punch down 110 blocks

VIdeo shows how to setup, terminate, punch down, and make cross-connects on a 110 block.
110 blocks are frequently used as distribution for PBX stations and Telephone company. They have one major advantage over 66 blocks in that the connections are more densely concentrated. Therefore, they take up less space.
However, they do lack some of the versatility of 66 blocks. Even though 66 blocks are are larger, there are more ways to make cross connects. For instance you can connect two sets of wires to a Telco line on a 66-block. While on a 110, only one punch-down connection can be made per wire slot.
110 Blocks are like two layers. First layer is the source wiring (telephone lines or PBX ports) fanned out. Then 110 wafers are then punched-down on top of that using a multi-punch tool. Finally, wiring that feeds to inside connections (Station cabling, extended demarc) is punch down after that.
Usually the rear layer of wiring is from a telephone demarc. Then, the extended wiring (inside wiring) is punch on the outer connection.

[@mikegonzalez9230]

I’m studying this for school right now. I learned more with this video than I did out of my book. Thank you.

[@MyCybersecurityJourney]

Studying for my network + and this helped me understand a 110 block a little better. Thank you

[@DIYTelecom]

Good luck with that Certification Jonathan! 😊

[@HellScream107]

The sound of an impact tool hitting a 110 block is oddly satisfying.

[@DIYTelecom]

yeah, kind of like the sound of racking a round into a pump 12-gauge. But, without the intimidation factor. Thanks for the comment. :-D

[@alm0ndm1lk55]

Networking ASMR

[@NortelGeek]

Yes. That and a line finder in a SXS or the interrupter in an XB5.

[@VideoNOLA]

Kinda gets you in the groove??

[@NortelGeek]

@@VideoNOLA HAHAHAHHAA Booooooo!

[@bridgetmurray1163]

Very helpful video! I also needed to learn how 110 was set up and this video saved my day! I had only punched down on already- installed 110 but the explanation and detail on the wafers helped so much. Thank you!

[@DIYTelecom]

glad I could help. Thanks for the feedback. :)

[@veronica1953]

Excellent video. Concise and answered every question I had about 110 blocks.

[@DIYTelecom]

I’ll take that compliment. 😊

[@makennadearborn7752]

So far, you're the best at making these visual aids I've seen. thanks a bunch!

[@DIYTelecom]

Wow Makenna, what a great compliment! 😁

[@shanehamilton854]

Just did 4 of these last week for the speaker wire (18/2-18/4) at the two schools my companys running, I just double tap to avoid popping out wires, never thought to put the wafer on lmao just goes to show you in this field it's always a challenge and always room to grow! Happy punching!

[@shanehinton4633]

Great tutorial! Way way back in the day I used to repair the KSU switch peripherals made by Nortel. I think I saw the bottom of one on your video. I watched your video as a refresher for 110 punch blocks.

[@DIYTelecom]

Yes, i am (was) a big Norstar installer for ages. I have another YT channel which is only focused on Nortel. Thanks for commenting 😊

[@kubatom6345]

Thanks for taking your time and explaining this clearly.

[@DIYTelecom]

Glad I could help. :)

[@James_Knott]

As a Canadian, I have much more experience with BIX strips, rather than 110. In fact, I've only worked with 110 strips once. With BIX, instead of using those wafers, you punch the cable onto one edge of the strip and then flip it over, so the cable is at the back, leaving the front side open for the cross connects. BIX is common in Canada, because they originated with Nortel, the same company that made PBXs and a lot of other telecom gear. About 11.5 years ago, I was at the State Farm head office in Indianapolis, Illinois for training, where I was surprised to see lots of BIX, though they also had 110. The punches for BIX are very similar to 110, but the 110 punch can also be used with the Keystone connectors and patch panels. You can get BIX strips marked for different cable types, such as 25 pair, 4 pair and 2 pair. I don't recall seeing 3 pair, but they may exist to be used with the old 3 pair CAT3 phone cable. The only difference between the basic strips is the markers for cable type, but are electrically identical. There are also special types for multing, etc., but I haven't used those.

