Registered Jack - RJ21

RJ21

RJ21 is a registered jack standard for a modular connector using 50 conductors, usually used to implement a 25-line (or less) telephone connection such as that used in the 1A2 key telephone system. It is also known as a 50-pin telco connector, CHAMP(AMP) or an Amphenol connector. (The latter is a genericized trademark, as Amphenol was the largest manufacturer of these at one time.)

Dual RJ21 connectors are often used on punch blocks to make a breakout box for PBX and other key telephone systems.

RJ21 connectors are used to connect Ethernet ports in bulk from a switch with RJ21 ports to a CAT-5 rated patch panel, or between two patch panels. A cable with an RJ21 connector on one end can support 6 fully wired 8P8C connectors or Ethernet ports on a patch panel with 1 spare pair. Alternatively, only the necessary pairs for 10/100 Ethernet can be wired allowing 12 Ethernet ports with a single spare pair.

The same connector (with spring bail locks) is used for SCSI-1 connections. Some computer printers use a shorter 36-pin version known as a Centronics connector.

A cable color scheme, in common use, is determined for 25 pairs of conductors as follows: For each ring, the primary, more prominent color is chosen from {blue, orange, green, brown, slate}, in that order, and the secondary, thinner stripe color from {white, red, black, yellow, violet}, in that order. The tip conductor color scheme uses the same colors as the matching ring but switches the thickness of the primary and secondary colored stripes. Since the sets are ordered, an orange (color 2 in its set) with a yellow (color 4) is the color scheme for the 4·5 + 2 − 5 = 17th pair of wires. If the yellow is the more prominent, thicker stripe, then the wire is a tip conductor connecting to the pin numbered 25 + the pair #, which is pin 42 in this case. (Ring conductors connect to the same pin number as the pair number.)

A conventional enumeration of wire color pairs then begins blue (& white), orange (& white), green (& white) and brown (& white), which subsumes a color coding convention used in cables of 4 or fewer pairs (8 wires or less) with 8P and 6P connectors.