Softing IT Networks CableMaster CM450 User manual

CableMaster CM450
Voice, Data & Video Tester with
Length Measurement
USER MANUAL
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• Tests Voice (6 wire), Data (8 wire) and Video
(coax)
• Easy to read, extra large 7-segment LCD
screen with large icons
• Tonegeneraonovervoice,dataandvideo
cables,with4dierenttones
• Measureslengthofenrecableand
individualwirepairs
• RJ (Voice & Data) master remote stores in
boomofcase
• Maps19locaonsatoneme
• Testsandindicatespinswithshorts,
opens,reversals,miswiresandsplitpairs
• Displays“Pass”iconforcorrectlywired
T568A/Bandcrossover/uplink
• Displays“Pass”iconforcorrectlywired6-pin
telephoneplus“Rev”forreverse-pinned
• Lowpowerconsumponforlongbaerylife
• Autopower-o

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CableMaster 450
ENGLISH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS MANUAL �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������3
Symbols and Icons ............................................................................................3
Terms and Descripons ................................................................................... 4
Safety Informaon ...........................................................................................5
ACCESSORIES�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6
DESIGN FEATURES �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7
CABLEMASTERDESCRIPTION������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8
Jacks and Connectors ......................................................................................8
Remote Tester .................................................................................................. 8
LCD Display Screen ........................................................................................... 9
Keypad ...........................................................................................................13
OPERATIONS �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16
Turning the Unit On/O .................................................................................16
Automac Power Down .................................................................................16
Cable Tesng General Guidelines. ..................................................................16
Tesng Voice Cables .......................................................................................17
Tesng Video Cables ...................................................................................... 19
Tesng Data Cables ........................................................................................20
Using ID Mode ...............................................................................................21
Using Tone Mode ..........................................................................................22
Using Length Mode ....................................................................................... 24
MAINTENANCE��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������29
Baeries ......................................................................................................... 29
Cleaning ........................................................................................................ 29
Storage .......................................................................................................... 29
CUSTOMER SERVICE ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30
Contacng Soing IT Networks ......................................................................30
Addional Accessories .................................................................................. 30
WARRANTY INFORMATION �������������������������������������������������������������������������31
Registraon ....................................................................................................31
Disposal ......................................................................................................... 31
Returns ........................................................................................................... 31
SPECIFICATIONS ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17
APPENDIX:CABLEWIRINGANDDISPLAYSCREEN ����������������������������������������34

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ABOUT THIS MANUAL
The CableMaster is a handheld device used by contractors, repair technicians, and
other authorized users to test, idenfy, and detect potenal faults in voice, video,
and data cables. The CableMaster 450 has the added feature of length measurement,
allowing you to measure the length of a cable as a whole or by individual wire pairs
located within a cable. The test unit oers the following features:
Feature Funcon
Connuity
Tesng
Discerns if the voice, data, and/or video cables being tested have
been wired correctly with no faults.
ID Mapping Idenes cables and determines their exact locaon.
Tone Mode Veries cable wiring paths by sound.
Length
Measurement
Determines the length of an enre cable and/or individual wire
pairs within the cable.
SYMBOLS & ICONS
The following symbols, listed in Table 1, are used throughout the manual or in the
display screen of the test unit to help you avoid personal injury and potenal damage
to the test equipment.
Table1.Symbols and Icons
Symbol Denion
Warning: Potenal for personal injury
Cauon: Potenal for damage or destrucon to equipment.
VOLTAGE Voltage detecon symbol. Immediately disconnect cables from
the main or remote tester.
Conformité Européenne. Conforms with European Economic
Area direcves.
Disposal informaon

