Do You Use Wire Crimp Beanies?

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Brian Rhodes
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Wire splices are a tricky thing that can be the cause of huge problems and frustration if done badly.

In <attempts> to avoid problems, many integrators use 'beanies' that are crimped over splice wire ends:

They are so common, that both Indoor/Outdoor types are available. Outdoor types usually contain some kind of conductive grease that helps waterproofing and oxidization loss.

In my experience, beanies work well for simple electrical splices (like alarms or access), but aren't suited to splice network cabling. Too noisy, too loose, take your pick why to forbid them for network work.

But overall, I think they are lousy. In the hands of an experienced tech, they are good. But a novice can install hundreds of them in a day that go bad because they aren't crimped enough, the wrong size, not outdoor rated, or other poor worksmanship issues.

Do you use beanies? Why/why not? Have you had issues with a type or brand?

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I love them and use them extensively. I use the gel filled type indoors and out. It does take a while for a new tech to get the hang of them, but that's just an opportunity to teach new techs to always check circuits with a meter before you can consider them 'done'. Building good habits early means fewer problems later on in your career.

I would never let a tech working for me use them to splice a network cable. It can be done, but in my experience, it's never worth it in the long run. It may take five or six years but that splice will give you heartburn eventually.

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Also, I grew up calling them Good & Plentys because that's what my father always called them. I didn't learn to call them B connectors or beanies until years later!

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Brian Rhodes
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In fairness, they probably taste better than Good & Plentys. Gross.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #9
Aug 25, 2023

Here in NYC we've forever called them "chiclets" (like the gum). Also agreed on the love for them, as they are handy, quick to install, and if installed properly then longevity + reliability + signal stability not an issue.

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Michael Miller
Nov 10, 2016

Yea I have used a ton of them. Trick is to strip the wire then twist the copper together. Nip the ends of the twisted copper so there is about 1/2 inch or less copper then insert into the beanie and crimp with a proper crimp tool.

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Exactly! Lots of guys rely on the spikes inside to make the splice. That's wrong and you can prove it to yourself right now if you have a meter lying around. Make a splice as you normally would but cover it with a B connector, and check the resistance. Then simply jam a bunch of cables into a B connector and crimp it with the back of a pair of dykes. If you check the resistance on that, you'll see what I mean.

B connectors are superior splice covers to electric tape but that's all they are. And the more cables you try to splice together the bigger a difference it is.

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JR
Jeff Russo
Nov 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I never knew they had spikes for that purpose. I use them on anything I splice, but will always strip the jacket and twist from below the strip

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Daniel S-T
Oct 09, 2017

They were originally designed for phone use, or so I was told. Designed so all you had to do was put two wires in there and crimp.

That certainly doesn't work so well, always strip , twist, and crimp. We call them B-crimps here. It's pretty much all I ever use for splices, until you get to larger gauge in boxes, then it's marettes.

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Technically not a beanie, but these are made for network cables.

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I could never get those stupid things to work. Maybe it's me.

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Brian Rhodes
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Me either. Plus I was always a little creeped out using them, because they reminded me of the guts in that disembowled robot in Alien.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

"In a plenum space, no one can hear you scream..."

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Ethan Ace
Nov 10, 2016

I used to use them a LOT because I did so much telephone work, including outside plant stuff. If you try to crimp them with a normal pair of pliers, a lot of times the cap will go crooked and not crimp right.

I actually had (and still have) a specialized pair of Klein pliers for them:

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Brian Rhodes
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Look at Mr. Fancypants over here who refuses to bite them shut!

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Beard gets in the way.

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Campbell Chang
Nov 10, 2016

Scotch Locks! Never had an issue with crooked caps, although I tend to use blunt nose pliers rather than needle nose to mitigate that somewhat.

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Joseph Parker
Oct 10, 2017

I have a similar pair, but needlenose with scotch lock crimpers.  I vastly prefer them for telco work.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Aug 27, 2023

That is the ONLY tool that should ever be used to crimp Scotchloks. They HAVE to be depressed uniformly for the insulation-displacement feature to work correctly.

JM
Jerome Miller
Aug 26, 2023

They can be a problem but their is a special tool just to punch them together. A pair of small channel locks works well.

