Splicing phone Wire - Redheads & Rat Rubbers

connecting 2 telephone wires should be done with connectors that prevent oxidataion
#telephone
#telecommunications
#diytelecom
#phonewiring

[@Janotes]

I worked for a ex New York Telephone guy who called "B" connectors .. "Good n Plentys" And yeah we never stripped the station wire ends. We would insert The wires into the B connectors and crimp. There were teeth in the connectors which would bite into The wires to make contact.

[@j.d.1488]

Yep B-Wire. Bell System Never stripped. As a cable splicer we used to find steel cases in underground and odds were it was a B-wire connector splice. Late 60's to 70's era. 100 pair compliments referred to as Broccoli heads. Always remade those splices into 3M modular splices. Miss those days.

[@DIYTelecom]

I miss working on the copper plant too. It's all mostly voip now.

[@RXSVN_2]

1:39 You just made me realize why every single time I ever tried to fix a pair of old headphones by twisting and putting electrical tape on The Wire, the headphones would always go bad. The the oxidizing of the wires. Static was always the problem after a while.

[@DIYTelecom]

😊😄. Thanks for the comments sir!

[@matthewstorkson7889]

Their manufacturer recommendation for the rat rubbers is the same for scotchlock. Leave the insulation on and insert side by side. Have you tried it that way?

[@DIYTelecom]

You’re 100% correct Matt. I was mis-informed.

[@FynexFox]

We call them chiclets, beanies, or b comps on the fire alarm side; though we only use them for security or telco. Been silently watching your videos for years now, always enjoy them.

[@DIYTelecom]

Wow Joseph. Thanks for the patronage. Yeah, I think I have heard “chiclets” too. Forgot about that. So you do security, fire and burg?

[@williamthorpe5394]

Dolphin connectors do NOT require stripping - they have a metal crimp built inside -- take one apart to see

[@DIYTelecom]

yes sir. I was in error at the time I made this video. you are correct, no stripping of the wire required.

[@andydevine5847]

It saves time not to strip them, but I've had some connectors fail to make the connection (could be due to improper wire used).@@DIYTelecom

[@m.joeymcgrath6842]

I seen your video. I have CenturyLink who got acquired by brightspeed. They use the blue and white color and also the white with blue on it. I used my supply of cable and have to begin another roll of telephone cable do I use 1 or 2 red connectors to connect another cable? Thank you.

[@mrmike7932]

The oxidation causes passive intermodulation in the wave form of the electrical signal transmitted across the copper conductor. Because of this oxidation it makes a poor electrical connection causing the “static” he’s referring to

[@Jacob1701]

hey, what are those used for exactly with the light? I understand the whole thing is a splicer but what is the light for? I have some in our server closet that are just there and blink on and of once in awhile. We dont really use analog lines any more. Im the IT guy

[@Ressy66]

scotch locks are best, though you can compress with pliers, there are special pliers for it, normal pliers will work OK albeit it small, angled, you risk not being fully compressed, but the proper scotch lock pliers are designed to compensate for that making it straight and even compression

[@DIYTelecom]

Totally agree there. In fact, there are times when the red cylinder doesn’t compress right when i use pliers .👍

[@NortelGeek]

Haha! I've never heard "rat rubbers" before but my sides... Hahaha... My sides are in orbit (and I don't mean one for parking!). I've never really used them, but during my time in the CO, I always heard the linemen call them "beans".

[@DIYTelecom]

CO man huh? Like with one of the RBOCs or LEC? My Dad was a Bell guy. But not me. All I’ve ever known was private interconnect type work. 😊

[@therealprozac]

We referred to the AMP connectors as beans. We call the white ones rooster rubbers. For copper, we’ve been using the Scotch-lok for years now. We also refer to those as red heads.

[@BBB-ir4yj]

So do you put the connectors on each of the matching colors of wires? If so how many connectors are you ending up with and do you cover them in some way? My phone line has four different colors, yellow... green.. red /orange? and black. Do I put a connector On each of those colors on both sections of the line? Thank you for the video

[@dyos24]

Solved an issue I had been dealing with for months thanks so much! The red heads are way more available and easily found in electric supply stores I went with that!

[@DIYTelecom]

Perfect! I like the Redheads better anyway. 😎

[@beto1515]

Hahahahah😂😂😂😂​@@DIYTelecom

[@PSN7373]

You dont have to strip the wire on the dolphin

[@michaeljavert4635]

I have a special tool for the redhead splices. IDC Splice Crimp Tool. Red Head used to be yellow and only have 2 slots. I like the red ones better. what I wish I knew how to do is connect one telephone to another telephone, or a few telephones without needing actual telephone lines. Used to have a telephone that was 2 phones and a long wire. When I picked up one phone, the other one rang and I could talk to whomever answered it.