[@stinkycheesecutter]

thanks for the video, im studying for an exam and this friendly video helped orient me to 110 blocks.

[@DIYTelecom]

That’s great Brian. Good luck with the exam! 😁

[@OmegaNet-mj4sm]

Great video quality and professional.

[@Wardancer666]

I used to do 600 pair cable with 110. (loved to do these)

[@DIYTelecom]

Wow, that's a lot of wires!! 😳

[@PatronSaintZim]

it was clear, short and sweet

[@MandyBasenji]

Very helpful-Thanks!

[@DIYTelecom]

Glad it helps!😊

[@yafettadesse1626]

This was rly helpful than a 74 slide from my class tnx man

[@DIYTelecom]

That's so great to hear! thanks for taking the time to leave a comment then. :)

[@ensontaylor4836]

Thank you

[@mikescott97]

Great video very good teacher

[@DIYTelecom]

Thank you for the compliment, Mike :-)

[@jordanpermenter7515]

Thanks man. Good lookin out.

[@michaelcostello6991]

Great video

[@jonnathanomarcanalesfuente1083]

Thanks, awesome video.

[@DIYTelecom]

Thanks for the comment. :-)

[@DIYTelecom]

+Jonnathan Omar Canales Fuentes thank you for the feedback sir. It's my pleasure to help.

[@JuanShupe]

Another student dropping in to thank you for explaining this more thoroughly than a college professor could (shocker, right?)

[@DIYTelecom]

Ahahaha… 😄😄. Thanks Jon, feedback like that makes my day!

[@rootphreaker]

Huge help!

[@bdeem20]

Great video! Needed to learn how a 110 block works in the immediate and this did not disappoint. I'm sure it wouldn't be recommended, but is it possible to rip pre-existing punches out of the wafers and repunch as needed and keep the physical integrity of the block/wafer?

[@NO-lt3mx]

THANK YOU.

[@johncnorris]

A 110 block documentation / labeling video would be cool too!

[@DIYTelecom]

aww John, now you want me to do REAL work. ;-) Thanks for the suggestion.

[@johncnorris]

I can write you up a really vague work order if you would like? LOL!

[@Kunstentech]

Thank you :)

[@josephkaz9093]

I'm wiring up an intercom system that requires 12 cable joints. Rather than using gel connectors floating in a large junction box, can you buy DIN rail terminals from which the connections can be made? That way they are neat and easy to understand for any future technician looking at them?

[@BIBOYWARRABOY]

is it possible to install the 110 block the same as 66 block horizontal or is it proper to install diagonal.. coz what i have now is a 110 block and the pabx that im working is all 66 block.. thanks

[@lohphat]

For cat6 you need to keep as many twists as possible to prevent crosstalk so don’t fan out the pairs. Just place them in the blocks by using the small peak of the block to separate the twist and place the pair before cutting.

[@gustavosmith7997]

is crosstalk a severe issue for 2 inches of wiring though?

[@DIYTelecom]

Maybe not “severe”, but you do want to keep the twist in the pairs as much as possible.

[@James_Knott]

I also put the end of the outer insulation in the middle of the connector and then fan out, to minimize the length of wire. I also use those peaks to separate the wires.

[@James_Knott]

@@DIYTelecom 1/2" untwisted MAX! If you do things right, there should be virtually no untwisted wire.

[@alexanderholian]

What's the difference between a CAT5e and CAT6 110 block?

[@DennisReyesCaballero]

How can I unplug the plastic module in order to fix any wire?....I am talking about the plastic block with tooth. I wonder, how can I remove back for any repair?

