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Low voltage cabling tools, techniques, tips, tricks and challenges.

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FigureItOut

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Sep 14, 2015
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Bentonville AR
My work days are starting to fill up more and more with low voltage cabling work as opposed to automotive. It's probably close to 50/50 at this point so I want to become as well equipped with tools and knowledge as I can. I thought a thread where those of us who do this work could share our experience might be useful.

What's that one tool that made a tough run into a breeze, that trick you came up with to get your fish rod in just the right spot, that method you were taught that everyone should be doing? I'd also love to hear/see that impossible run that you nailed, the tough ones that made you proud and celebrate out loud when you got it. Maybe you've got a close call or even a blunder to share, I've got a few close ones of my own.

I'll start with a tool by Labor Saving Devices. The Roy Rods are an awesome line of fish rods made of a flexible epoxy, with snap-in ends instead of threads. They're quicker and make a very solid connection, and you can twist them in either direction to get things moving or roll your whisk tip. Really, everything by LSD is high quality, innovative and very well thought out.

Next on my list to get I think is the MagneSpot set. Right now the older version is on sale for $100, to make way for the newer version.

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FigureItOut

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Bentonville AR
Nothing huh? Golf equipment gets some reply, but nothing for low voltage cabling? I'd love to see what other guys are doing and try to pick up some tips. Thanks. Sorry for the self-bump, ha ha.

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MFolks

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Feb 3, 2013
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Springfield Mo.
What voltages are being used? A.C or D.C? Crimped,Soldered,or insulation displacement? I've built test cables and test equipment for many years when I worked at CD/C (General Dynamics/Convair) in San Diego Ca.

Cables under 20 feet in length were built by hand,with longer ones being spun up at the cabling shop. If odd shaped or areas were open in the cable layup,polyethlyne rods were used to fill those gaps. The cable was wrapped in a clear film resembling a nonsticky tape,and then covered in heatshrink tubing. Some had multiple breakouts,with whatever the Engineer required on the ends for connectors.

To shrink the tubing, Talcum powder was blown through the tubing,with a string tied to a rag or a wadded up piece of paper,then a rope was tied to the string. The rope was tied to the fabricated wire bundle, with several men blowing in shop air via a hose,while feeding the cable into the tubing & people pulling on the rope.

After the cable was installed in the tubing,it was taken to the heatshrink area,where it was placed on a machine that moved over the wire bundle while it was laying on a open frame resembling a ladder.
 
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FigureItOut

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Bentonville AR
That's a bit beyond me there MFolks, sounds interesting though. I run mostly coaxial (rg6 & rg11) in commercial buildings and homes for security cameras, cell signal boosters and home automation stuff. About the most complex wire work I actually have to do is compression ends and the occasional router/DVR setup. It's the actual retrofit in a finished building that's my challenge.

That said, placing and aiming the antenna for a cell booster can be challenging. Using a signal meter, I have to find a good signal for the intended carrier, attenuate signals from other carriers, and avoid oscillation with the internal antenna.

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Thumper68

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May 16, 2013
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5,134
Location
Duluth MN
Lets see,

Glow rods are very handy when working in dark spaces.
If you are fishing a wall filled with any kind of foam short jabs with the rods will go through with out much trouble.
The tool for bending flex bits is awesome for rods as well.
A 4 square cover plate makes a great plumb bob, it will slide down between the vapor barrier and the drywall.
auger bits for drilling studs and joists.
Right angle drill.
An envelope taped to the wall catches the dust from cutting access holes.

At one hospital the older section was all solid plaster ceilings in the rooms and offices, to get a cable in I would use 2 rods to push a pull string with a loop in the end up the wall into the open area, then from the hall way 3 rods were used to hook the loop and pull it out, a real pain in the ****.

These are great for long pulls. I have at least a dozen of them floating around from different manufactures
01_GL-CR25.jpg


I'll post more when I think of some.
 