[@kl5799]

Thanks! This helped me repair an outdoor network camera cable that was chewed up by mice.

[@tgmelinda7544]

We call the "B" connector "Beans" and white are "dry" for use indoors, and blue are "wet" type with a antioxidizing goop in them and used outdoors. I have a local source for beans but I order the other types from one of a few different websites I trust to not have counterfeit products The other connector comes in different colors to denote wire gauge range to be used. One should ALWAYS pay attention to different brand documentation because the color codes may not be the same. Which is why I stick with one brand

[@DIYTelecom]

Very informative! Thank you for sharing! 👍😊

[@ehss192]

Interesting. I work for a large telco in Canada and Scotch locks or B-connects havent been used by us for at least 20 years now. Amp VS-3 crimp and picabond connectors is what we've been using since. Either way, nothing wrong with scotch locks. Plenty of them still around in pedestal and aerial terminals to this day.

[@DIYTelecom]

Agreed. The Scotch Locks are my preferred splice connection too. 😊

[@federerfanatic]

@@DIYTelecom I need to redo these redheads. I.e., remove them and then put some new? ones on.

[@DIYTelecom]

yes, best practice is to replace them with new. Most Electrical suppliers (ie Graybar) have them. Have I ever been guilty of prying them open and reusing them? Yeah, a few times.

[@federerfanatic]

@@DIYTelecom I guess one can get the wires out by pulling them?

[@DIYTelecom]

Snipping (cutting).

[@jamesrossmusic6013]

I love Redheads... I'll get some tomorrow. I've got my Lorex front door camera doorbel to wire in. wish me luck... Thanks!!!

[@marco12377]

Great video. Is the gel on the inside conductive? I am wondering how the electricity flows from one wire to the next.

[@DIYTelecom]

Great question. I don’t believe the gel is electrical. However, what you can’t see in that video is that in the middle of that circular splice connector (aka: red head), is a row of metal teeth. So when you clamp down on the circle face, it presses the wire up against that row of metal teeth. Thereby, pinching all the wires up against a common metal bus bar. Sorry, if I didn’t make that clear in the video.

[@marco12377]

@@DIYTelecom Oh ok, so it is not the gel that conducts the electricity, it is the metal teeth making contact with the wires instead.

[@amynoacid]

@@marco12377 yes. The silicone is just to key water/moisture out. The bus bars, which "bite" into the wires is what's making the electrical connection.

[@cdoublejj]

i was curious about the B connectors, think i'll take one apart for a better look

[@RichBuckman]

Thank you!

[@jeffmoss26]

good stuff!

[@DIYTelecom]

Thank you sir!

[@lolipopstarz]

@@joshlovescotch physically it is possible. Not recommend though. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never done it. 😄

[@billelkhellaf1978]

thank u

[@tylamb2437]

thank you! What if it is an outdoor cable?

[@DIYTelecom]

If I mention outdoor cable in the video (can't remember if I did or not), I would have been referring to cabling that is rated for withstanding the weather elements. It's usually thicker and made of different material.

[@commtechengineer612]

Nice video!

[@DIYTelecom]

Used to do work for a place in MD called Commtech. 😀

[@djscrizzle]

Now, the twist splice CAN be a proper method. The catch? It's gotta be soldered.

[@shadowbanned3716]

Yes sir scotch locks rock

[@volcomguy51]

Been using these as in my cabinet builds. We call them "cherries".

[@DIYTelecom]

Cherries? Huh.. learn something new every day.😄

[@volcomguy51]

@@DIYTelecom Yup. Like a loopback patch; we called those "butt plugs" in Marine Corps communications.

[@DIYTelecom]

Omg!! I love that! And love the Devil Dogs. Went to the academy and several good friends there were Marines! Thank you for protecting my children’s freedom! 😊🇺🇸

[@volcomguy51]

@@DIYTelecom Ooh-rah! You're welcome! Best ten years of my life! That life is long over so telcom it is since 2015!

[@DIYTelecom]

Yeah did my time in the late 80s. And like you, telecom and IT ever since. Glad to have you as a viewer! 😊

[@georgegemmel6810]

you only showed connecting two of the 4 wires. what happens to the other two colors?

[@DIYTelecom]

George, thanks for watching. In today's residential phone wiring, usually only the first 2 wires are used (in telco language we'd say "the tip & ring of the 1st pair". Now, if your building (house) happened to have 2 lines on the same analogue phone jack then you might also use the Tip & Ring of pair two. Those colors are Black or White/Orange (Tip) and Yellow or Orange/White (Ring).

[@Tommy-ri1lo]

A "rat rubber" is about the right size for me!!!

[@DIYTelecom]

😆😆😆😆

[@ronaldlico2116]

We call that redheads as a "U-Y connector" here in Philippines. May i ask why not twist the joint wire together? Tnx😄

[@DIYTelecom]

Thanks for that insight Ronald. As for the twisting, just the way I was taught. However, if I had to guess, my thought would be that it doesn’t allow the B-connector to clamp flat enough to keep out the air or moisture.