[@DIYTelecom]

you know Dennis that is a great question. And, I don't know the perfect answer. But, here is what I do. I basically, use either my hand or a pair of pliers to gently rock the "wafer" up and down and side-to-side until I can ease it out of there. Yes, you probably already knew that. So, Maybe someone will chime in here! :-D

[@raventhorX]

I've been learning a bit through this platform called testout that you can get at either testout.com or testoutce.com. According to them its best practice to put the cable or wires you are least likely to remove under the wafer rather than on top that way you can avoid having to remove the wafer as much as possible. Other than that though They do not really cover much else in situations where you may need to remove the cables. Actually a bit disappointed in how they teach about the 66 block and 110 block and how these all work. I am under the impression you connect the blocks to a patch panel, but other than that they mostly leave me in the dark it seems.

[@szzpawnkntrl2018]

SSSuuupprr Thanks!!!!

[@DIYTelecom]

hey, thanks for that feedback. Glad I could help. :-)

[@vincentbelken4892]

How do you replace a 4 pair cable terminated to a 110 block?

[@zylerk29]

There's a tool built into the punchdown or needle nose pliers of a small size are handy for pulling out the wires that you need gone.

[@irvingcolindres9914]

One question? say you needed to test the pairs in a 110 block how can one go about doing this? say with a dsx-5000 maybe?

[@DIYTelecom]

good question. yes, I suppose you could use that Fluke tool for testing. Might be overkill. I use special connector (can't remember what it's called) that has these two little pins that insert into the punch slots. This allows me to check for dialtone or put a tone on the pair. Great point!

[@tarawilliam5841]

Yeah :) exciting

[@DIYTelecom]

Thank you Tara. Yes, this is one very exciting channel I have here. Glad you noticed. Telecom topics are dope! :-)

[@user-gu8ds3wo4v]

Hi boss can you update vedio on rauland Borg telecentre system 21 punching colour codes?

[@chimeeoluchi8677]

Hi, i find your video very interesting, but what got me confused here. you punch down on the third pair while the other end is on the blue pair why not on the same third pair.

[@AceBoy2099]

The top (green) pair was the service from the phone company (phone no 111.111.1113) and the bottom was the outlet in your wall going to the physical phone. If he did blue to blue that would have been another phone on the first service line (phone no 111.111.1111). If he did green to green then the phone outlet wouldn't work because a telephone doesn't use the pins in the green position of the wall outlet, only the blue (the other 3 pair are there for future flexibility, for example put multiple outlets on the single cable where blue is outlet 1, orange is outlet 2, green is 3, and brown would be 4). I'm no telecom worker, this is just what I've picked up from videos here on the tube...

[@johnmcgovern7128]

Any chance you could give a link for that multi-punch tool you're using? I can't seem to find it online. Thanks

[@DIYTelecom]

Hi John, I looked and looked on Amazon and couldn’t find it. 🤔

[@jeffmoss26]

luckily I don't run into many 110 blocks...they have always been a pain in my butt!

[@DIYTelecom]

right. They do save space. But you don't have that same level of flexibility as you do with 66'ers. Like, you can't double-punch on 110. And, you can't use bridge clips to add the other two pins. Thanks for commenting Jeff. :-)

[@Ressy66]

krone blocks are best, reliable, easy to work with, and you dont disconnect a few lines to fix cable of one like 110 blocks. (In Europe and Australia, krone is very popular, though the blocks are only 10 pair, dream to work with)

[@itdepartment4480]

can you still take off the wafer after you punch it down??

[@DIYTelecom]

You can. I’ve not found a pretty and graceful way to do it other than lots wiggling.

[@chimeeoluchi8677]

please can i get clear explanation.

[@artman1712]

Hello. Can you help me with a question. What is the difference between the 4-pair connector and the 5-pair connector? Thanks.

[@DIYTelecom]

I'm actually not sure, except that I would use 4-pair wafers when punching down a bunch of 4 pair cables. And, I would use the 5-pair if I was terminating a 25 pair cable. Helps keep the groupings straight and color codes straight. Good question. Maybe someone else will chime in on the topic.

