Step 1 : Description

After stringing up a bunch of lights and then running cable from the controller to the SSR boards, I'd find that "maybe" one of the lines didn't quite take when I crimped the rj-45 connector. Ok, you could test them all out ahead of time with 4 SSRs and THEN take the cable outside to use, but I got cocky and thought things were fine. Then I'd find one light never came on and had to fix it by recrimping the sockets. So I build a small continuity checker. Plug both ends of the ethernet cable into it and if the LED lights up, that line is good. All it's doing is running power to one socket and using the cable to make a connector to a resistor pack and the LEDs. Note: I'm using flat 8-conductor phone cable instead of twisted pair CAT 5 cable. In theory you could cross the lines and the LED would come on, but your controller would be running the wrong channel...

Step 2 : Finished Board


I decided to run this off a 9V battery instead of powering it from the 5V used for the controller board just to keep this small and less dependant on firing up more equipment.

Step 3 : PC Board


I used the RJ-45 sockets as shown above.

Step 4 : PCB Pattern


Express PCB layout, pcb file available at www.stlucas.com/jslstuff/misc/tester.pcb . Unmarked hole by the +V is for ground.

Step 5 : Parts

Fairly small, 9 LEDs (8 for the ethernet lines, 1 for power), a couple of RJ-45 sockets, and a 330 ohm resistor pack. I used a 9V battery snap also.