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A 110 block is a type of punch-down block used to terminate runs of on-premises wiring in a structured cabling system. The designation 110 is also used to describe a type of insulation displacement contact (IDC) connector used to terminate twisted pair cables, [1] which uses a punch-down tool similar to the type used for the older 66 block.
Early residential telephone systems used simple screw terminals to join cables to sockets in a tree topology. These screw-terminal blocks have been slowly replaced by 110 blocks and connectors. Modern homes usually have phone service entering the house to a single 110 block, whence it is distributed by on-premises wiring to outlet boxes throughout the home in star topology. At the outlet box, cables are attached to ports with insulation-displacement contacts (IDCs), and those ports fit into special faceplates.
In commercial settings, this style of home run or star topology wiring was already in use on 66 blocks in telecom closets and switchrooms. The 110 block has been slowly replacing the 66 block, especially for data communications usage.[ citation needed ]
The 110 style insulation-displacement connection is often used at both ends of networking cables such as Category 5, Category 5e, Category 6, and Category 6A cables which run through buildings, as shown in the image. In switch rooms, 110 blocks are often built into the backs of patch panels to terminate cable runs. At the other end, 110 connections may be used with keystone modules that are attached to wall plates. 110 blocks are preferred over 66 blocks in high-speed networks because they introduce less crosstalk and many are certified for use in Category 5, Category 6 and Category 6A wiring systems. [2]
Individual Category 5e and better-rated 8P8C jacks (keystone and patch panel) with IDC connectors commonly use the same punchdown 'teeth' dimensions and tools as a full size 110 block.
110 style blocks allow a much higher density of terminations in a given space than older style termination blocks (66 style or wire wrap) because of their stacking capability. Some 110 blocks meet specifications for higher bandwidth data protocols such as Category 5 and higher.
During regular usage, very small pieces of insulation can become stuck inside the 110 block contacts; this renders that given pair unreliable or unusable, until the pieces are removed. A tool known as a spudger can be used to remove excess insulation pieces. The wire hook which comes with many punch down tools can also be used to remove wire pieces.
A new wire inserted over an existing insulation remnant may be unreliable, as the 110 IDC was designed to hold only a single wire per contact.
For testing it is more difficult to reliably connect to a working circuit on a 110 block than on older style blocks. The circuit must be broken, or insulation displacing contacts may be used on jumper wires. Repeated use of insulation displacing contacts may lead to a difficult-to-locate broken or intermittently-failing jumper wire.
Ethernet over twisted-pair technologies use twisted-pair cables for the physical layer of an Ethernet computer network. They are a subset of all Ethernet physical layers.
Category 5 cable (Cat 5) is a twisted pair cable for computer networks. Since 2001, the variant commonly in use is the Category 5e specification (Cat 5e). The cable standard provides performance of up to 100 MHz and is suitable for most varieties of Ethernet over twisted pair up to 2.5GBASE-T but more commonly runs at 1000BASE-T speeds. Cat 5 is also used to carry other signals such as telephone and video.
Twisted pair cabling is a type of communications cable in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility. Compared to a single conductor or an untwisted balanced pair, a twisted pair reduces electromagnetic radiation from the pair and crosstalk between neighbouring pairs and improves rejection of external electromagnetic interference. It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
Components of an electrical circuit are electrically connected if an electric current can run between them through an electrical conductor. An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection between parts of an electrical circuit, or between different electrical circuits, thereby joining them into a larger circuit.
A ribbon cable is a cable with many conducting wires running parallel to each other on the same flat plane. As a result, the cable is wide and flat. Its name comes from its resemblance to a piece of ribbon.
In telecommunications, structured cabling is building or campus cabling infrastructure that consists of a number of standardized smaller elements called subsystems. Structured cabling components include twisted pair and optical cabling, patch panels and patch cables.
Category 6 cable (Cat 6) is a standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards.