SP
Sean Patton
Nov 10, 2016

I used a ton of those when I worked for Verizon Landline; theyre convenient when making splices in the cold, but theyre too big to work on access control jobs with if you need to shove reader wires or strike wires into a door frame or wall

U
Undisclosed #3
Nov 15, 2016
Not too big at all, you just have to get used to "cascading" or "staggering" your device wires. Cut each wire 1" shorter than the other wire, then tape them all up together. Secure, and a very small diameter that can fit into a door frame with no problem.
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U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 10, 2016

That's a UY connector. There are also UR (red) and UG (green)

They were (are?) popular with phone company techs for splicing solid 24ga CAT3 wire back in the day. Not sure if they are still used a lot today. You do not strip the insulation off if the wire when using them. I had a brother who worked for GTE back in the day and he loved them. They have their place. We used to use them when doing alarm systems for our phone line connections when wiring in an RJ31x jack (properly!). Like anything, the right part for the right job.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Aug 27, 2023

Not sure if they are still used a lot today.

No, they cause reflections in VDSL protocols which causes the gateways to drop sync. I have cut a lot of them out. They're fine for POTS but not data.

U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 11, 2016

This is might be TMI, but for those inquiring minds who want to know more about UY, UR, UG, etc connectors...

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/313619O/3m-scotchlok-family-brochure.pdf

http://solutions.productos3m.es/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?lmd=1406556323000&locale=es_ES&assetType=MMM_Image&assetId=1361809092363&blobAttribute=ImageFile

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Undisclosed #1
Nov 16, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Wow, five disagrees!

Do those who disagree feel beanies are better or that scotchies are not meant for network cables?

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RD
Rob Dunham
Oct 09, 2017
Tailored IT Solutions

The are designed to work on Cat5, but not for data! They are only for voice networks.

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RD
Rob Dunham
Oct 09, 2017
Tailored IT Solutions

Those (3M Scotchlok) connectors are used for voice. They are not intended for data and will not pass certification in a data network. (Though they technically do work in most cases).

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JM
Jerome Miller
Aug 26, 2023

That is for phone not network. We used these quite a bit on older analog phone systems. These come in gel filled and indoor and their is a plenum rated version. Used a lot in cable repair splicing.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Aug 27, 2023

NO they absolutely are not.

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John Scanlan
Nov 10, 2016
IPVM • IPVMU Certified

I used these along with scotchlok connectors for telco/network splices and could always find some in my hip pouch, of course except when I really needed them.

Also for network connections: when cut or damaged I have used a cat junction box - similar but purpose built for network cable.

Damaged cables also work great as a drag-line for new cable ;)

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 10, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Damaged cables work great as a drag-line for new cable

That needs to be a t shirt.

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Greg Rhoades
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Absolutely. I've encountered installs from previous companies where there's NO cover on wire crimps- just wires twisted together and left to hang freely, and while it isn't always the cause of why I was dispatched there- It's always something that I have to consider. Even with beanies though, I still check and make sure they're crimped securely on it.

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daniel payne
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

A network cable should not be spliced as it degrades the signal. I have used lots of Scotchlocks or beans, both the UR (red for 3 conductors) and UY (yellow for two conductors) work well for telephone plant. They will turn green and oxidize if under water or exposed to moisture.

I will not use them for door control as they do not take the wire gage used and could pop open. Not sure of the amps they can handle. Phone is 48 volts DC for talking and 90 volts AC for ringing.

I like a connector I can get a meter on if needed.

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U
Undisclosed #3
Nov 15, 2016
Seeing someone at my company use a Scotchlock on an access control project is probably what would send me straight over the edge...
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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Why?

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U
Undisclosed #3
Nov 16, 2016

Because they are a totally inferior method of splicing. If a beanie is installed properly, the stranded wire is twisted together first to create the actual connection, and the beanie is really just there to hold it in place. A Scotchlock is literally using a jumper between the two wires to create the connection, which is inherently inferior to the wires actually connecting to one another.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 17, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Because they are a totally inferior method of splicing.

What type of signal are we talking about high-frequency, like ethernet or low frequency, like DC or AC 60hz stuff?

For low frequency applications, I would agree that you can make a stronger, lower resistance connection with a western union splice. I would only say that any slight increase in resistance is unlikely to disturb the signal anymore than if was a foot or two longer.

For high frequency connections, e.g. ethernet, twisting wires together is a definite no-no as any discontinuity in impeadance in the cable, either because of greater or lesser resistance will cause similar misalignment between the voltage and current phases in the cable, ie impeadance mismatch.

Scotchlock cables make electrical contact thru a precise surface area mating mechanism and topology, leading to the (hopefully) preservation of 100 ohm impeadance across the splice. This is similar to how a rj-45 crimp works.

