Cable Guide: DIY & Pinouts

Cable Guide is the field reference for anyone who terminates, repairs, or buys cables for a living — or just wants to do it right at home.

It covers 65 cable types across 10 categories: Ethernet, telephone, coaxial, fiber optic, USB, display, audio, serial / industrial, power, and structured cabling.

For each cable you get:

• Step-by-step how-to instructions — strip, prep, terminate, test
• Pinouts with TRUE colors — T568A, T568B, crossover, rollover, RJ11, XLR, DB9, OBD-II, DMX-512, and more
• SwiftUI diagrams of plug bodies, fiber jackets, and coax cross-sections in real-world colors
• A list of every tool needed, with what it actually does
• Specifications — bandwidth, max length, connector type, impedance, polarity
• "Watch out for" warnings drawn from real-world mistakes (mixed 50/75 Ω BNCs, APC ↔ UPC fiber damage, 13 mm untwist rule, etc.)
• "Where to buy" — vendor search shortcuts to Amazon, Monoprice, Home Depot, Newegg, Markertek, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Digi-Key, Mouser, FS.com, ShowMeCables, trueCABLE, and Ubiquiti Store, so you can compare prices in three taps
• "Photos" — opens a Google Images search for the exact productWhat's covered

Networking: Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, Cat8, crossover, Cisco rollover, console / DB9, keystone jacks, 110-block, 66-block, patch panels, DAC, AOC, USB-C ↔ Ethernet adapters.

Fiber: single-mode (OS1/OS2), multi-mode (OM1–OM5), LC, SC, ST, FC, MTP/MPO, FTTH drop cable, armored fiber, plus the fusion-splice and OTDR workflow.

Coax: RG-6, RG-59, RG-11, RG-58, LMR-400 — F-type, BNC (75 Ω SDI vs 50 Ω radio), compression connectors, antenna runs.

USB & data: USB-A, USB-B, Mini-B, Micro-B, USB-C (including USB 4 / Thunderbolt 4), Lightning, plus repair / re-tipping guidance.

Display: HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, VGA, S-Video, Component YPbPr.

Audio / Pro AV: XLR-3 balanced, XLR-5 DMX-512 lighting, TRS, TRRS, RCA, Speakon NL4, TOSLINK optical, BNC SDI broadcast.

Serial / industrial: RS-232 DB9, RS-485 / Modbus, CAN bus, ribbon cable + IDC, OBD-II, Molex / D-Sub pin crimping.

Power: IEC C13/C14, IEC C19/C20, NEMA 5-15, NEMA L5-15 / L5-20 twist-lock, NEMA 14-50 (EV / dryer), DC barrel, MC4 solar PV, Anderson Powerpole, XT60 / XT90 RC battery, thermostat / bell / sprinkler wire.

Free vs Pro

Ethernet, Coaxial, and Telephone are free — that covers most home networking and CCTV jobs. Cables Pro is a one-time $2.99 purchase that unlocks the other seven categories (fiber, USB, display, audio, serial, power, structured) for life. No subscription. Restore anytime.