Cat 5 for DMX in the wall wiring

[derekleffew]

Cat 5 is 8 conductors in four pairs. When using it for DMX, one pair is connected to pins 2 & 3. If you are using 5 pin DMX, the second pair should go to pins 4 & 5. The other two pairs (all 4 wires) should all go to pin 1. Keep your polarity consistent. Never parallel a pair! Only one wire each on pins 2,3,4,5. If you one of those crazy rebels using 3 pin, all unused wires should go to pin 1.

There are many "standard" pinouts. I believe below is the most common, and the one specified by ANSI E1.27-2 - 2009:Entertainment Technology - Recommended Practice for Permanently Installed Control Cables for Use with ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A) and USITT DMX512/1990 Products .

Pathway Connectivity Inc. - Cat5 Pinout for DMX.
1. Data 1+
2. Data 1-
3. Data 2+
4. Not Assigned
5. Not Assigned
6. Data 2-
7. Data Link Common (0V) for Data 1
8. Data Link Common (0V) for Data 2

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I beg to differ. It's not the type of wire, it is the workmanship of the termination that counts. Use the wrong strippers, or make a cold solder joint, then yes it will be unreliable. Done properly, any of the methods mentioned above will work long after we're dead and gone.

By the same token, I can make a very unreliable RJ-45 termination by simply using plugs designed for stranded wire on solid conductors. The clear RJ-45s are ONLY for use on stranded wire. Smoke colored ones are designed for solid conductors. Pick the wrong one and all bets are off about it working without intermittent problems. This seems to be a well kept secret. I often see the connectors used on the wrong kind of cable with disastrous results.

Just to cloud the issue...

My vendors have all used clear for solid-wire icecubes -- the ones where the IDC tines go along the conductor. Stranded-wire icecubes, where the tines go across the conductor, were the smoke colored ones.

 

[microstar]

Pathway makes XLR DMX wall plates with IDC or RJ45 terminations. Amphenol makes the AC#MIB 3pin XLR cable connector with IDC termination.

 

[VRommel]

View attachment 14150
Pathway makes XLR DMX wall plates with IDC or RJ45 terminations. Amphenol makes the AC#MIB 3pin XLR cable connector with IDC termination.

Good Morning!

Yes, we do offer DMX512 wall plates with IDC termination for "category" wire. We also offer IDC termination for our rack-mount repeater and gateway products as well as for our DIN-mount interface, splitter and gateway modules.

I say this becasue we all need to keep in mind that if we are wiring to a DMX512 wall plate, that signal necessarily has to come from somewhere and the terminations there are of no less importance to system integritry than at the wall plate.

Our view of the future is that widespread use of "category" wire (solid and/or stranded) is here to stay so let's all be careful out there.

Best Regards,
Pathway Connectivity


Van Rommel
Director Business Development

 

[Jay Ashworth]

So, do you also offer matching drop cords, with molded 8p8c plugs on one end, and 3- or 5-pin XLR's on the other? The "how do I terminate 22AWG copper to both an XLR and a modular" problem has merely moved outside the wall, not gone away...

 

[VRommel]

So, do you also offer matching drop cords, with molded 8p8c plugs on one end, and 3- or 5-pin XLR's on the other? The "how do I terminate 22AWG copper to both an XLR and a modular" problem has merely moved outside the wall, not gone away...

Hi Jay:

No, we don't include drop chords of any type in our catalog.

We have seen a number of good products on the market that convert RJ45 to XLR5 and visa versa.

Generally speaking, our position is that best practice is to keep the use of "category" wire inside the wall ( well maybe at the patch panel as well) and use the more robust jacketed shielded twisted pair cables fitted with XLR5 outside the wall. That best practice is going to be under assault as more and more fixture manufacturers move away from XLR5 and migrate to RJ45.

Best Regards,
Pathway Connectivity

Van Rommel
Director Business Development

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Well, I don't disagree with that, but that leaves you with a solution that endusers *cannot* implement: terminating 18AWG stranded into an 8p8c.

As vendors start to put 8p8c jacks on gear for DMX, the problem will devolve to "what's the industry standard pinout", but for the nonce...