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TERMSANDDESCRIPTIONS
Table 2 denes the terms used throughout the document and provides informaon to
assist you with proper operaon and understanding of the test unit.
Table 2� Terms and Descripons
Terms DescriponandUses
Video cable Coax cable with a single pair (2 pin) wiring system
• The pins are paired in order of connuity
• Test this cable using the F-Connector on the main test unit
Data cable Data cables with a 4 pair (8 pin) wiring system
• Pin pairs are not wired by connuity, but follow a cabling
standard
• Test this cable using the RJ45 adaptor on main test unit
Cabling
Standards
Standard wiring design of a cable. The pairing of wires diers
according to cable type.
• Many standards adopt a wire coloring system to help ensure
proper pin pairing
• Common data cable wiring standards are known as T568A/B
Voice cable Phone cable with a 3 pair (6 pin) wiring system
• The pins are paired by connuity, except in the case of a
reverse pinned voice cable
• Use the RJ11 adaptor on the main test unit to test a voice cable
Pins Individual wires within a cable
Two pins paired together are known as pin pairs
F-Connector Jack for a coax cable
RJJack Connector for a voice or data cable. RJ stands for Registered Jack.
• The connector can be located on the tester itself. When
mounted on a wall, the RJ Jack is known as a wall port.
• RJ11 is voice jack
• RJ45 is data jack
RJPlug Cable end that is inserted into a wall port or the test unit
Length
Constant Value
The amount of capacitance in picofarads (pF) per unit distance.

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SAFETY INFORMATION
To ensure safe operaon of the CableMaster, follow the instrucons carefully and
observe the warning and cauon messages listed in Table 3. Failure to observe
warnings can result in severe injury or death and can cause damage to the tester.
Table 3� Safety Informaon
Nocaon Denion
The CableMaster is designed for use on unenergized cabling
systems. Connecng the CableMaster to live AC power may
damage the unit and pose a safety hazard for the user.
Poorly terminated RJ plugs have the potenal to damage the jacks
on the CableMaster. Visually inspect an RJ plug before inserng it
into the main or remote tester to ensure you are placing the plug
into the appropriate jack.
The cable’s contacts should always be recessed into the plasc
housing of the receiving jack. Plugging a 6-posion phone plug into
the 8-posion data jack on the tester has the potenal to damage
the outer-most contacts of the jack. Insert the cable into the
appropriate connector on remote or main tester.
Do not place equipment and its accessories in the trash. Items
must be properly disposed in accordance with local regulaons.

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ACCESSORIES
The accessories listed in Table 4 below are provided with your purchase of the
CableMaster. These accessories must be used when operang the unit in order to
properly test and idenfy cables. Refer to the AddionalAccessories secon for a
lisng of addional products that can help make tesng easier.
Table 4� CableMaster Accessories
Accessory Descripon
1-5 Network/Coax ID Remotes
with F-Connector Coupler, F81
Cable assembly, RJ45 to
Alligator Clips – 12”

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DESIGN FEATURES
• Easy to operate
• Extra large seven-segment LCD screen with icons that clearly display test results
• Tests data (8-wire), voice (6-wire) and video (2-wire) cabling systems
• RJ (Voice & Data) test remote stores in boom of case plus a video ID remote is
included
• Measures length of enre cable and individual wire pairs
• Displays length reading in feet or meters
• Wire mapping remotes for mapping cable runs to wall outlets accompany the
CableMaster
• Cable test results displayed in wire map format with connector pin numbers
• Tests and indicates pins with shorts, opens, reversals, miswires and split pairs
• Displays “Pass” icon for correctly wired T568A/B data cables
• Shows “X-over” for correctly wired cross-over (uplink) data cables and displays
• “Rev” for correctly wired reverse-pinned voice cables
• Tone generator has a selectable tone cadence which is applied to selected pins or
pin pairs
• Conserves power and supports long baery life with Auto-o feature and baery
low icon
• Video and data cables can be connected to the tester at the same me to improve
tesng eciency
• Patch cables may be tested without detaching the remote from the main tester