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toplessHO

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Oct 20, 2014
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14,008
Location
central florida
when doing alot in walker duct I had a 200' fiberglass fish tape that was very stiff and strong
if it was bent over about 12 in radius it would snap,but it would power thru the tightest of areas. It came on a stand/spool that was similar to a plumbers snake. Still dont know who got it from me
 
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Will S.

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Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
446
Location
The First State
1. A Grabzit can be very useful when fishing wires through low clearance spaces, such as ceiings, narrow dit crawl spaces, etc. They telescope out to 20', with a Z-shaped wire-grabbing push or pull fitting on the end.

2. A 10' sball beaded chain, and a magnet, and good for getting a fish down the inside of a wall, and out a small hole where the wire need to exit. The magnet will pull the beaded chain right to where you want it. Also, use a length of thin still wire, and bend a small V on the end, to reach through a hole and snag the beaded chain that you fed down from above.

3. A straight length of wire coathanger snipped off with your side cutters, makes a great "feeler bit", to drill a small hole through a wall or floor, in order to find that exact location elow the floor. Will not snag carpet, and is easily covered when you pull the coathanger back out.

4. Two steel fshtapes can be used to make a complicated wire run inside walls/ceilings that are 90* to each other. A open U-hook on the end of one tape, can snag the hook of the other, when you twirl one around, and feel it bumping the other. I have done many "impossible" runs like that, as well as by using....

5. a tennis ball, with the end of a roll of nylon string tied through 2 small holes in the ball. It can be used to throw across an open ceiling, or drop down inside a wall cavity, or ductwork, for 2 story wire runs, even around corners. Has save the day on multple occasions.
 
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scootcharles

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Aug 28, 2016
Messages
8
FigureItOut said:
My work days are starting to fill up more and more with low voltage cabling work as opposed to automotive. It's probably close to 50/50 at this point so I want to become as well equipped with tools and knowledge as I can. I thought a thread where those of us who do this work could share our experience might be useful.

What's that one tool that made a tough run into a breeze, that trick you came up with to get your fish rod in just the right spot, that method you were taught that everyone should be doing? I'd also love to hear/see that impossible run that you nailed, the tough ones that made you proud and celebrate out loud when you got it. Maybe you've got a close call or even a blunder to share, I've got a few close ones of my own.

I'll start with a tool by Labor Saving Devices. The Roy Rods are an awesome line of fish rods made of a flexible epoxy, with snap-in ends instead of threads. They're quicker and make a very solid connection, and you can twist them in either direction to get things moving or roll your whisk tip. Really, everything by LSD is high quality, innovative and very well thought out.
o.png


Next on my list to get I think is the MagneSpot set. Right now the older version is on sale for $100, to make way for the newer version.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I purchased a link stapler, I've officially utilized the poop out of it.
 
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theoldwizard1

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Joined
Feb 22, 2011
Messages
43,100
Location
SE MI
Low voltage connectors or splices are pretty much just like automotive. Personally I prefer non-insulated connectors/splices and heat shrink. Looks better, IMHO. You can make low voltage splice by simply removing the insulation, twisting the wires together and then covering them with dual wall/marine heat shrink.


Poking around on some "modern" cars (built this century :lol: ) I was surprised that auto lighting (tail lights, turn signals, etc) are now using approximately 20 gauge wire ! Back "in the day", I think 16 gauge was standard. Regular filament bulbs are still very common but the old bayonet bases have gone the way of the dodo bird.
 
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FigureItOut

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Sep 14, 2015
Messages
3,267
Location
Bentonville AR
jeremy v said:
Yeah, it's getting harder to wire vehicles for trailer lights because of that. Many vehicles don't have the wiring capacity to tap off the vehicle taillights for trailer lights anymore. You often have to make dedicated circuits, use the taillight wires to power a relay coil for the trailer lights, etc.
Click to expand...
I've gotten to where I do that by default if there's no factory setup. I eng up doing a lot of newer small SUVs like CRVs and such, and they have the plug and play harnesses for the lights in the rear, a very few of them are able to powered separately. If not, I don't use them.

