In this tutorial, we’re going show you how to get a lot of wire from an ordinary Cat5 Ethernet cable!
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Ah, an ordinary Cat5 Ethernet cable! These are cheap and readily available from the local Goodwill or computer surplus store![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_610” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
Yup, that’s a Cat5 cable![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_611” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
Get yourself a pair of wire cutters/strippers and remove the ends.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_612” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
When the ends are removed, you’ll see something like this. There are four pairs of twisted pair wires. What’s even better is that they’re color-coded![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_613” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
With a knife, make a small incision. You’re looking to cut through the thick plastic coating. Don’t worry if you cut through any of the wires; you can always cut off any damaged wire. Scissors work, too![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_614” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
You should see something like this after you make your cut.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_615” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
Now, grab hold of the exposed wires and pull in one direction while holding the plastic in your other hand. The plastic coating should tear with a little bit of muscle.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_608” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
The final product! When you’re finally done, you’ll have 4 pairs of stranded wire at about 24 AWG. Given the price of wire at places like Radioshack, this is an amazing way to save some cash. Radioshack doesn’t even carry 24 AWG stranded wire![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_617” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
Look at what you’re left with! Four twisted pairs of quality stranded wire. The variety of colors should help you when building your next project![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_616” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]
Wrap that wire up and recycle that plastic coating! You’re done, so go and make something awesome![/caption]