FLUKE NETWORKS DSX-PC5ES (01) PDF Document

A DSX-PC5ES Patch Cord Adapter Set comes with these items:

• Two DSX-PC5E Cat 5e Patch Cord Adapters

• DSX-PCxxS Product Manuals CD-ROM

If something is missing or damaged, contact the place of purchase immediately.

To prevent possible fire, electric shock, personal injury, damage to equipment, or inaccurate test results, read the safety information in the Versiv Series manuals before you use the tester.

The DSX main and remote testers need Versiv software version 2.3 or later to do tests with the DSX-PCxx adapters.

To see the software versions in your main and remote testers:

1. Connect the main and remote testers together with permanent link and channel adapters or two channel adapters and a patch cord.

2. Turn on both testers.

3. On the main tester tap TOOLS, then Version Information.

When you first get the patch cord adapters, do this procedure to characterize their performance. Later, the test results can help you see if the adapters need new jacks.

1. Attach the DSX-PCxx adapters to the main and remote DSX testers.

2. Get several patch cords of the same length that are possibly good.

3. On the main DSX tester, select a patch cord test limit that is applicable to the patch cords.

4. Do an Autotest on the patch cords to find one that passes. A PASS* result is sufficient. Select two good patch cords to be your reference patch cords.

5. Save the test results from the reference patch cord, then upload the results to LinkWare. Keep the results where you can find them later.

6. Mark the reference patch cord ends with “main” and “remote” as it was connected for the test. Keep the reference patch cord to use later for performance tests on the adapters.

Note: When you do the Autotest, keep the patch cord straight. For consistent return loss measurements from the reference patch cord, do not put mechanical stress on the cord during tests or storage. Patch cord performance can change when you bend or twist the cord.

Caution: Testing patch cords that have poorly crimped plugs can reduce the life of the patch cord adapter’s jacks or make them unusable.

1. Attach the DSX-PCxx adapters to the main and remote DSX testers.

2. On the home screen, tap the test setup panel.

3. On the CHANGE TEST screen, tap NEW TEST.

4. On the TEST SETUP screen, tap Cable Type, then tap the correct cable type, Cat 5e, 6, or 6A.

5. On the TEST SETUP screen, tap Test Limit, then tap the correct patch cord test limit. If you do not see the correct patch cord test limit, tap MORE, tap Patch Cords, then tap the correct limit.

6. The TEST LIMIT – Patch Cords screen shows a list of patch cords that have different lengths. On this screen, tap the correct patch cord. Note: If the patch cord’s length is not in the list, select a limit with the next longest length. For example, if the patch cord is 2.2 m long, select a limit for a 2.5 m patch cord.

7. On the TEST SETUP screen, select these settings:

• Store Plot Data: On

• HDTDR/HDTDX: Fail/Pass* only. If you want time-domain reflectometry and time-domain crosstalk plots for all the patch cords you test, select All Autotests.

• Outlet Configuration: Select the correct wire map for the patch cords.

• AC Wire Map: Off (DSX-5000 only)

8. On the TEST SETUP screen, tap SAVE when your test setup is completed.

9. On the CHANGE TEST screen, make sure the button next to the test is selected, then tap USE SELECTED.

10. If you want to make a list of cable IDs or change the Auto Save setting, tap the Next ID panel on the home screen.

1. Connect the patch cord to the main and remote testers.

2. Turn on both testers, then tap TEST on the main tester or press ✓TEST on the main or remote tester.

Note: The main tester will not turn on a remote tester when they are connected through patch cord adapters. To help ensure accurate test results, do not bend the patch cord during the test.

Patch cord tests evaluate these characteristics:

• Wire map

• Return loss

• NEXT

The patch cord test specifications assume that insertion loss (attenuation), ACR-F (ELFEXT), DC resistance, length, propagation delay, and delay skew requirements are met by the patch cord’s design, thus, test limits for these measurements are not required.

Wire map failures are typically caused by these problems:

• Wires connected to wrong pins at plug

• Faulty connections

• Damaged plug

• Damaged cable

• Wrong Outlet Configuration selected on the TEST SETUP screen

• Mix of T568A and T568B wiring standards (1,2 and 3,6 crossed)

• Conductive material stuck between pins at plug

Return loss failures are typically caused by these problems:

• Cable impedance not 100 Ω

• Patch cord handling causing changes in impedance

• Excessive untwisting of pairs at plug

• Poor quality plug

• Cable impedance is not consistent (poor quality cable)

• Distortions in the cable, such as pinches or kinks

• Poorly-matched plug and jack (usually affects Cat 6/Class E applications)

• Wrong test limit selected

NEXT failures are typically caused by these problems:

• Wire pairs untwisted too much at the plug. Most NEXT failures occur at plugs, where the wire pairs are untwisted.