 

[VRommel]

Well, I don't disagree with that, but that leaves you with a solution that endusers *cannot* implement: terminating 18AWG stranded into an 8p8c.

As vendors start to put 8p8c jacks on gear for DMX, the problem will devolve to "what's the industry standard pinout", but for the nonce...

Hi Jay:

There is an industry standard pinout. ANSI E1.27.2

This is my own personal opinion: When good adapters are available - and good adapters are available and more are coming to the market every day - use them to augment high quality manufactured cablling solutions when the rig requires.

Best,

Van

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

OK - this confused me. In the wall - category wiring and terminations for it. Out of the wall, but also including the DMX receptacles that are in a wall plate for user use, XLR5. Where is the adapter normally needed?

(The only place I'm familiar with are the ETC products that have the RJ45 DMX in and out as an option or standard - I think just the ColorSource fixtures - options - or S-4WRD - only RJ45. I wish the relays were available RJ45, so an adapter was not needed if going that route.)

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Sorry, Bill, I was distracted. We aren't talking about Walmount ethercon's, we're talking about wall mount 5 pins and I missed it.

 

[sk8rsdad]

Some vendors, particularly in the LED architectural market but increasingly more of the low-cost LED providers are coming with RJ45 instead of XLR connectors. I guess they shave a few pennies off the price that way.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Some vendors, particularly in the LED architectural market but increasingly more of the low-cost LED providers are coming with RJ45 instead of XLR connectors. I guess they shave a few pennies off the price that way.

I have no problem with the RJ45 where it's not going to be changed much or at all - like architectural - and I believe in a substantial portion of the high schools where it's set and forgotten for the most part. At under a dollar for an RJ45 patch cord and in the $10-20 range for DMX, more for ethercon I think, not hard to see why. And it use to be there might be a half dozen or dozen DMX cords - now might be hundreds. Also, in the field, I trust most electricians today to be able to make cat5 terminations, less confident of their ability to terminate on a XLR5.

Long ways from 0-10 and cinch jones.

 

[Brentgi]

1) The Cat line should be the ONLY wire in the conduit.

But can you run more that one cat line in the conduit and still be good?

 

[microstar]

But can you run more that one cat line in the conduit and still be good?

You can run as many as you can stuff in there. I don't think there is a % fill rule as with electrical wiring.Within reason of course.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Interesting thread given the time spanned. I have been using cat5 for DMX in the wall, and run above ceilings or through roof structure not in conduit (plenum rated of course).

Today I've been discussing the basic RJ45 patch cord for daisy chaining LEDs in a high school which is unlikely to change much ever.

Of course the more I think about it, I rarely put DMX in the walls - almost always net and DMX nodes. I think this wraps back to Van's DMX for the last mile theory.

 

[RonHebbard]

Hi Jay:

No, we don't include drop chords of any type in our catalog.

We have seen a number of good products on the market that convert RJ45 to XLR5 and visa versa.

Generally speaking, our position is that best practice is to keep the use of "category" wire inside the wall ( well maybe at the patch panel as well) and use the more robust jacketed shielded twisted pair cables fitted with XLR5 outside the wall. That best practice is going to be under assault as more and more fixture manufacturers move away from XLR5 and migrate to RJ45.

Best Regards,
Pathway Connectivity

Van Rommel
Director Business Development

The "drop chords" you refer to are more than likely drop cords without the "h" in there.
Possibly you'll edit this for posterity in which case this post could be deleted.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

The "drop chords" you refer to are more than likely drop cords without the "h" in there.
Possibly you'll edit this for posterity in which case this post could be deleted.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

Kind of amusing we have a Canadian as grammar cop. Eh?

 

[RonHebbard]

Kind of amusing we have a Canadian as grammar cop. Eh?

Yeah but at least I've been working hard on my spellings on the forum. You've no idea how difficult it is for me to leave the 'u' out of words like color and favorite, etcetera. Sometimes I forget and have to go back and edit a post to 'incorrect' my spelling. Who knows, perhaps "chords" was in reference to something musical or structural and I missed the connection.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.