Use a ballpoint pen casing or an 8-inch section of plenum-cable jacketing that has been cut at a 45° angle. The open end of a pen casing or cable jacket is placed between pairs and rotated to get the twist out.
Bill Runge
NEC BNS (West) Inc.
Problem
Fingertips are sore and tender from terminating cable all day.
Solution
Use a ballpoint pen casing or an 8-inch section of plenum-cable jacketing that has been cut at a 45° angle. The open end of a pen casing or cable jacket is placed between pairs and rotated to get the twist out.
Procedure
Remove about 6 inches or more of plenum-cable jacketing, depending on the application.
Remove the Kevlar.
Cut the end of a pen casing or plenum-cable jacket at a 45° angle to form a point.
Use the point of the pen casing or plenum-cable jacket to separate pairs.
Rotate in the direction of the twist to undo.
To remain compliant with tia/eia-568a, only a half-inch of each pair can be untwisted.
Click here to enlarge image
The pen casing or the jacket of a plenum cable can be cut at a 45° angle. The resultant edge is used to separate the pairs; when rotated, the twist comes out.
Bill Runge is a project leader at NEC BNS (West) Inc. (Iowa City, IA). This tip was submitted for the Cabling Installer Tips` Contest at Cabling Installation Expo `98, last October in Atlanta.