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CABLEMASTERDESCRIPTION
The CableMaster, illustrated in Figure 1, has four main parts: the connectors, the LCD
display screen, the keypad, and the remote tester.
RJ45 JackF-connectorRJ11 Jack
Keypad
LCD Display Screen
Remote Tester
RJ11 Jack RJ45 Jack
Figure1. CableMaster
JACKS AND CONNECTORS
The main unit connectors located at the top of the CableMaster include two RJ Jacks
for data and voice cables and one F-Connector for video cables.
REMOTE TESTER
The remote tester can be detached from the main unit to test cables over a distance.
The remote test unit has two RJ Jacks for data and voice cables and is integral to
the tesng process. Refer to the Operaons secon of the manual for detailed
instrucons on cable tesng.

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LCDDISPLAYSCREEN
The main tester has a high contrast LCD display screen, shown in Figure 2 below. The
LCD screen displays the following: test mode, pass/special cables, cable faults, shield
indicator, baery capacity, locator ID#, voltage detecon, and wire mapping.
Figure 2� LCD Display Screen
TEST MODE
The top line of the display shows the cable type test mode (voice, data, and video).
TONE MODE
Tone Mode must be used with a tone tracer probe. The probe allows you to trace
cable wiring paths and idenfy potenal faults by sound. The following icons appear in
the display screen when Tone Mode is in use:
Cadence – There are four cadence opons: HI, LO, Hi-Lo1, and Hi-Lo2. The last selected
cadence appears in the lower right corner of the display screen.
TonePathSelecon–When tracing a video cable, the selected cadence is transmied
on the coax pin (“P”), the coax shield (“S”), or both the pin and shield (“PS”). The
icons related to the current tone path selecon appear in the lower le corner of LCD
display screen.
Note: The tone tracer probe is sold separately (refer to the Addional Accessories secon)
LENGTH MODE
When the LENGTH/TONE buon is pressed, the measured cable length (in units of feet
or meters) appears in the lower right corner of the LCD display screen and the “L” icon
appears above pins 7 and 8 in the Wire Map. The following values and icons display in
the screen when measuring cable length:
EditCapacitance– When adjusng the length constant value for a cable, the “Edit
Cap” icon appears in the boom of the screen. An “E” icon displays above pins 7 and 8
in the Wire Map to indicate you are in Edit Mode.

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Length Constant Value – A value, measured in picofarads (pF) per foot or meter
appears in the boom of the LCD display screen. This value corresponds to the
selected cable type and can be adjusted at any me. When viewing the length
constant value for a cable type, the “C” icon displays above pins 7 and 8.
PASS/SPECIALCABLES
The second row of the display screen corresponds to the wiring structure of the cable
being tested. The CableMaster displays the following three icons:
Pass– The “Pass” icon appears if the cable has a properly wired 4-pair T568A/B data
cable, a 3-pair one-to-one wired voice cable, or a video cable with no faults.
X-over–This icon displays if a properly wired cross-over (uplink) data cable is
recognized. A crossover cable is a data cable with the 1-2 pair wired to the 3-6 pair.
This allows an Ethernet NIC card without MDIX capability to communicate by wiring
the transmit end of the cable to the receiver on the opposite end of the cable.
Rev– The “Rev” icon is displayed when the cable is a properly wired reverse-pinned
voice cable. A reverse-pinned voice cable has all wires on one cable connector
ordered by connuity and the connector on the opposite end of the cable has the
pins located in a reversed order. Pin 1 connects to Pin 6 on the opposite connector;
Pin 2 connects to Pin 5 and so on.
CABLE FAULTS
There are four possible error condions on the cable: Fail, Short, Split, and Open.
Cable faults appear in the third row of the LCD screen. The faults are described in
Table 5 below. Refer to the Appendix for a visual representaon of cable faults and
how they appear in the Wire Map.