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Desert68

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Joined
Aug 8, 2006
Messages
2
Location
Phoenix, AZ
A very useful tool is an LCD installation monitor. They have a small LCD screen about 3.5 or 4 inches, battery powered, and you connect them to a camera to focus and aim the camera. Saves a lot of time climbing up/down ladders and running to look at a DVR/NVR monitor. Also helps isolate if lack of video is camera or issue with coax running between camera and DVR. Prices are from less than $100 to $600 or so. Something I found helpful was a case with a ******** it so you can hang it around your neck and have it at upper chest level. You can see the monitor while having both hands free.

Good coax stripper and crimp tool. I used one of the strippers with a loop in it where you spin it around the coax with a finger. Find a good, quality compression connector you like, one that works well with a good, quality compression tool. Cheap connectors will waste a lot of your time.

You did not mention if you install or maintain IP cameras. Again, high quality RJ45 connectors and a good crimp tool.

This may sound like odd advice, but if you go to a place like ADI and spend some time there looking over tools, connectors, etc. you can get helpful info. A good counter person knows a lot about what the pro installers are buying and using.
 
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FigureItOut

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Messages
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Location
Bentonville AR
Desert68 said:
A very useful tool is an LCD installation monitor. They have a small LCD screen about 3.5 or 4 inches, battery powered, and you connect them to a camera to focus and aim the camera. Saves a lot of time climbing up/down ladders and running to look at a DVR/NVR monitor. Also helps isolate if lack of video is camera or issue with coax running between camera and DVR. Prices are from less than $100 to $600 or so. Something I found helpful was a case with a ******** it so you can hang it around your neck and have it at upper chest level. You can see the monitor while having both hands free.

Good coax stripper and crimp tool. I used one of the strippers with a loop in it where you spin it around the coax with a finger. Find a good, quality compression connector you like, one that works well with a good, quality compression tool. Cheap connectors will waste a lot of your time.

You did not mention if you install or maintain IP cameras. Again, high quality RJ45 connectors and a good crimp tool.

This may sound like odd advice, but if you go to a place like ADI and spend some time there looking over tools, connectors, etc. A good counter person knows a lot about what the pro installers are buying and using.
Click to expand...

Yes, yes and yes. I built myself an awesome monitor system like you're talking about. It's two boxes, each with a little SLA battery. One box houses a monitor and a video receiver, and also has an external video input. The other box houses a video transmitter, with 3 separate, remote control switchable video inputs and an onboard camera. Each box is capable of powering a camera through its charging port.

So what I can do is, mount my cameras and run my cables to the DVR location, plug in and power three cameras, then take my monitor box around and adjust cameras with its view right in front of me. Additionally, while I'm on a ladder adjusting a camera, I can hit the remote and switch to another camera's view, that way I can ensure that there's not significant overlap and everything is covered.

The transmitter box has an onboard camera also. It comes in handy often to have a view of what's happening in another room or another floor. If I'm pulling cable from the attic, I can watch it where it enters the wall and watch for binding etc, or I can place the camera in an attic pointed at my destination, and know immediately when my rod or tape is where I want it to be. I've also used it to spot a reference bit. If the spot is good, I can drill right away without having to walk around and see where my bit is, the possibilities are endless really.

Yes to good coax tools also. I played around with a few different ones. Most worked poorly. The Klein were disappointing. Ideal's set works flawlessly, and I use their connectors also.

I guess ADI is a supply house? Around here it's Graybar or Elliot Electric. Definitely been a good resource as has the website and phone people at Tech Tool Supply.

I haven't done any IP systems yet. That'll take some new tooling and skills. If and when that comes up, I'll prepare appropriately.

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FigureItOut

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Looks like there was pretty good experience coming up in this thread. I've got a bit of a follow-up question for you fellows.

Thursday I've got a job two hours away installing four cameras and running 60' of cat5 in a 3000'², two story home. The cameras are all going inside, on the first floor. I've never made any runs like this with an occupied floor above me and I'm afraid I'm a little unprepared. Any tips?

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