Do you consider crimped rj-45 connectors to be 'literally using a jumper?'

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Aug 27, 2023

A network cable should not be spliced as it degrades the signal.

Science disagrees with you.

Splicing Network Cables Tested

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Paul Grefenstette
Nov 10, 2016

No use these gel crimp connectors much better for any splice.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Better than this?

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daniel payne
Nov 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I worked for GTE back in the mid 80's. The goo inside was called icky-pick. It would substitute as brill cream in a pinch.

I know a splicer that won the grungiest Carhartt contest multiple times because the cloth was saturated with the gel from scotch locks.

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U
Undisclosed #5
Nov 21, 2016

....remembers the icky-pick

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Does the "B" stand for Beanie?

U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 11, 2016

I understood that "beanie" was a nick-name for the B-splice connector, and they were called B-splice connectors because when crimped properly, it looks like the letter B.

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U
Undisclosed #10
Aug 28, 2023

a

U
Undisclosed
Nov 14, 2016

Splices are bad in ethernet cabling and probably bad when using real (i.e. ISO 14443) card readers. Probably bad for OSDP at speeds north of 19,200 BPS, for example. Yeah, I remember when punchdown blocks were cool. That was back when we thought line speeds above 9600 BAUD was cool, too. This is the 21st century. I suggest you show appropriate respect for the signals going through that wire you're pulling. This isn't Samuel Morse's telegraph you're attaching cables to. (The debates really begin when somebody troubleshoots your network and finds line errors on that long cable with the crimp beanies you proudly ran from the front lobby camera to the back of the building to attach to the gigabit ethernet switch.)

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 14, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Yeah, I remember when punchdown blocks were cool. That was back when we thought line speeds above 9600 BAUD was cool, too.

Apparently I missed the memo on punchdown blocks being n/g above 9600.

Properly done, I was under the impression that they (110 blocks) were certainly better than crimping a plug, and even better than using a keystone/patch panel system, due to the pairs being split apart by T568 compliance.

Aside from using only pre-cut, factory cables, is there a higher performing copper interconnect in common surveillance use today?

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #9
Aug 25, 2023

OSDP explicitly allows for splicing to achieve the 4,000ft distances.

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David Johnson
Nov 15, 2016

All the time - gel-filled and plain. Never for network cabling though - only for LV circuits.

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RD
Roman Dabrowski
Nov 16, 2016

Should not use them on network cables. They can cause signal reflection that can mess up Ethernet and cause retries that will slow down the network. You may not notice it at first as the delay may be negligible, but add more traffic and multiple retries will bog the network down. Also can cause noise/cross-talk as the pairs are typically untwisted longer than recommended by the cable manufacturer to fit into the B connector. Continuity tests and resistance tests may show everything's ok but a TDR test on the cable will show the splice.

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Joseph Marotta
Nov 16, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In the 80's we used lots and lots of beans at Pacific Telephone/Pacific Bell/PacificTelesis/SBC-PacBell/AT&T. (It was hard to keep up with all the name changes we went through. You should see my phone company work shirt collection!) Eventually "beans" were 'banned' because they created many repair cases. Of course we hoarded as many as we could but if your manager found them on your truck, you were screwed. We had a saying, "Use a bean, go to jail." But scotchloks were still allowed. Now that I write specs, my CCTV and structured cabling specs include this phrase, "Splicing of any cable is strictly prohibited." I agree with the other gentlemen in this thread, never, ever splice a cat-5E or higher cable. It's possible a Level 3 cable analyzer could miss the splice, but if I discovered it during a construction inspection, someone would be replacing ALL cables at their own expense! Access Control/Security? Meh, you can splice if you wish. Your installation warranty will cover your repair visits. :)

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Undisclosed End User #4
Nov 21, 2016

I use a propane soldering iron and solder the splice. (takes <10sec) Then use the outdoor beanie to protect the ends after I trim it back. I have not had a splice fail in this way since. Maybe overkill but this is not going to be a failure point. I never splice network cables due to the noise and it will fail later as the data capacity is increased and there will be intermittent network comms issues that will never get figured out.

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daniel payne
Nov 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

My propane soldering iron was confiscated by Alaska Airlines and I was told never to bring one with me again. I do a lot of soldering for sound system XLR microphone connections and now only use the AC powered units.
The only splice I would make for Access Control would be at the card reader, strike, and door position switch. The cables should be home run to the controller interface. For those splices I use twist on wire nuts, crimp wire nuts, or some other crimp connectors.
I like the crimp butt splices with the heat shrink covers.