[@raventhorX]

I am actually curious about how data travels through these cables. When using regular ethernet cables they have 4 twisted pairs and unless you're using gigabit ethernet they only use two of said pairs, but even in that situation thats only 4 pairs, where does the 5th pair come in and what does it do?

[@keneisman6602]

@@raventhorX I know this is a very old comment. But... You only use the 5 pair if you're terminating a 25 pair cable. That type cable is only used in telephone networks, not computer networks. Telephone networks need only 1 pair, so all pairs are available for use.

[@DIYTelecom]

Mmm…. Good point Ken, i guess I never thought about it but that makes sense. Thanks for adding to the conversation. 😊

[@brianleeper5737]

@@keneisman6602 There are network switches that have 50-pin telco connectors on them. I doubt any have been made for years, but I worked for a place that had them in the late 90s and used 25-pair cable to connect the switch to a patch panel. As I recall they were 10/100 switch ports.

[@Ninjaforce27]

Hi I am wondering if 110 blocks can be used for internet. I have moved into a new condo with cat5e jacks. However, they aren't activated yet as i did not hook up my router to the 110 block. I see the wiring done on the 110 block by the builders but i think the order is wrong in order to use internet. The order i see is: Blue-White, Blue, Orange-White, Orange, Green-White, Green, Brown-White, Brown. Any ideas on how to approach this.

[@Ninjaforce27]

Sorry for the long comment but I would really appreciate some responses. Thanks.

[@DIYTelecom]

NiJu, that's seems like an odd configuration (for the U.S anyway). That sounds more like a Telephone line wiring. I would not recommend trying to adapt your router/switch connections on to the 110 block. If there is enough slack in the cables at the 110 block, maybe you could pull them off and terminate them on Cat5e jacks (or a patch panel).

[@mark22732]

I have a similar configuration in my condo. I just assumed its telephone, as punchdown like this seems highly unlikely for data, and the key thing that indicated it for me was that the blue pair which came from the source was daisy chained to all the room outlets' blue pairs, and that's definitely something you cant do with data lines, and from what he mentioned in the video, sounds like it makes sense for telephone. It does seem odd to me to run cat5e, especially cat5e jacks, for phone, but I think it was probably done a lot as "future proofing", thinking people would have an ever growing demand for phone lines (when actually it turned out to be the opposite).

[@raventhorX]

Actually, if this testout platform I am using to learn networks is correct they demonstrate this exact method for punching down cabling into a 110 block intended to be used for networks. I believe your 110 is configured correctly, however if you are unable to get internet there may be some other issue causing the problem. If anything I was unaware that you are allowed to even be near the 110 block after moving into a condo. I can somewhat understand if you own the condo and are not renting it, but I was under the impression the internet related to going to ones house works a bit different from businesses where businesses take care of everything after the demarc which include the punch down block. I have never had to deal with a punch down block in any place I've lived in and don't even know where they may be located at either.

[@Ninjaforce27]

I thought the same thing but after posting my problem on reddit, i was reassured that it would work. I was looking to get to it but so much has come up for me this year with work and school so I haven't gotten a chance to do this. I'm planning to build a PC but I do want an ethernet connection. However, I do not want to put a 50-100ft cable coming from my room to the router in the living room. I will try this during the winter break but, I need to order the tools (BIX Punch Tool, Crimp).

[@HavanaWoody]

If your punch down tool is dull, Sharpen it deat Henry ! A few strokes of a file will save messing with all those partially cut conductors.

[@DIYTelecom]

Hmmm, I will have to try that! 😁

[@James_Knott]

Yep. I would consider his tool defective. Some punches are adjustable for the blade. I have Eldon punches for both BIX and 110 that have that. Eldon got the line after Nortel went bust.

