[TriLUG] OT: Home Depot and Cat 5

[Joseph Mack]

Greg Brown wrote:
> 
> Home Depot now carries plenum rated Cat5 at ~$160.00 per 1000 foot
> spool.

The default cat 5 cable now seems to be single stranded, but when it 
first came out, the default was multistranded. The conventional wisdom
from my electronics days is that the single stranded conductors can't
be flexed a whole lot (eg used for cables that are plugged and unplugged)
as they crack at the flex point giving you an intermittant connection
that will drive you nuts trying to debug.

I guess single stranded is OK for plenum cable that terminates in panels,
but for cables that are connected to computers that get plugged and unplugged
you should use the multistranded conductor cable.

Joe
-- 
Joseph Mack PhD, High Performance Computing & Scientific Visualization
LMIT, Supporting the EPA Research Triangle Park, NC 919-541-0007
Federal Contact - John B. Smith 919-541-1087 - smith.johnb at epa.gov