Crimping Under the Influence — A Biltong & Bytes Tale

hanro440
Aug 15
2 min read

At Pro-IT, we keep our cables neat and our skills netjies, but when Friday rolls around, we switch from patch panels to punchlines.

This time, we gave a standard crimping session the Biltong & Bytes treatment — mix one stopwatch for pressure, one cable tester for truth, and a generous splash of Russian vodka for courage. Because why not?

📜 The Rules

Crimp a Cat6 network cable in 5 minutes or less.
If it fails the cable tester or you don’t finish in time… jy vat ’n dop.
Try again and again — or until you start asking the cable tester for braai tips.

The Tools of the Trade 🔧

RJ45 connectors 🖇️
Cat6 cable spool 🧵
Crimping tool 🔧
Cable tester 📟
And the star of the show… a bottle of Tsarskaya Russian Vodka 🥶

Whether you’re aiming for a perfect pinout or just trying to avoid another shot, here’s the proper way:

Measure & Strip
- Cut your Cat6 to length.
- Strip about 2–3 cm of the sheath — moet nou nie daai wires a haircut gee nie.
Untwist & Arrange
- Untwist pairs and lay them in T568B order:
  - White/Orange – Orange – White/Green – Blue – White/Blue – Green – White/Brown – Brown
  - T568B Diagram
- Flatten them neatly — if it looks like ’n voëlnes, start over.
Trim to Size
- Snip all wires evenly, around 12–13 mm from the sheath.
Insert into RJ45 Connector
- Slide them in while keeping the order.
- Make sure the sheath sits just inside for strain relief.
Crimp It
- Pop it into the crimper and give it a braai-tong squeeze — firm and final.
Test It
- Use the cable tester to make sure every pin lights up in order.
- If it fails… dop time.

📊 The Results

JP – 3 shots (and a connector that screamed “help me”) 😅
Hanro – 1 shot (smooth as brandy on ice, with just a dash of oops on the first try)
Cloete – 1 shot (left the room like he just won the World Cup of crimping)

Lessons Learned (Biltong & Bytes Style)💡

Wrong pin order = same disappointment as burnt boerewors.
Test your cable before your liver — both will thank you.
Vodka can make you brave, but the cable tester will humble you.
A shot with every cable isn’t industry best practice… but it’s our best Friday practice.