxxlxxx
The slot goes over the IDC connector and the blade either side pushes the cable down. Doing this (carefully) doesn't splay the IDC blades at all.
Get a proper tool and punch down each termination twice. It will save you hours wondering why your connection is intemittent, your phone line noisy or why your modem/ADSL connection is really slow.
A genuine Krone tool is around £14, a far eastern look-a-like around half that. A genuine tool is rated for about 100,000 terminations, more than a lifetime for most of us here, but maybe no more than a month or two for a professional data installer. Given that your extension is unlikely to have genuine Krone IDCs, even the cheapo tool from the Lucky Golden Chicken Company of Taiwan will last you a lifetime and not be too unreliable, as long as you punch down twice.
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