We've all seen those structured wiring enclosures sold for the residential market.

What is a good alternative to those that will simply allow you to mount a 110 block or a 66 block for terminating home runs to wall jacks?

I saw the Milbank MN1100 used in an apartment building. They had brought the cable from the three jacks as well as the NID into this enclosure and terminated it on a 110 block. The enclosure is more or less flush-mounted in the wall, it sticks out about 1/2" at most, and it looks like there's room for at least a couple of 66 blocks or 110 blocks in there. The one I saw is mounted in a clothes closet.

Are there any other enclosures like the Milbank MN1100 (which is listed in their catalog as a "secondary service cabinet") which simply give you a place to mount 110 and 66 blocks and cover them up?

The structured wiring enclosures are nice and all, but they're rather expensive and have a bunch of stuff I have no use for. I prefer to use my own switches/routers instead of theirs--much cheaper!

In a single family house I would just mount a piece of plywood backboard (size depending on the project), paint it black and put in a shelf made with generic shelf brackets and a piece of plywood at the bottom of it to give the router, cable, modem and UPS a place to stand.
Then I mount patch panels for the CATV, data and a 110 block for the voice cabling.

If I didn't want anyone to have access I would look at some of these enclosures from Hoffman, they come in either flush or surface mount versions and in a variety of sizes.

http://www.hoffmanonline.com/produc..._3=37416&catID=78371&itemID=3212

One word for the structured wiring panels with all their pricey proprietary accessories, lack of versatility and how they seem to always end up a mess after a few techs make their way thru them and make things work: JUNK

There's a definite price advantage to the MN1100 compared to the Hoffman enclosures..list price on the MN1100, which is 5x15x11 is about $50 vs. $150 for a 10x10x4 Hoffman enclosure. But the MN1100 can't be locked--not really a consideration, I just want something that has a cover and will keep the blocks protected, I don't need max security.

Jeeze mkoloj, it's refreshing to find somebody who shares my point of view. I catch flack every time I say what you said about using a backboard and that those structured wiring panels are junk.

Anyway, check Clifford of Vermont. They now handle a large part of the Emerson Electric line which was Reliable Electric. The telco closure that you are looking for traditionally has a plywood backboard to make mounting blocks and fastening cables easy. There is the indoor/outboor line in 3 sizes- BUPNP-1,BUPNP-2 and BUPNP-3 and the locking RC1212S and RC1824S.

-Hal

IMO The backboard is the best bet. From my days as a PBX tech, it is all about the backboard. You can mount 110, 66, krone blocks on it put D-rings on it and a few mushrooms for cable managenent, and you got a completly versitle cross connect. There are some hinged rack brackets [made by Gruber] that stick out about 4 inches that provide 2U - Perfect for cat5 patch panels.

I have installed the Leviton structured media panel and as far as I am concerned, they are junk, too dependant on expensive proprietary brackets/panels/spliters.

If you want the whole mess protected, get some 2X6 studs, build a box around it, and finish it with a nice piece of 3/4 sanded plywood on hinges. I have done exactly that as well, and it turned out very nice.

~TOOL_5150

Hal, it looks like we have made some new friends!

I have definitely seen the wooden box manuever used a few times too, usually during a remodel when it's cheaper to hide the blocks than to have them moved, but i'm sure it can be made to look good and save a few bucks at the same time on a new work job.

Hal, I definitely agree with most of the things you post, I just bite my tongue so I don't gain the "rip a confused guy a new one" reputation I saw given to you at a phone tech forum I poke around sometimes.

But I try to be gentle.

Seriously, in the electrical forums we can toss the DIYs out because they pose a danger. Over there the DIYs and trunk slammers expect a free education and sometimes they can't take the hint.

-Hal

Let us not forget the ever-popular CG's over there, Hal.

Not to mention their big brother, the IT "professional".

Then of course there is the know nothing "consultant" who comes to us for free information then charges his client for it.

-Hal

It could be interesting to have some fun and make the consultant's and CG's that you guys speak of go out totally misinformed and make a donkey of themselves.
Or could that be wrong and lead to TTT getting a bad reputation?

They don't need us for them to make a donkey of themselves. They do quite well without any help.

-Hal

Ah..... This solves a mystery!

More than once I've seen somebody claim that the terms tip and ring are derived from the "fact" that one wire is used for the talk path (TiP) and the other is used for ringing the line.

They must have all been getting their advice from Ed and Hal!

Is this guy in over his head?

A little. That puts me in mind of the people here who cut into a coaxial TV antenna cable and just spur off to a second outlet using a junction box, then have no idea why the signal is so poor. If they manage to make the spur just the right (wrong!) length, they end up with a lousy picture on the first set before they've even connected the second.

Mkoloj:

Yes, Hal and I did get quite a kick out of that one. Hey, at least he knew when to quit and admitted he was over his head BEFORE he messed something up.

Paul: What? You mean I can't just twist the center conductors together? No wonder my digital cable doesn't work.

Of course not! I thought everybody knew that the shields have to be connected together by at least two but no more than four strands, and that a minimum of one strand from the shield has to be touching the center conductor.

And it will never work unless you hold it together with Scotch parcel tape.

I happen to know someone that drilled thru a coax that was being used as a network backbone while drilling a hole for it's fiber replacement.
The weapon of choice:


The users never missed a beat, probably because they were out to lunch long enough after it happened to devise the crafty repair.
Rest assured, a week later the fiber went live and I have slept well ever since.

As for the guy trying to bridge two digital phones on one switch port, he did do the right thing and admit he was in over his head.
It seemed like he thought it was like wiring a second line in a residence and it hit him that he was in too deep when he saw another phone that had 5 line appearances on it.
You have to admit though, it would have been priceless if the thread started out with someone looking for a source for a replacement card for the switch and installation instructions.

Those 709 connectors are the bomb! I use them for everything.

Everything?
I don't know about all that but they definitely have their place.

Well, the 9 volt battery connector in my home's water softener broke off last night when I was changing it. The wires on the circuit board were flimsy at best and rather than risk one of them breaking off too, two dabs of hot glue, a replacement battery snap with leads from Radio Shack and a 709 connector saved the day.