First, thank you for this video. Why do you use a connector to the tortoise motor instead of direct soldering which I have see being done by many? What is the advantage. Some electronic systems (eg: Digitack) do use Cat 5 for their control, so why not using pre-made cables? Is there an advantage of doing this work? Yes the more info the better.
I use the connector mainly for two reasons: First, it plugs and unplugs easily, making assembly and disassembly a snap (no pun intended. As I mentioned in the video, if you have to dismantle your layout, you'll have to unsolder and then resolder those connections. (Or, you could keep the Tortoise and its cable as a unit and hope that the cable length will be useful on your next layout. It just made sense to me to have a $3.50 item be possibly not useful later than a $16 item.) I guess what I'm trying to say is this: I'd rather be certain that I could reuse the $16 component (the Tortoise) than risk not being able to use it because it's attached to a cable that's too short. I'm more willing to risk not being able to use a $3.50 component (the edge connector) because it's attached to a cable that's too short. Second, this makes it easier to replace a bad Tortoise. The second is not such a big deal: I've only had one Tortoise go bad in 20+ years. But if you're hosting an operating session and a switch machine goes bad, it's nice to be able to plug a new one in place in just a few minutes. You absolutely could use pre-made Ethernet cables: Buy a six foot cable, cut it in half, and you now have two three foot cables. But a 6' Ethernet cable costs $6.60 (on Amazon), so each of those 3' cables costs $3.30. If you just need a few cables, this probably makes good sense. But if you need 10 or 20 cables, it's a whole lot cheaper to make your own: 3' of CAT-5 cable costs 25 cents, and a plug costs 15 cents. The real expense is the crimping tool. By my simple math, the breakeven point is about 10 cables. Hope this helps.
@@rwissbaum9849 OK, Thanks for the feedback. I understand your logic and it does make some senses. I am building a modular layout just in case I have to move. Each module as mostly 4' by 32" with a few odd sizes to fit. I probably use some of your design.
I just reread your comment and I realized I did not answer your question about using premade cables. You absolutely *can* use premade cables. If you decide to do so, I recommend buying an Ehternet cable twice as long as you need - that way, you can cut it in half and have two cables ready to solder to the edge connectors. The reason I make my own cables is simple: cost. A 12' Ethernet cable costs about $8. A 500 foot roll of Cat5e cable costs $50 - or 10 cents a foot. 100 RJ45 plugs cost about $6, or 6 cents each. This makes the cost of a homemade 12' cable about a buck and a quarter. You also have to buy the crimping tool - that'll set you back about $20. If you need, say, 20 cables in all, you'd spend $80 on premade cables, and almost exactly the same - $76 - on cable, plugs and the crimping tool, but you'll have enough material left to make many, many more cables.
