How to make your own EtherCON Cables

[@zachpittman6758]

Mark, thanks for making this video. This is the exact video I was looking for. I am definitely not up to snuff on all the knowledge of these cables. The difference between the CAT 5/5e/6/7 cables is very helpful. I never realized that each improvement in cable was to further the prevention of crosstalk by either separating the twisted pairs or to increase twist rate for keeping the signal protected. Great job!

[@semilumi]

Important information and a good tutorial, thank you very much for sharing!

[@DustySeven7]

So a few things to add. Cat 6 and Cat 7 also increase the twist rate of the pairs. This is part of what allows higher speeds. Also AES 50 is spec to cat5e shielded ONLY. Using other specs of ethernet can cause issues. AES 50 is not an IP protocol, so it does not gain advantage of using cat 6 or 7, it can actually hurt things. AES 50 was designed with the characteristics of Cat5e shielded. Also the shield with AES 50 is to prevent static build up in cable and ground link of the ports. It will work and sync without the shield, but damage can happen to the ports due to static

[@markyfrencho]

I would check out some of the Dave Rat videos. He goes through some of the advantages of different cat specs for AES50 and found no downsides for higher spec cables which is why SoundTools makes CAT7 ethercon for AES50. There can be some advantages in noisy RF environments as well as them being tougher cables overall.

[@DustySeven7]

@@markyfrencho I have seen that video where he tested AES50 with cat6. Yes it may work but it's out of spec. I have seen so many posts on different groups about people having issues with AES50 when using cat6, swapping to cat5e fixed the issues. Music group has even told people this.

[@markyfrencho]

@@DustySeven7 cat6 spec doesn’t have ground. AES50 is a 9 conductor protocol using ground as sync. That is the main issue people have with it. AES50 can also lose sync at lengths beyond 75’. The Cat7 spec has foiled pairs and foiled shield so it has the 9th conductor and added shielding as well as slightly thicker jacketing on the pairs and tighter twists as you said. All this leads to more efficient data transfer and lower cross-talk which has been proven to keep the signal stable over longer distances than Cat5e without any problems. Cat5e is merely a foiled shield around four pairs. I’m sorry if my descriptions were not clear enough for you, but I believe my information is correct and not misleading. I have been running Cat7 for AES50 for months at 85’ without any issues even passing near our 400A service. I highly recommend it for permanent installations.

[@DustySeven7]

@@markyfrencho Cat 6 can have shield, Cat 6a does have a shield. AES 50 is not a 9 conductor protocol for sync. Dave shows in his video which pairs are sync and which are data. AES will most certainly work without a shield. I have seen it, as have others. Glad your install is working and has been

[@ondrejpekarek413]

What is your source on the 9th conductor used as clock? Ignoring the fact that using the shield as a data signal path for something as crucial as clock without any immunity to noise as it’s not a balanced line (and in the spec of AES50 published for the Pro Series it’s two twisted pairs used for send and receive of the clock) I find your information a bit misleading.

[@LeeMatches]

Thanks for the informative video Mark. Just a couple of questions about cost/benefit. Neutrik do an ethercon shell that is designed for use with pre-assembled cables (the NE8MX). Here in the U.K. these shells cost about £3.50 each. A 100’ pre-assembled “Ethercon” cable costs about £90, a 100’ Cat7 cable costs about £30. Is there any justification at all for the difference in cost that you are aware of? I appreciate that in installation scenarios you need to be able to terminate the cable correctly but for live situations, where the user is running a reeled cable between stage and booth is there any reason that one can’t just buy an off-the-shelf Cat7 cable and stick an Ethercon shell on each end?

[@markyfrencho]

@@LeeMatches it could be possible and still meet spec, though I haven’t tried it.

[@nugznmugz]

AES50 doesn’t require the shield to function… clock data is sent down two of the pairs.

[@reggieb.4527]

Thanks 🙏

[@muhirwadaniel7981]

What is the Ethercon housing that can go around that thick cat 7 cable Or which one are you using ?

[@markyfrencho]

It is the standard neutrik ethercon end.

[@MorrisLiveProductions]

parts link please thank you

[@markyfrencho]

a.co/d/31Kiy56 a.co/d/5l8iP9M a.co/d/gcgNHmC a.co/d/a9O9ezC

[@progrocker84]

hegel h600

[@PoxyBear]

CAT5e NOT Cat 5! Why do audio visual people keep making this grave mistake?

[@markyfrencho]

Because the Cat5 spec technically covers Cat5e. Many Cat5 cables actually met the tighter tolerances of the enhanced spec but technicians needed a quicker way to tell the difference between a 100mbps cable and a 1gbps cable so the enhanced spec was produced.

[@progrocker84]

hegel h600