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Table 5� Cable Faults
Cable Fault Descripon
Fail
A “Fail” error occurs when a cable’s wire connecons do not follow
cabling standards.
• This icon will illuminate when any cable fault is detected
• Any miswired pin pairs will ash in the Wire Map
Open
An “Open” error means a wire connecon within the cable is not
connuous through the length of the cable.
• The pin pairs with errors will ash in the Tester Pin # eld of the
Wire Map and will be blank in the Remote Pin # eld
Short
The “Short” icon appears when two or more wires within a cable are
electrically connected. This is also known as a short circuit.
• A dash (-) will appear in the Remote Pin # eld to indicate the
shorted pin pairs
• This dash will appear directly below the ashing pairs in the Tester
Pin # eld
Split
A split, also known as an AC signal fault, occurs when wires are not
twisted together according to their cabling standard.
• This miswire commonly occurs with pins 3, 4, 5, and 6 in a data
cable
• The pin pairs experiencing the split will ash in the Remote Pin #
elds of the wiring map
Note: Open and Short errors take precedence over miswires and the appropriate icon(s)
will appear in the display screen.
If the pairs displayed in the Wire Map are ashing, the cable has a problem (split, open,
short, or fail). If the pairs are not ashing, the cable is wired properly and a “Pass” icon
will appear.
The accuracy of the CableMaster is limited to idenfying the pin pairs with errors. It
cannot idenfy the individual pin experiencing the error.

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SHIELD INDICATOR
The “Shielded” icon, appearing in the fourth line of the LCD screen, illuminates when
a shielded data cable is properly wired at both ends. The icon ashes if the shield
is shorted to a pin in the cable. The shorted pins display in the Wire Map and the
“Short” indicator appears.
WIREMAP:TESTERPIN#
The top line in the Wire Map shows the pin numbers of the cables connected to the
main tester. If a cable fault is detected, the pin pairs experiencing the error will ash.
WIREMAP:REMOTEPIN#
The boom line of the Wire Map corresponds to cables connected to the remote
tester. The Remote Pin # eld will show if the connected cables have errors (short,
open, fail, and split). The appearance of dash lines indicates shorted pins. No number
displayed in the Remote Pin Number line indicates Open pins. Pin pairs will ash if
they are split.
BATTERY LOW
The baery low symbol illuminates when the baery is nearing depleon. The symbol
ashes when the baery needs to be replaced.
Note: Results may be unreliable at this point so the baery should be replaced.

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LOCATION ID
The “ID” symbol, located in the third line of the LCD screen, appears when the
CableMaster is in Video, Data or ID Mode. When using the wire mapping remotes, the
“ID” icon will turn on and the remote ID number will display to its right. The ID number
is not displayed if an error occurs, such as “Open” or “Short”.
VOLTAGE DETECTED WARNING
If voltage is detected on any of the cable connectors, the “Voltage!” icon ashes. A
check for voltage is performed before each test and if found, no test is run. If the
icon appears, the tester should be disconnected immediately from the source of the
voltage. The tester automacally powers down in 90 seconds if the detected voltage is
not removed.
KEYPAD
The CableMaster is equipped with ve buons, illustrated in Figure 3. Some buons
have more than one funcon. The funcons are explained in Table 6. For each cable
test, results are displayed in the Wire Map of the LCD display screen.
Figure 3� Keypad

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Table 6� Keyboard
KeypadBuon Descripon
The Voice buon tests voice cables.
Each press of the buon causes one test to be run on the
6-posion RJ jack
• Hold the buon down to start/stop connuous tesng
• In Length Mode, the blue arrow allows you to adjust the
length constant value.
• A short press of the Voice and Video buons simultaneously
changes the length measurement unit from feet to meters.
The Video buon tests coax cables terminang at an
F-Connector.
• In Length Mode, the blue arrow allows you to adjust the
length constant value.
• A short press of the Voice and Video buons simultaneously
changes the length measurement unit from feet to meters.
The Data buon tests data cables.
• Each press of the data buon runs one test on the 8-posion
RJ jack
• Hold the buon down to start/stop connuous tesng

