Using Patch Panels in Control Panels

[Tim Ganz]

Adding ethernet equipment to an existing panel that has none. We have some solid ethernet cables coming from other remote cabinets that I plan to and on a patch panel as the solid wire can break easily if moved around a lot and I will go from the patch panel to the switch with a stranded ethernet patch cable so I know this part is correct but as far as components that connect to the switch inside the cabinet should I just use a stranded patch cable to go from the device to the switch or should I make all switch connections go to the back of the patch panel and use another patch cable to come from the front of the patch panel to the device?

 

[JaxGTO]

I use these from Panduit:
Mini-Com 8-port DIN Rail Copper Patch Panel

 

[mburtis]

I've taken to mounting wire mold type boxes in the cabinet and then landing the field cables in jacks. Can fit 6 or more per a box depending on the cover. I just use short patch cables to connect anything in the cabinet to the switch and short patch cables to connect the jacks to the switch.

A true patch panel might be a little better but for the limited number of cables in my control cabinets and being able to buy the parts in town this works pretty well me.

Most patch panels seem like they would be hard to mount in a control cabinet.

 

[nicherbert]

General rule of thumb I've used. If the cable comes from an external source, use a patch panel. Anything in the same panel can go direct from device to device. This, as you said, allows replacement of cables that are likely to fail easily without pulling new wire outside of the panel. It's easy enough to route a cable in the panel if it breaks, or if in an emergency, diagonally across everything with the shortest cable they could find that puts strain on the connectors