Punching Down the Wires in the Jack

The jack in your NetDay kit may be either a 110 or a Krone. You'll need a different punch tool depending on which system came in your kit. The jack shown here is a 110.

A punch tool's spring-loaded action does two jobs at once. It pushes a wire between two metal pins, skinning the sheath from the wire so that it makes an electrical connection with the pins. The punch tool's blade cuts off the extra wire.

Be sure to position the blade of the punch tool on the outside of the jack. Otherwise, you'll cut the wire short of where it should make an electrical connection. The punch tool cuts better if you tilt the handle slightly outward. You may need to twist the cut ends of the wires gently to remove them after punching.

Once you've punched down all the wires, snap on the clips that come with the jack and tighten them using adjustable pliers.

Finally, snap the jack into the faceplate, pushing it in from the back, and screw the faceplate to the box or bracket. Be sure to snap the jack into the faceplate right side up; if you need to, push the jack back out of the faceplate by pushing one of the clips into the front.

Surface-mounted boxes can hold a foot or two of cable slack. Slide the cable through the tie-wraps or uncover the raceway as necessary to work the rest of the slack back into a wall, ceiling or out-of-the-way place. If the jack is flush mounted, just push the slack back into the wall.

Glossary of Terms