[@OldLordSpeedy]

How do you stop connect physically a phone line from your pbx system? At the 66 I learn I put away a metal block only - possible from every outside line or from every inside line - both is possible. I can test be quiet the closed isolated line without break the full system. But you must diconect the blue/white line physically - found the mistake or after rewire - punch down it. It looks for me the 110 system is more for phone company cabinets (or boxes) on streets - where you give the connect "last mile" to the customer - and the 66 system is for the telco room or cabinets at customer side. In the next 10 years it is all equal, then the fiber goes direct to the customer with FTT(B/H/C) - all other works over 1 GBit/s till 40 GBit/s with VoIP phones over fiber or copper lines with standard router, firewalls, switches and media changer. Then we can see it in the museum only.

[@DIYTelecom]

hey, thanks for such a lengthy comment. Yes, the 110's are common for the phone company. But, when wiring very large PBX (2000 ports), the space of 66 blocks begins to add-up. 110 blocks can save a lot of wall space. :-)

[@jryan2862]

👏

[@Tredin666]

What is the jumper cable called specifically?

[@DIYTelecom]

+Tracey Duff good question. It goes by a lot of names "cross-connect wire", "single-pair wire", "jumper", "22-gauge".

[@Tredin666]

Do you know of a good supplier or where I could purchase some?

[@James_Knott]

I always just called them cross connects, as I come from a telecom background. While the regular telecom cross connect wire is available, it's not suitable for Ethernet. For that, I just strip some of the cable I'm working with to get the pairs.

[@raventhorX]

I'm curious why you used a 4 pair cable to connect a one pair phone cable. Isn't 4 pairs normally used for ethernet and 2 pairs for phone?

[@DIYTelecom]

+raventhorX yes, that is a good point. Most phone and data pros don't bother to stock 2 or 3 pair cable on their trucks. So, it's just easier to pull cat5e 4 pair for everything - even if you just need one pair.

[@raventhorX]

DIY Telecom but then what about situations where you only need 4 pair but you have a 5 pair cable? do you just peel that off or is it repurposed for another network or phone line?

[@Ressy66]

just like 4 pair situations that only use one pair - the spare pairs are coiled/twisted back down the sheath, out of the road, never cut them off, because one day they might be needed

[@James_Knott]

@@raventhorX I don't think I've ever seen a 5 pair cable. In telecom, the cables are 3, 6, 12, 25, 50 etc. pairs. In fact the original twisted pair Ethernet, which was called StarLAN, was designed to use existing 3 pair phone cable in offices and even sharing the cable with a phone. Ethernet later moved to 4 pair cables.

[@raventhorX]

@@James_Knott wow this comment came back so late that I don't even remember why I was thinking a 5 pair cable existed. I think that might have been a typo so I apologize about that. I dont even remember everything in this video either. Last comment looks like it was 6 years ago.

[@jyounder]

does anyone know where the names come from? 110, 66? the 110 block is more of a strip and has 100 connections, the 66 block has 200 terminals...

[@DIYTelecom]

Right. I don’t think the model number is related to the number of connectors. Good question 😄

[@brianleeper5737]

These were AT&T / Bell designations. The predecessor to the 110 block is the 88 block. I'm not sure what the difference is or when they replaced the 88 block with the 110 block (sometime in the 70s is my best guess). The pictures of the 88 blocks I have found look identical to 110 blocks.

[@DIYTelecom]

That’s interesting, Brian. Thanks for that info! 😊

[@racer4011]

How do you remove it once you punch down

[@thedirtybubble9613]

Pull it out.

[@DIYTelecom]

Yeah, pretty much. Not really a formal method (or tool) that I am aware of.

[@user-gu8ds3wo4v]

Please update

[@KennTollens]

I don't even know what a 110 block is used for. I wanted to see what a punch down block does.

[@ahabsbane]

Nice thanks! 110 blocks can go to hell. 😅

[@DIYTelecom]

Hahahaha.... well, OK then! 😄

[@ahabsbane]

@@DIYTelecom had to service a fax line yesterday, place was a mess and those little wafers are a pain to get off.

