6 Sep
2013
6 Sep
'13
1:53 p.m.
No, generally one should not use a smaller modular
plug in a larger
modular jack. Most plugs do not have relief slots next to the outermost
contacts and the polycarbonate plug body will permanently deform the outer
contacts in the modular jack. This happens a lot with 8P8C (RJ45) jacks
that people attempt to plug phones into that use 6P4C, 6P2C, etc (RJ11)
plugs.
Agreed.
My telephone line simulaotr [1] has 8p8c sockets for the 2 devices you
want to conenct (telephones/modems/,,,). The mode I normally use
similates a normal 2 wire telephone line on the middle pair of contacts
of each connecotr.
Yes, you _can_ plug a 6p2c or whatever in there and it will work. But
when I tried it it wasn't that secure and it seemed to be straining the
outer contacts. I made up a couple of adaptors w~~ith 8p8c plugs on one end
and 6p4c sockets on the other (middle 4 cotnacts of the 8p8c wired).
[1] On-topic? I bought it to test old modems and prestel sets (althohuh
I am also interested in old telephones in general). It contains 6
microprocesosrs (3 off 8085, an 8041, an 80-49 and a TMS320) and has
RS232 and IEEE-488 interfaces. I don;t think it's user programamble,
though. It's almost a classic computer :-)
There /are/ a few 6P type modular plugs out there that do have relief
openings that will somewhat fit 8P8C jacks, but they are very uncommon.
The plug fit is still loose and it isn't something the modular plug
standards (from Bell System) ever really intended.
As an iaside, I think I read soemwhere that the original intention was
not to use the modualr plugs as the conenction betwene cable and wall.
The wall socket would remain the 4 pins in a trapezium one. The telephone
would consist of 5 'modules' (hence the name 'modular connecotrs' -- the
base, the handset, the handset cagble, the line cable and the 4 pin plug.
The last would have a 6p4c socket on the side to plug the line cable (OK,
'desk cord') into The modular connectors would not normally be unplugged
(e.g. when moving a telephone from oen room to another), they were only
used for maintenance and repair.
-tony