A 66 block is a type of punch-down block used to connect sets of wires in a telephone system. They have been manufactured in four common configurations, A, B, E and M. A and B styles have the clip rows on 0.25" centers while E and M have the clip rows on 0.20" centers. The A blocks have 25 slotted holes on the left side for position the incoming building cable with a 50 slot fanning strip on the right side for distribution cables. They have been obsolete for many years. The B & M styles have 50 slot fanning strip on both sides. The B style is used mainly in distribution panels where several destinations need to connect to the same source. The M blocks are often used to connect a single instrument to such a distribution block. The E style has 5 columns of 10 2 clips rows and are used for transitioning from the 25 pair distribution cable to a 25 pair RJ21 style female ribbon connector.
An insulation-displacement contact (IDC), also known as insulation-piercing contact (IPC), is an electrical connector designed to be connected to the conductor(s) of an insulated cable by a connection process which forces a selectively sharpened blade or blades through the insulation, bypassing the need to strip the conductors of insulation before connecting. When properly made, the connector blade cold-welds to the conductor, making a theoretically reliable gas-tight connection.
A punch-down block is a type of electrical connection often used in telephony. It is named because the solid copper wires are "punched down" into short open-ended slots which are a type of insulation-displacement connector. These slots, usually cut crosswise across an insulating plastic bar, contain two sharp metal blades which cut through the wire's insulation as it is punched down. These blades hold the wire in position and make the electrical contact with the wire as well.
BIX is part of a telephony cross-connect system created in the 1970s by Nortel Networks. As a system, it consists of various sizes of punch-down blocks, cable distribution accessories, and a punch-down tool to terminate wires at the punch-down block. The BIX cross-connect system as a whole is certified for Category-5e. The BIX cross-connect system is primarily composed of two parts: the mounts, and the connectors.
The 1A2 Key Telephone System is a business telephone system developed and distributed by the Western Electric Company for the Bell System.
A modular connector is a type of electrical connector for cords and cables of electronic devices and appliances, such as in computer networking, telecommunication equipment, and audio headsets.
A keystone module is a standardized snap-in package for mounting a variety of low-voltage electrical jacks or optical connectors into a keystone wall plate, face plate, surface-mount box, or a patch panel.
A punch down tool, punchdown tool, IDC tool, or a Krone tool, is a small hand tool used by telecommunication and network technicians. It is used for inserting wire into insulation-displacement connectors on punch down blocks, patch panels, keystone modules, and surface mount boxes.
British telephone sockets were introduced in their current plug and socket form on 19 November 1981 by British Telecom to allow subscribers to connect their own telephones. The connectors are specified in British Standard BS 6312. Electrical characteristics of the telephone interface are specified by individual network operators, e.g. in British Telecom's SIN 351. Electrical characteristics required of British telephones used to be specified in BS 6305.
Krone LSA-PLUS is an insulation-displacement connector for telecommunications. It is a proprietary European alternative to 110 block. The Krone LSA-PLUS system is not limited to telecommunications, as it is also popular in broadcast systems, where audio interconnections and their associated control systems often use krone wiring. Multipair audio cables have been specifically designed for the system by organisations such as the BBC.
ANSI/TIA-568 is a technical standard for commercial building cabling for telecommunications products and services. The title of the standard is Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard and is published by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a body accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Copper has been used in electrical wiring since the invention of the electromagnet and the telegraph in the 1820s. The invention of the telephone in 1876 created further demand for copper wire as an electrical conductor.
A pin header is a form of electrical connector. A male pin header consists of one or more rows of metal pins molded into a plastic base, often 2.54 mm (0.1 in) apart, though available in many spacings. Male pin headers are cost-effective due to their simplicity. The female counterparts are sometimes known as female headers, though there are numerous naming variations of male and female connectors. Historically, headers have sometimes been called "Berg connectors" or "DuPont" connectors, but headers are manufactured by many companies.