[@EuanM9105]

Im the uk we call the scotch locks jelliies (jelly crimp)

[@schutzhund3933]

What about picabonds?

[@dzaieri]

So my internet keeps cutting off every 10 mins and I have to wait for another 10 mins to come back, sometimes even longer. There's no tone in the phone too. What could be the problem? I think it's the 628k jack, maybe.

[@leveragewithjustin]

We call these jelly beans!

[@DIYTelecom]

Yeah, that too

[@susieqbrown]

how do I get them open? internet provider used phone lines to connect me with super long cord that I want to disconnect since I know no longer use that company and I don't have a land line. thanks

[@DIYTelecom]

Generally, they’re not designed to be reopened. If you’re really careful and meticulous with a sharp knife, you can sometimes pry them open.

[@paulfenrich6682]

@@DIYTelecom Scotch locks...pry them from the sides with pliers. Sometimes they will pop open. "B" connectors...Cut em off!

[@robertgerber2533]

We called them button clips

[@Brees1986]

Called them beans.

[@DIYTelecom]

right? yep, I've heard that too. Thanks or commenting James!😁

[@emg910728]

Keep dolphins out of any network that will carry digital data.

[@DIYTelecom]

💯 agree. I've never been crazy a out them. I prefer redheads.(scotchlocks) 👍

[@somthinwrong]

Is there any fire hazard when slicing phone wires together?

[@NortelGeek]

Not really, not unless there's a short that causes a spark on ring voltage and it's too near a combustible material.

[@blackrockcity]

Perhaps if there is a gas leak and you have loose phone wire sparking. Another scenario, if the phone wire is running on top of high voltage wires (NM, Romex), someone drops a heavy object (perhaps made of metal) onto both cables and damages the conductors such that now your phone wire/cat5 is energized at a dangerous voltage. This might be why its against code to have low voltage data/phone and high voltage cable running on top of each other.

[@DIYTelecom]

Valid points. I know in places the code dictates that wires carrying anything north of 50V have to be treated like electrical wiring.

[@blackrockcity]

@@DIYTelecom Plus installation of low voltage data cables is covered in 2017 and 2020 National Electrical Code.

[@godfreypoon5148]

There absolutely is. When I did a 2,400 pair cable splice in 37 minutes, my boss said I was "on fire".

[@RaviSharma-uw1og]

sir what is name of connector

[@DIYTelecom]

The red ones are 3M and the white ones are often called “Dolphins”

[@SEPNWMAN]

What about an underground splice?

[@DIYTelecom]

Yeah, great question Wallace. I’ll be direct with you and admit thats out of my league.

[@SEPNWMAN]

@@DIYTelecom thanks for the reply! Very appreciative!

[@peteo4454]

can i use these with stranded wire??

[@DIYTelecom]

The Redheads, yes. The b-connectors, Meh… maybe.

[@paulfenrich6682]

Never use stranded wire for telephone...will usually end up with intermittent static. (Worked 30+yrs as a repairman.)

[@1badzombie]

WRONG WRONG WRONG ...i will agree 3M connectors are better but B connectors make just as goog connection. You have no idea how to use them correctly, You don't strip the wire and you don't trist them together. They are made for you to put 2 or 3 unstripped wires into them and squeeze. There are teeth inside to bite through and hold the connections. The insalation helps keep the wire secure and not corrode. Some connectors have gell for outside use., thorny time I would strip wire and trist is if the are stranded or major different size wires. These are used all over the would and if you are using 24 to 22 wire DONT STRIP AND TRIST

[@DIYTelecom]

well, then this is good information Gordon. Sounds like I was taught wrong. I didn't grow-up in the Ma Bell family. My learning was 2nd hand from other field techs. Many of whom were also not Bell guys. What I might do to remedy this is make another instructional about the B-connectors and show your method. Then put a correction link pop-up in this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. :-)

[@donl1410]

@@DIYTelecom We call them Beans or Jelly Beans. I never stripped or twisted either.

[@larrydickinson7781]

If you don't use the proper tools the spice will become a high joint and noise. Was a splicer for 36 years and guys like you put out bad information. You wouldn't believe how many times we chased the trouble to DYI jobs like you are describing, when the wrong tools were used. With the mouse rubber you only have to strip 19 ga and up.

[@DIYTelecom]

Ok thank you sir. 😊

[@latrinajones-atwater6147]

Tr

[@RXSVN_2]

1:45 You only show the part where they strip off the insulation and then twist the wires together, you didn't show the part where they put the crappy electrical tape on. You have failed in your demonstration sir.... Lol.

[@DIYTelecom]

Ahahhahah 😆😆😆.. spot-on Rexx!