• Poor quality plug

• Poor quality cable

• Poorly matched plug and jack

• Distortions in the cable, such as pinches or kinks

• Too much electrical noise near cabling under test.

• Wrong test limit selected

You can use the HDTDX and return loss plots to see if a patch cord failed because of a bad cable or a plug that is bad or poorly installed.

• **Bad Cable:** HDTDX plots for a bad cable show high crosstalk along the cable. Bad cable often causes return loss failures at low frequencies (below 50 MHz).

• **Bad Plug:** HDTDX plots for a bad plug show high crosstalk at the plug. A bad plug often causes return loss failures at high frequencies. Typically, the test fails or has the worst margin at the end with the bad plug.

Replace the jacks in the adapters when any of these conditions occur:

• Margins for patch cord tests begin to get smaller.

• Patch cord tests, especially wire map or return loss tests, begin to give inconsistent results.

• You have connected patch cords to the jacks more than 5000 times.

• The characterization test fails or the results are very different from the results you saw when the adapters were new.

The RJ45 jacks are typically good for 5000 insertions when used continuously. When used non-continuously, the lifetime can be reduced to 750 insertions.

Caution: If you do tests on patch cords that have poorly crimped plugs, you can reduce the life of the patch cord adapter’s jacks or make them unusable.

To see the number of tests done with a patch cord adapter, attach the adapter to the main tester, then tap TOOLS > Version Information > ADAPTER. These counts show on the VERSION INFORMATION screen:

• **Autotest Count** is the number of Autotests done with the adapter.

• **Current Series** is an Autotest count that you can reset. Use this counter to monitor the number of insertions for the jack. To reset the counter after you replace a jack, tap **Reset Series**.

Caution: To prevent damage to the adapters and to make sure that your test results are as accurate as possible:

• The DSX-PCxx adapters have static-sensitive components. When you replace the RJ45 jack, obey rules to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD).

• Replace the jacks only with jacks of the same type. For example, do not put Cat 5e jacks onto Cat 6 circuit boards.

• Do not put stress on the circuit board when you remove or replace the jack.

Note: To ensure reliable operation, replace the DSX-PCxx patch cord adapter after you have replaced the RJ45 jack 10 times.

1. Use a TORX PLUS® driver, size T-7, to remove the three screws from the back of the patch cord adapter.

2. Take the adapter case apart and remove the circuit board from the case.

3. Pull the RJ45 jack off of the circuit board.

4. Align the new RJ45 jack on the connectors on the circuit board, ensuring the insulation displacement connectors in the jack slide into the connectors on the circuit board.

5. Push the RJ45 jack onto the connectors on the board. If firm pressure does not push the jack onto the connectors, realign the jack before you try again.

6. Reassemble the case.

7. If you want to monitor the number of tests you do with the new jack, reset the Current Series count for the adapter.

If you characterized the performance of the adapters before, do the characterization procedure again and save the results as the new characterization results for the adapters.

Use this procedure to compare results from the initial characterization test with current results to see if the adapters are operating correctly.

1. Use LinkWare to open the results from the initial test on the reference patch cord.

2. Get the same main and remote DSX testers you used for the initial test. The serial numbers are in the test results.

3. Attach the patch cord adapters to the testers.

4. Connect the reference patch cord between the main and remote DSX testers. Make sure to connect the ends of the patch cord to the correct testers.

5. On the DSX tester, select the same patch cord test limit you used for the initial test.

6. Do an Autotest, then save the results.

7. Use the plots on the DSX and in LinkWare to compare the NEXT and RL margins in the areas nearest the limit line. For a good adapter and jack, the old and new NEXT and RL margins should be very similar.

8. If the old and new margins are not similar, replace the RJ45 jacks on the adapters.

9. If you did this procedure to verify the performance of new jacks on the adapters, keep the results as the new characterization results for the adapters.

Note: If you replaced the jacks on the adapters, the difference between the old and new margins can be more than 0.5 dB. If the difference is more than a few dB, make sure the new jacks are installed correctly and the adapters show no damage.