A punch down tool, punchdown tool, IDC tool, or a Krone tool (named after the Krone LSA-PLUS connector), 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 (also known as biscuit jacks).
Most punch down tools are of the impact type, consisting of a handle, an internal spring mechanism, and a removable slotted blade. To use the punch down tool, a wire is pre-positioned into a slotted post on a punch block, and then the punch down tool is pressed down on top of the wire, over the post. Once the required pressure is reached, an internal spring is triggered, and the blade pushes the wire into the slot, simultaneously cutting the insulation and securing the wire. [1] The tool blade does not cut through the wire insulation to make contact, but rather the sharp edges of the slot in the contact post itself slice through the insulation.
However, the punch down tool blade also is usually used to cut off excess wire, in the same operation as making the connection; this is done with a sharp edge of the punch down tool blade trapping the wire to be cut against the plastic punch block. If this cutoff feature is heavily used, the tool blade must be resharpened or replaced from time to time. Tool blades without the sharp edge are also available; these are used for continuing a wire through a slotted post to make connections with another slotted post ("daisy-chained" wiring).
For light-duty use, there are also less-expensive punch down tools with fixed blades and no impact mechanism. These low-cost tools are more time-consuming for making reliable connections, and can cause muscle fatigue when used for large numbers of connections.
To accommodate different connector types, 66, 110, BIX and krone blocks require different blades. Removable blades for 66 or 110 are almost always double-ended. Some blades have one end that only inserts the wire for daisy-chain wiring from post to post, and another end that inserts wire and trims the excess length for termination at a post. Other blades have a cutting 66 blade on one end and a cutting 110 blade on the other. [2] Krone blades require a separate scissor-like mechanism for trimming the wire.
A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes. Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with durable cutting edges suitable for rough work such as cutting cordage, cutting/scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish scales, reshaping timber, and other tasks. Craft knives are small utility knives used as precision-oriented tools for finer, more delicate tasks such as carving and papercutting.
Wire wrap is an electronic component assembly technique that was invented to wire telephone crossbar switches, and later adapted to construct electronic circuit boards. Electronic components mounted on an insulating board are interconnected by lengths of insulated wire run between their terminals, with the connections made by wrapping several turns of uninsulated sections of the wire around a component lead or a socket pin.
A chisel is a wedged hand tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade, for carving or cutting a hard material. The tool can be used by hand, struck with a mallet, or applied with mechanical power. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it.
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 saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws.
An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also specialize in wiring ships, airplanes, and other mobile platforms, as well as data and cable lines.
A grommet is a ring or edge strip inserted into a hole through thin material, typically a sheet of textile fabric, sheet metal or composite of carbon fiber, wood or honeycomb. Grommets are generally flared or collared on each side to keep them in place, and are often made of metal, plastic, or rubber. They may be used to prevent tearing or abrasion of the pierced material or protection from abrasion of the insulation on the wire, cable, line being routed through the penetration, and to cover sharp edges of the piercing, or all of the above.
A staple gun or powered stapler is a hand-held machine used to drive heavy metal staples into wood, plastic, or masonry. Staple guns are used for many different applications and to affix a variety of materials, including insulation, house wrap, roofing, wiring, carpeting, upholstery, and hobby and craft materials. These devices are also known as trigger tackers.
A wire stripper is a small, hand-held device used to strip the electrical insulation from electric wires.
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.
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, which uses a punch-down tool similar to the type used for the older 66 block.
Crimping is a method of joining two or more pieces of metal or other ductile material by deforming one or both of them to hold the other. The bend or deformity is called the crimp. Crimping tools are used to create crimps.
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.
A plugboard or control panel is an array of jacks or sockets into which patch cords can be inserted to complete an electrical circuit. Control panels are sometimes used to direct the operation of unit record equipment, cipher machines, and early computers. The array of holes is often contained in a flat removable panel that can be inserted into a machine and pressed against an array of contacts. This allows the machine to be quickly switched between different applications.
Perfboard is a material for prototyping electronic circuits. It is a thin, rigid sheet with holes pre-drilled at standard intervals across a grid, usually a square grid of 0.1 inches (2.54 mm) spacing. These holes are ringed by round or square copper pads, though bare boards are also available. Inexpensive perfboard may have pads on only one side of the board, while better quality perfboard can have pads on both sides. Since each pad is electrically isolated, the builder makes all connections with either wire wrap or miniature point to point wiring techniques. Discrete components are soldered to the prototype board such as resistors, capacitors, and integrated circuits. The substrate is typically made of paper laminated with phenolic resin or a fiberglass-reinforced epoxy laminate (FR-4).
A screw terminal is a type of electrical connection where a wire is held by the tightening of a screw.
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.
A cheese knife is a type of kitchen knife specialized for the cutting of cheese. Different cheeses require different knives, according primarily to hardness. There are also a number of other kitchen tools designed for cutting or slicing cheese, especially the harder types. These include the cheese cutter, cheese slicer, cheese plane, cheese scoop for soft cheese and others, collectively known as cheese servers.
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.
