Jeff, thanks for the info RE: RJ-11 conductors and tips. I actually already have a crimper (w/ RJ-11 and RJ-45 slots) and 2 or 3 spools of 100' of Cat-5. ;-) Got my own home network w/ a "cantenna" uplink, 802.11b base station, 10/100bT, a LaserWriter IIf, 5 macs, and 2 PCs.
There is a patch-panel in the closet here that the apartment management installed while building the complex (we are the first tenants, having moved in in May). I think the panel is for the ethernet, set up somehow so that the telco (quest, who has exclusive DSL service here, ugh) can patch it into the DSL modem. Actually, that's supposed to be a "feature" of the apartment - we can pay Quest for DSL and they'll give us 2 IPs. Yeah.... It will be a cold day in hell when I give Quest my business. ;-) So, anyway, we don't use the ethernet, which isn't entirely connected (no hub) anyway. I suppose I could finish it up myself, but I can't bring myself to do something the apartment folks should have already done themselves... The telephone line, on the other hand... There is at least 1 jack per room (4 rooms) with 2 in the living room/dining/kitchen area. Should allow ok mobility for the Duo, having just finished a somewhat improved version of this mod: <http://www.seas.smu.edu/~roos/digiframe .html>. It's going to be a bedside clock/weather station running Son of Weather Grok 24/7... tee hee ;-) I have some experience in PhoneNet - Back in the day (5+ years ago) I pretty much managed my high school's implementation. We had lots of problems - too many Macs per node/zone, VERY long cable runs, etc. Ha, here's one. We ran lines overhead hanging off the flourescent lamps... For the longest time we couldn't figure out why the end of the line had no signal... Yeah, you guessed it, the wires weren't shielded ;-) Do you have any anecdotes, hints, tips, or funny stories to share about your LocalTalk net? I've got the day off tomorrow (er, when you are unemployed, every day is like a day off, only not). I'll run up to RS and grab the parts to make terminators and let you all know how it turns out! Thanks again! Peace, Drew ----- Jeff Walther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: To build a termination plug, take a 120 ohm resistor, as Clark mentioned, and a blank RJ11 plug which you can get at RS or most hardware stores that have a good wiring department. Insert the leads of the resistor (clip the extra length first) in the outer two slots/channels of the plug. Then you'll need a crimping tool to squeeze the plug down to close it so that it grips the leads. I've seen inexpensive, mostly plastic crimpers for under $10, but it still ends up being a bit of an investment if you don't already have one. On the other hand, once you have the crimper, you can build your own phone cables (provided you buy the cable and plugs) to any length you desire. An uncrimped plug will not plug into a socket, at least not without a great deal of force. I mention this in case you try to test the thing in a jack before crimping it. The plastic on top sticks up before it's been crimped. Jeff Walther -- Having graduated (with a physics BS :-P), I will be using the email address <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Please update your address book. <http://homepage.mac.com/alk/> "Anyone can fly, all you have to do is throw yourself at the ground and miss." -Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
