Hi Bob,   
      
   On Wed 2012-Mar-07 08:55, BOB BREED (1:123/140) wrote to RICHARD WEBB:   
      
    BB>  Man, do I remember the first wire wrap connectors installed on the   
    BB> main frame at the old Main office.  Old timers just shook their   
    BB> heads and said that'll never last - solder is the only way.  :)   
      
    RW> I could see why they would think so.  YOu ahve to be rather   
    RW> careful with wire wrap, but it can be done, and done well.   
    RW> Just move slow, take your time.   
      
   BB> We had at least 3 different tools for wire-wrap: One was a manual   
   BB> thing and you twisted it like you would a socket wrench. Not real   
   BB> tight wraps, but they worked and since it was about the size of a   
   BB> pencil it was easy to just stick in your tool pouch.  A second type   
   BB> was the 'pistol' thing, still manual but much faster than the hand   
   BB> wrap, but too large to stick in your pouch.  The last type was motor   
   BB> driven for project work, by and large not used by telco but was by   
   BB> WECO installers.   
      
   I"ve seen all three types.  I had the real portable type,   
   iirc one end was for wrapping, the other end was for   
   unwrapping.  Been a long time since I worked with ww though.   
      
    BB> About that same time the outside forces were going into punch type   
    BB> terminals, another thing that won't last.  :)   
      
    RW> I like punch down blocks.  One of my main patch bays in the   
    RW> remote truck, probably from telco applications, usual long   
    RW> frame jacks is why I think so, has punch downs.  I like   
    RW> them.  IF you need to reconfigure punch blocks are easy.   
      
   BB> Yup, but again special tools are needed.  Not complex ones though,   
   BB> but it is improtant to get the punch tight.  I've seen guys using   
   BB> long nose pliers to push the wire down, then squeeze the connector,   
   BB> but that's really a no-no in telco.   
      
   YEah I know, but I don't have the right tool anymore.  I   
   keep hoping when I look through the tool drawers in the   
   truck I'll stumble acros one from its previous owner, but I   
   inherited that bay with the punchdown block later.  Guess   
   i'll have to find one somewhere .  until then I'll   
   just make do.   
      
    BB> However I suspect a lot of solder type blocks are still out there,   
    BB> at least in the PBX systems, and maybe a few of the smaller co's?   
      
    RW> Probably so, and as long as it's in a pretty static setup   
    RW> you're good, but if you need to reconfigure punchdown is   
    RW> very nice.   
      
   BB> When I started as a frameman, in the largest office in town, it   
   BB> wasn't uncommon to go through a 5 pound roll of solder each day!  A   
   BB> dozen 100 watt irons on each side of the frame, turned on at 0800   
   BB> and not turned off until the eve shift did all the prelim work at   
   BB> night.     
      
   YEah I'll bet.  My main patch panel luckily is already   
   integrated with the mixing console, right side of the   
   console if you're looking at that picture of me standing in   
   front of it on the web.  That's the usual long frame telco   
   type plugs and jack field too.  My other bay with the punch   
   downs is  48 points in one rack space.  IT's not visible in   
   the picture of me in front of the console, but might be in   
   the picture of  the signal processing equipment in the two   
   racks, in the shorter of two racks in the top.  Below it is   
   intercom power supply and distribution amplifiers.   
      
   Indeed the good old days.  Now I'll bet you it's all punch   
   downs in telco, or rj series jacks.   
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
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    * Origin:  (1:116/901)