[BC] 66b3-50 Punch Blocks

[Larry Wood]

The only 66 blocks I have seen that are rated for Cat5 are the 66M blocks. These all have Cat5 embossed into the block. The M blocks are mostly used for multing connections which would not fit into a cat5 scheme. However, if you are not using them for Cat5 data and you are just using them for audio or control, they should work just fine. This assumes the insulation displacement forks were cleaned completely before reuse and were not previously made too wide with oversize wire. You could use an ohmmeter to check each connection by shorting a pair at one end. Then exercise the connection area while watching the ohmmeter. I have always had good luck with 66 blocks for audio and control wiring and I have been using them since the 1970s.

Cheers,

Larry Wood, CPBE
KQED-FM

-----Original Message-----
  From: Kevin Kidd

Hi all,

Can someone confirm for me that the 66b3 blocks work OK with typical Cat5 wire or not?  I am sure that I have used this combination before but don't recall for sure.