[@DIYTelecom]

yeah, now that I can relate to. I agree the didn't design those things to be removed very easily. :-/

[@fadipanasonic4355]

Ok

[@johnstancliff7328]

they used to be known as 88 Blocks back in the day...

[@DIYTelecom]

really John? that’s news to me. I will have to look that up. thanks for commenting! 😁

[@professorg8383]

@@DIYTelecom I believe he may be referring to wire wrap terminations. These used square cornered pins and you used a spring loaded wrapping tool that would spin the wire around the post/pin. Believe it or not, these connections had tons of force at the connection point between the square corner of the pin and the wire. The connection was so tight, no gas molecules could penetrate to the contact point, so they would never corrode unlike punch down connections. If i recall correctly, a type 88 was a type of board that had rows of the pins on them. Telecom used to use them a long time ago and they were also used for making circuit boards using discrete components, before printed circuit boards. They became popular in very early industrial automation control. The boards built with these connections to discrete components would slide into slotted racks. Old, early mainframe computers used these type connections too.

[@professorg8383]

@@DIYTelecom I believe he may be referring to wire wrap terminations. These used square cornered pins/posts and you used a spring loaded wrapping tool that would spin the wire around the post/pin. Believe it or not, these connections had tons of force at the connection point between the square corner of the pin and the wire. The connection was so tight, no gas molecules could penetrate to the contact point, so they would never corrode unlike punch down connections. If i recall correctly, a type 88 was a type of board that had rows of the pins on them. Telecom used to use them a long time ago and they were also used for making circuit boards using discrete components, before printed circuit boards. They became popular in very early industrial automation control. The boards built with these connections to discrete components would slide into slotted racks. Old, early mainframe computers used these type connections too.

[@brianleeper5737]

@@professorg8383 110 blocks were in fact known as 88 blocks back in the 1970s. There are several Bell System Practices that refer to them as 88 blocks. I haven't been able to find out when 110 blocks came out or what makes a 110 block different from an 88 block.

[@DIYTelecom]

Not completely related to this topic but since we’re going back in time, I once saw a demarc where the wire pairs coming from the street were soldered onto the pins. The cable jacket was cloth (not plastic). And, the pins were on like this wooden back plane (as opposed to a blue board). Only time I ever saw it. It was in a very old building in downtown New Haven (yes, home town of the very first telephone exchange!) 😊

[@stephaniesterling7449]

MY JOB SAYS THAT I WASN'T ANSWERING PHONES ENOUGH AND THE REPORT THEY SHOWED ME ALONG WITH ANOTHER COWORKERS RAISED QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND IN TELEPHONY. THEY ONLY SHOWED ME THE HAND WRITTEN REPORT BUT FROM WHAT I KNOW ABOUT TELEPHONES THERE IS A WAY FOR THEM TO ALTER THE OUTCOME OF THE PHONE REPORT TO MAKE IT APPEAR THAT MY PHONE ACTIVITY AND THE LAZY EMPLOYEES ACTIVITY WERE FLIP FLOPPED. I NEED CONCRETE EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE FOR LEGAL REASONS

[@DIYTelecom]

That’s a crappy situation Stephanie. So this report is the SMDR report from the PBX? If they are going to be like that, makes me wonder what other things they might try. Time for a new place to work?

[@NortelGeek]

Modular ICS, BCM, UCX and a Cisco SPAx ... Your MDF is busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouse holes! I LOVE it. Have you heard of VS Compact? Makes 110 look like 66. (Not a plug--I don't sell these. Just thought they were interesting.) Demo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q365f3mHqr9qZpY

[@HG-Pilot]

Video how to use wrong tools while terminating the 110...

[@DIYTelecom]

Thanks for watching. You’re welcome to share constructive criticism.

[@dmp539]

Thanks Karen