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This buon has two funcons: Tone generaon and length
measurement.
TONE MODE
Tone Mode, indicated by a musical note, is used with a tone
tracer probe to idenfy faults in cables via sound.
• When the unit is turned O, press and hold down the Tone
buon for two seconds to enter Tone Mode
• An audio tone is transmied from the unit through the
selected wire pairs of the cable being tested
LENGTH MODE
Length Mode, indicated by a double arrow, is used to measure
the enre length of a cable and its pin pairs.
• One press of the buon enters Length Mode
• A long press (two seconds) of the buon allows you to edit
the length constant
This buon has two funcons: Turning the unit On/O and ID
Mode.
POWER
• In any test mode, one press of the O/ID buon turns the
CableMaster O
• Subsequent presses of the buon turn the unit On/O
ID MODE
ID Mode is used with wire mapping remotes to idenfy cable
runs.
• When the CableMaster is O, one press of this buon turns
the unit on and begins ID mode
• ID Mode scans all cable types (voice, video, and data) and
displays any detected wire mapping remotes
Note: To run a connuous test on data or voice cables, press and hold down the
corresponding mode buon unl “LOOP ON” appears. Tests will execute unl another
cable test mode or O/ID buons are pressed or aer 5 minutes of no change in the test
result.

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OPERATIONS
To ensure safe operaon of the CableMaster, follow the instrucons carefully and pay
aenon to the warning and cauon symbols. Failure to observe warnings can result
in severe injury or death and can cause damage to the tester.
TURNING THE UNIT ON/OFF
Turn Unit On
Press the desired cable type buon (voice, video, data, tone or ID) to start tesng in
that mode immediately.
TurnUnitO
Press the O/ID buon to power down the tester. The display screen will go blank.
AUTOMATICPOWERDOWN
The CableMaster automacally turns o to conserve baery power. The automac
power down feature varies according to which cable test mode is in use (see Table 7).
The power down mer is restarted whenever a buon is pressed.
Table 7� Automac Power Down
Test Mode Time
Voice 18 sec. (5 minutes when looping)
Data 18 sec. (5 minutes when looping)
Video 5 minutes
Length/Tone 60 minutes
ID 5 minutes
TurnUnitO 5 minutes
CABLE TESTING GENERAL GUIDELINES
The CableMaster tests video, data, and voice cables to detect potenal faults, shows
a cable’s wire pairing, and examines the physical properes of a cable.

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IMPORTANTPOINTSTONOTE
• The RJ jacks for data and voice cables share internal connecons within the tester.
Only one RJ cable can be connected at a me for accurate cable test results.
• An RJ cable and a coax cable may be connected at the same me. In ID mode, all
connectors on the Tester may be connected at the same me.
• To easily toggle between cable test modes, press the desired cable type buon.
The CableMaster is designed for use on unenergized cabling
systems. Connecng the CableMaster to live AC power may
damage the unit and pose a safety hazard for the user.
Poorly terminated RJ plugs, the head of a cable, have the potenal
to damage the jacks on the CableMaster. Visually inspect the RJ
plug before inserng it into the tester to ensure you are inserng
the plug into the appropriate jack of the remote-end or tester-end
of the unit (ex. data cable plug ts into data jack on the unit).
The cable’s contacts should always be recessed into the plasc
housing of the receiving jack. Plugging a 6-posion phone plug into
the 8-posion data jack on the tester has the potenal to damage
the outer-most contacts of the jack. Insert the cable into the
appropriate connector on the remote end or tester end of the unit.
TESTING VOICE CABLES
Tesng a voice cable is a 2-end test where one end is connected to the main tester and
the other end is connected to the remote tester.
Plug the cable into the appropriate jacks on the main tester and
remote tester. Failure to do so can damage the connectors.
1. Insert one end of the cable into the RJ11 jack on the main tester.
2.Place the other end of the cable into the the RJ Jack on the remote tester.

