ADC Patchbay Wiring Question

pucho812 · Dec 12, 2006

[quote author="NewYorkDave"]Here's a handy tip: get into the habit of closing your eyes as you drive the punch home. Usually, the cut ends of the wire just fall away harmlessly--but every now and then, one flies right at your face.

Now that you've mastered ADC patchbays, wanna come to New York for a few days and help me with this project? :green:

(This is just one of several jobs I'm trying to tackle during the "holiday slowdown" :?).[/quote]

Dave is there totono's involved in that invite :wink:

BYacey · Dec 13, 2006

[quote author="NewYorkDave"]By the way:

Use only the proper punchdown tool from ADC. Kludges may work in an emergency but will easily wreck the terminals.

Don't ever punch down bare stranded wire, the strands will disintegrate. The shield connections should be covered with a piece of spaghetti tubing before punching down. A package of these is included with every new ADC patchbay.[/quote]

In addition, I tin the shield with solder also if it's stranded. IDC connectors work best with solid wire. In my Soundtracs console I had to redo all the input IDC connectors because they would go intermittent with the stranded wire. Once they were tinned, no more problems.

NewYorkDave · Dec 13, 2006

That's not necessary with the ADC punchdown terminals, because they're designed to work well with stranded wire... and they do. Bare stranded conductors (e.g., the drain wire) must be sleeved, though.

However, what you say is definitely true for standard telephone punchblock types.

Pat Maki · Aug 2, 2022

I've got a couple ADC patch bays that I'm going to wire up to a CADAC console. So far no luck finding the QB2 or QB4 or QCP 115 punch down tools. I've even contacted commscope. Anyone got one of these they'd be willing to sell (or rent out)?

Gold · Aug 3, 2022

Sisu MT said:
I've got a couple ADC patch bays that I'm going to wire up to a CADAC console. So far no luck finding the QB2 or QB4 or QCP 115 punch down tools. I've even contacted commscope. Anyone got one of these they'd be willing to sell (or rent out)?

I just looked on the bay and there were a couple listed. I have one and will never use it. I'd sell it.
Edit: I found the tool but it's missing the removable tip.

Pat Maki · Aug 3, 2022

Gold said:
I just looked on the bay and there were a couple listed. I have one and will never use it. I'd sell it.
Edit: I found the tool but it's missing the removable tip.

Thanks @Gold. If I could even find a blade, I'd happily buy yours. Found many punch tools for networking on ebay, but not a one that's a QB2/QB4 or QPC-115. Would you mind please pointing me in the right direction? Pat

Gold · Aug 3, 2022

I just searched ADC punchdown tool. They may have had the wrong tip. I can take a look around and see if I have the tip. It was definitely for an ADC punchdown bay.

Gold · Aug 4, 2022

I haven’t done any patchbay work in probably 25 years. I probably had a tip for the ADC bays and one for a 66 style telco block that were on MCI’s. I’ll take another look around and see if I can find them or it.