Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed

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Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed-Mark Mullins
www.flukenetworks.com 2006-2017 Fluke
Corporation
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Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed
Youve just finished a copper cabling
installation for a customer, your DSX-5000
CableAnalyzer is properly configured and youre
ready to start testing. With a press of the
TEST button, youre off and running. Link
after link, the tester displays a Pass and
youre feeling really good about the quality
workmanship of your installation. All of the
sudden, a Fail pops up on the screen and youre
forced to stop dead in your tracks. You know that
all links must pass before the manufacturer will
issue the warrantyand likely before you get paid
for the job. Quickly isolating and repairing the
problem can make all the difference in getting on
with the business of warranting the installation,
ensuring customer satisfaction and making money.
Thankfully you have the powerful troubleshooting
capabilities of the DSX-5000 in the palm of your
hand.
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Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed
Fix it Later
Maybe youre not responsible for fixing failed
links or you prefer to leave the task of
troubleshooting up to a more experienced
technician. The DSX-5000 has a FIX LATER feature
that creates a punch list of links that need
troubleshooting and repair. That means you can
get on to the business of testing the remaining
links without interruption, saving the
troubleshooting and repairing task for lateror
for someone else.
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Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed
Diagnose It
When a link fails, youll see a red asterisk
next to the specific failed parameter rather than
a green check mark. Simply tap on the failed
parameter and the DSCX-5000 will display a
detailed graph of the measurements. You can even
zero in on which pair is causing the problem. A
fail is a fail and must be diagnosed. Under the
DIAGNOTICS tab, the DSX-5000 includes two
parametersHDTDX (High Definition Time Domain
Crosstalk) ANALYZER and HDTDR (High Definition
Time Domain Reflectometry) ANALYZER. These
parameters allow you to essentially look down the
cable and see exactly where any crosstalk, return
loss or shield faults are happening on the
link. For example, the HDTDX ANALYZER might show
failed crosstalk at the near-end connector (see
illustration), making it easy for you to isolate
and ultimately fix the problem.
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Help! My Copper Cabling Link Failed
Make the Repair
Remember, you (or the technician responsible for
troubleshooting) will still need to figure out
the problem. In the case of a connector issue,
the problem could be caused by faulty termination
or a non-compliant connector. If the problem
appears within the cable, it could be caused by
subpar construction of the cable itselfwhether
the geometry or insulation and jacket materials.
It can also be caused by poor treatment of the
cable, such a exceeding the cables specified
bend radius or pull strength. Once the link has
been fixed, tap TEST again on your DSX-5000 and
hopefully the link will pass. If so, the link
will be removed from the punch list.
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