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3.SingleTest:To run a single test on the 6-posion connected voice cable, press the
VOICE MODE buon. The following appears in the LCD display screen (see Figure 4):
• The “Voice” icon appears in the upper le corner.
• The cable wiring structure displays (Pass, X-over, or Rev).
• The “ID” icon appears with remote #1 displayed as the cable is connected to the
remote tester.
• The Wire Map elds update to indicate any cable faults. A perfectly wired voice
cable will display all pins (1-6) in both elds of the Wire Map display.
Figure 4� Voice Mode Test with Rev Cable
4. Connuous Test: To run a connuous test, press and hold down the VOICE MODE
buon unl “LOOP ON” appears in the display (see Figure 5 below).
When looping is acve, three small moving “bars” appear on the right side of the
display screen. The display screen will update with the icons and values that appear
during a single test (see Figure 4).
To turn test looping OFF, press and hold down the VOICE MODE buon unl “LOOP
OFF” appears.
Figure 5� Loop Tesng in Voice Mode
Note: The test loops unl the VOICE MODE buon is held down, or the O/ID buon is
pressed, or aer 5 minutes of no change in the test results

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5. Trouble-shoot if cable faults (open, short, fail, or split) are detected. .
• The pins experiencing error(s) appear in the Wire Map of the display screen.
• Refer to the LCDDisplayScreen secon for details of the cable faults.
Note: If the cable is a properly wired, reverse-pinned voice cable, the “Rev” symbol will
illuminate and blink in the LCD screen. The Wire Map will display the reverse wired pin
connecons.
TESTING VIDEO CABLES
1. Connect the provided F-Connector coupler to the F-Connector at the top of the
main tester (see Figure 6 below).
Figure 6� F-Connector on Main Tester
2. Screw one end of the video cable into the F-Connector coupler.
3. Secure a Coax remote to the opposite end of the video cable.
4. Press the VIDEO MODE buon to start connuous tesng. The following updates
appear in the LCD display screen (see Figure 7):
• The “Video” icon illuminates in the upper right corner.
• A progression of “o’s” appear on the boom of the display to indicate acve tesng.
• The cable wiring structure displays (Pass, X-over, or Rev).
• The “ID” icon appears with the Coax wire mapping remote number to its right.
Figure 7� Loop Tesng in Video Mode
Note: The tests run unl the O/ID buon is pressed or when 5 minutes elapses with no
change in the test results.
5. Trouble-shoot if cable faults (open or short) are detected.

20
CableMaster 450
hp://itnetworks.soing.com
TESTING DATA CABLES
Tesng a data cable is a 2-end test where one end is connected to the main tester and
the other end is connected to the remote tester.
1. Plug one end of the data cable into the RJ45 jack on the main tester.
Visually inspect the tester to make sure you are inserng the cable
into the appropriate jack.
2. Insert the opposite end of the cable into the RJ45 jack on the remote tester.
3� Single Test� To run a single test, press the DATA MODE buon. The following
appears in the display screen
(see Figure 8):
• The “Data” icon appears at the top of the screen.
• The cable wiring structure displays (Pass, X-over, or Rev).
• The “ID” icon appears with remote #1 displayed as the cable is connected to the
remote tester.
• The Wire Map elds update to indicate any cable faults. A perfectly wired data
cable will display all pins (1-8) in both elds of the Wire Map display.
Figure 8� Data Mode Test
4� ConnuousTest. To run a connuous test on the data cable, press and hold down
the DATA MODE buon unl “LOOP ON” appears in the screen. When looping is
acve, three small moving “bars” appear on the right side of the display screen. The
display screen will update with the icons and values that appear during a single test.
The turn OFF loop tesng, press and hold down the DATA MODE buon unl
“LOOP OFF” appears (see Figure 9).