[A Legal Beagle]

rather than start a new thread I thought id post my cry for help in here.

Ive just bought a set of baluns from HDcable.co.uk

Tried it by connecting to my PJ via onkyo amp.

got a pic for a second then nothing.

I have 1 cat5e cable which is shielded and 25m in length
the other cat5e is 15m and not shielded. Ive owned this one for years!

Does the different length and the fact that one is shielded and the other isnt make a diiference?

Ive also noticed the old 15m cable cover has been damaged and wires have been exposed.

the straight distance is approx 15m, but ive bought a longer length as once fitted round it will need a longer length to reach.

I plan to buy another 25m cat5e shielded cable, subject to someones input and help on here.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks

[MarkTaylor]

Always good to start a new thread for a new problem with different equipment.

Moderator

[A Legal Beagle]

Sorry it should be HDcable.co.uk

To confirm, I bought
Cat5e Booted Shielded STP Patch Cable (Grey) 25m Networ on eBay (end time 02-Aug-09 17:48:02 BST)


To go with the one ive bought

Anyway, anyone can help

[Nded]

You might want to get a good cable tester (or invite a friend over who has one), and see if the cables are OK. Given the low cost, putting in 2 new identical cables can't hurt.

[Mark Grant]

Originally Posted by A Legal Beagle

Ive just bought a set of baluns from HDcable.co.uk

I would suggest to contact HDcable.co.uk for help.

Best to use identical cables that you know work.

Sometimes a pair of cat5 cables that will work on a computer network do not work with HDMI Baluns.

Rather than using ebay network cables that have been terminated in China it is best with HDMI Baluns to use quality cables terminated and tested by a network installer or assemble your own if you have the tools. Maplin etc have tools for good prices.

Mark.

[Jamie S]

Problems with CAT5 Unit

Troubleshooting

1. Make sure the Cat5/6 cabling is unshielded (UTP) for best performance. Note: Sometimes shielded cables will work, however in lots of cases the shielding actually causes attenuation on the signal which is not good for HDMI ovet Cat5/6 applications.

2. Make sure the Cat5/6 cable length is a minimum of 10m. The units will not work effectively over short cable runs.

3. The most common reason for non-funtioning Cat5 extender units is due to either poor or incorrect termination of the network cabling. It is vitally important to ensure that the cables are terminated as “straight” and using the 568-B termination method.
Here is a link with a very easy to follow and informative guide: How to Make a Category 6 Patch Cable
If at all possible, ensure that the cable is has a good termination and is fully functional by using a LAN cable tester.

4. Switch your devices on in this sequence. Firstly, power off all the devices including the HDMI over Cat5 extenders. Now power on all display and source devices (i.e. TVs, Blu-rays, Computers and Satellite boxes) Finally power on the extender units, firstly the sender and then the receiver unit.

5. If this does not work, repeat this power on sequence in the reverse. Firstly, power on the sender and then the receiver unit. Then power on all display and source devices (i.e. TVs, Blu-rays, Computers and Satellite boxes)

If all these steps have been taken and you are still experiencing difficulties with your unit please contact ask@hdcable.co.uk for further assistance.

[A Legal Beagle]

Originally Posted by Jamie S

Problems with CAT5 Unit

Troubleshooting

1. Make sure the Cat5/6 cabling is unshielded (UTP) for best performance. Note: Sometimes shielded cables will work, however in lots of cases the shielding actually causes attenuation on the signal which is not good for HDMI ovet Cat5/6 applications.

2. Make sure the Cat5/6 cable length is a minimum of 10m. The units will not work effectively over short cable runs.

3. The most common reason for non-funtioning Cat5 extender units is due to either poor or incorrect termination of the network cabling. It is vitally important to ensure that the cables are terminated as “straight” and using the 568-B termination method.
Here is a link with a very easy to follow and informative guide: How to Make a Category 6 Patch Cable
If at all possible, ensure that the cable is has a good termination and is fully functional by using a LAN cable tester.

4. Switch your devices on in this sequence. Firstly, power off all the devices including the HDMI over Cat5 extenders. Now power on all display and source devices (i.e. TVs, Blu-rays, Computers and Satellite boxes) Finally power on the extender units, firstly the sender and then the receiver unit.

5. If this does not work, repeat this power on sequence in the reverse. Firstly, power on the sender and then the receiver unit. Then power on all display and source devices (i.e. TVs, Blu-rays, Computers and Satellite boxes)

If all these steps have been taken and you are still experiencing difficulties with your unit please contact ask@hdcable.co.uk for further assistance.

Cheers,

Will give the above a try. The confusions stems from the fact that there appears to be confliciting opinions as to whether STP or UTP cables are preferred.

Thanks again

[lapino]

Why is there a minimum UTP cable length for these CAT5 extenders?

[Nded]

Originally Posted by lapino

Why is there a minimum UTP cable length for these CAT5 extenders?

For legacy CAT5 extenders the reason for the length specifications is because such devices have to be tuned to compensate for skew. One of the characteristics of CAT5 cable (and most other twisted pair standards), is that each of the pairs is twisted at a slightly different rate. This is both a strength and a weakness. The strength of this methodology is that it helps prevent crosstalk between each pair, the weakness is that no two pairs in the CAT5 cable are exactly the same length. While this doesn't affect data applications of CAT5 cable, it does affect devices that are using the cable as glorified extension cords. The manufacturers have to either allow for external fine tuning (typically a knob called marked 'skew adjustment'), or they have to specify the correct cable length for optimum performance. To further complicate matters, CAT6 has more twists per inch than CAT5, so using CAT6 cable with an extender designed for CAT5 lengths can introduce nightmares for the installer. It should also be noted that some cable manufacturers haver started offering 'skew free' cables, in which all pairs are twisted at the same rate. Such skew free cables can be helpful with some baluns, but probably should not be used for data applications.

Newer IP based CAT5 extenders are immune from such skew problems. While the shortest CATx cable I've used with HDMI over IP is about 6', I'm confident that they would work equally well with a 1' cable or a 330' cable, or much longer distances over a LAN.

[lapino]

Any advice for a brand which is known to have 0 problems with 8m cable length?

[Nded]

Originally Posted by lapino

Any advice for a brand which is known to have 0 problems with 8m cable length?

HDMI over IP - HDMI 1.3 over Ethernet LAN

[Mark Grant]

Originally Posted by lapino

Any advice for a brand which is known to have 0 problems with 8m cable length?

Octava are perfect with short cables.

Octava HDMI over CAT 5 Extender [Octava- HDMICAT-UK] - £143.95 : AV Cables and Interconnects, UK Cables Shop


Mark.

[Joe Fernand]

If your putting in one new 'equal length' cable I'd suggest you make might want to make it a run of CAT6 and use that on the 'video' portion of the extension.

In terms of category wiring plan you cant assume what wiring configuration to use until you consult with the 'extender' supplier/install manual - we have units that work with TIA-568A, TIA-568B and some that require a 'straight' connection (which is how it should be done but as folk are trying to integrate with 'legacy' cabling lots of system use 568A or 568B).

Joe