Integrating New Network Switch

[Penri]

I should be completing the physical installation of the 16 port network switch, in it's weather proof (IP65) enclosure, in the back of Wendy House "compound" tomorrow. The enclosure also contains a network patch panel, a 12V 5A PSU and has room to accommodate other items, the wireless router perhaps.

I'll also be attempting to mount the probe interface enclosure on the fence behind the Wendy Stage. I'll then be in a position to measure cable runs to the probe and float switch to complete those cables, ready for the integration of the probe and float switch for the Wendy Stage Butts. Some additional water plumbing will be required before we can fit the Wendy Stage gate valve (when ready to do so). We'll also have to run DC power and a network connection to that enclosure and the Wendy Stage gate valve from the "new"" network switch.

If possible I'd like help to reconfigure the network / power supply wiring to remove the "switch under the red box" on Tuesday next (9th) and start to rationalise wiring into it's finalised form.

[TerryJC]

Penri,

I'll be available next Tuesday until just after 1100, when I will have to leave to go to an appointment at the Doctors. I'll try to get in earlier than usual.

[hamishmb]

Okay, so I did some measurements this morning to see how much ethernet cable we'll need.

It seems we'll need about 20m (over-estimating, but better to have too much). Terry, I have some CAT 5 cable I can bring in if needed, so if you don't have enough that is okay - I'll probably never use my cable otherwise anyway.

We will also need some way of bridging the cable coming from the sump to make it long enough to connect up to the switch - maybe we could splice and use heat-shrink tubing, or a male-female RJ45 connector kind of thing, like we have in the Stage Butts Pi IP65 box? I'm not sure how to make it waterproof.

[TerryJC]

If you bring in your cable and I take mine we should be OK.

At one point we had an Ethernet female to female connector. Is that still in use in the Green Box?

[Penri]

I had one Ethernet female to female connector, once. It's probably the one that might be in the Green Box as I can't find it at home. Just in case it's not there, or in use, I've ordered another one.

I'll bring along some heat shrink and a RJ45 crimp tool.

[TerryJC]

I had a thought last night; how hard was it to pull the original Ethernet cable through the conduit? I have enough cable left to completely replace that run with a longer piece, to reach from the Green Box to the new Network switch. I just checked my records; I bought 100 m from Screwfix in August last year and according to the expenses claim I made at the time we only used ~35 m when we wired the Webserver to the Office.

[Penri]

I can't recall it we threaded the Cat5e through the pipe first then buried it or did things the other way around. The pipe itself is not a tight fit around the cable and its fairly stiff so provided there are no kinks, which we did our best to avoid when burying, the cable should move fairly easily. The proof will be to see how easily the cable installed slides before we commit to using it to pull the new length through.

[hamishmb]

I don't think it was too hard. Definitely a good idea, cos making any kind of splice waterproof might be difficult.

Oh yeah, we might to dig the old one up as Penri says. If we can all stay in for a while I reckon we'd have time to get it done though.

[Penri]

Hamish, I am not suggesting digging up the existing pipe, I would not want to do that particularly as WMT is open and the garden is in bloom. If the existing cable looks like it will move then we go with replacing it, if it doesn’t then we joint it and make as good a job of weatherproofing the joint as we can.

[hamishmb]

Oh yeah, I forgot we can just thread it through the pipe - no need to dig up