U
Undisclosed #5
Nov 21, 2016

A good twist and tape goes a long way with stranded wires. I used to laugh like a troll while making splices techs would someday find while on a service call. They would spend all the time blaming the splice when that was never the problem at all. Just think of all the time you would find splices in those old plastic SIM/PID gateway boxes when overhauling an old Focus 75.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jan 22, 2017

I just looked in a friends panel, That I'm about to start monitoring now his contract is up. the Installing company didn't use them. Or anything for that matter.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Jan 22, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I like how the guy uses the resistor leads to make parallel connections to the surface mount components.  Very creative.

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Brian Rhodes
Jan 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

These EOL resistors are in series.

?

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jan 23, 2017

Yes, That is a common practice. When I build my house I was required to use Guardian Security (Luckily, I was able to get out of the contract after the house was completed, with free alarm. Good to know the right people). They also installed the EOL's at the panel. When I was introduced to the industry, I was also taught the practice of EOL's at the panel. IPVM should create a poll about Burg EOL's.

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Brian Rhodes
Jan 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

IPVM should create a poll about Burg EOL's.

Good suggestion!  See: Where Do End Of Line Resistors Go?

U
Undisclosed #1
Jan 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I'm talking about the unclipped resistor leads after passing thru the terminal, which look like they are making a (parallel) connection between random SMT components and the terminal screw and resistor.  Maybe the angle of the photo makes it seem worse than it is.  But still pretty reckless, no?

Are those EOL resistors just to fool the panel, anyway?  They don't look like they are doubling back to the device, so they dont seem to accomplish much else.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jan 23, 2017

My reply was actually to Brian.

 

The leads were not touching, but yes it is reckless. the leads should not over hang as they did. The resistors are supposed to be at the last device for supervision. when at the panel it is fooling it.

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Ari Erenthal
Jan 23, 2017

Well, if they were making contact with PCB components, the panel probably won't be working.

But, yes, the EOLR should be at the contact, not at the panel. Here's a good explanation

U
Undisclosed #1
Jan 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Well, if they were making contact with PCB components, the panel probably won't be working.

Of course I was being facetious when I said "Very creative".  But that one with the first red arrow on the left looks damn close.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jan 22, 2017

I was also introduced to them as Chicklet's.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #7
Jan 24, 2017

What's wrong with a good solder joint and heat shrink?

RD
Rob Dunham
Oct 09, 2017
Tailored IT Solutions

Nothing! I love these: http://a.co/h4BjUre

But solder joints really aren't feasible on smaller 24~26 AWG wires.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Oct 09, 2017

Nor are they at all practical in the field.

RD
Rob Dunham
Oct 09, 2017
Tailored IT Solutions

That's why I use these: http://a.co/h4BjUre

You're right though! Traditional solder joints really aren't practical in the field.

RD
Rob Dunham
Oct 09, 2017
Tailored IT Solutions

I use them for LV power. For voice I use Ideal Telephone Connectors (very similar to 3M Scotchlok). You cannot use these at all in data networks. They will not pass verification and cause too much signal degradation even for general use networks.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #8
Oct 09, 2017

Hell no. Beans are very substandard connectors and are basically to protect the twisting together that you're supposed to do before inserting it.

3M Scotchloks are much better and are fine for most general applications except digital data, where the 180 degree bend causes reflections and noise. Straight voltage they are great.

When I was doing telecom installs the ONLY approved connector was AMP TYCO Picabond along with the associated $400 tool. They are an IDC like the Scotchloks but trim off excess wire and make a linear connection for high speed data like VDSL2. I've used them for everything from repairing small cables to vehicle wiring.

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Daniel S-T
Oct 09, 2017
I liked using these, we called them VS-1's. Only issue was the tool was very expensive, and the connectors became very expensive. B-crimps, or B-Connectors work fine for access control and alarm, anything else I typically don't need splices. If I fucked up an ethernet cable, chances are I am re-running it, or at the very least doing a RJ-45 connection if re-running is not feasible.
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Undisclosed
Oct 10, 2017

Not for use on ethernet, I hope.

MS
Mark Schweitzer
Aug 28, 2023

I use them for security wiring, always twist and crimp.

I've used the Scotch locks for telephone cabling.

I won't splice network cable in this way. I will either put a mod end on one cable and a mod plug on the other or use an inline junction box with 110 terminations as I get consistent results with that even if it's not entirely within the TIAA or other specs.

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