I’m trying to LAN 2 GameCubes. The instruction manual states that a “10BASE-T” compatible cable is required. What kind of cable is this? What are the colors of the wires I should be looking for? My friend has a cable with “blue, green, orange, and black from left to right”. Would that work? Many thanks.
If it only has 4 wires, it’s a phone cable (RJ11 connector), not a network cable (RJ45 connector). It’s been a while since I made cables, but I think the standard colors for Ethernet are orange/white, orange, green/white, blue, blue/white, green, brown/white, brown. (The colors don’t really matter, though, as long as they’re the same on both ends and all the pins are connected.)
You should be able to find the right cable at any computer store. Just ask for CAT 5.
Also, if you want to connect two boxes together with one cable (instead of connecting them both to a hub or switch with two cables), make sure you get a crossover cable, not a patch cable.
The connector should look like a standard modular phone plug but a little larger. Six connectors, not 4. The outer cable cover can be in any color you want. I’ve got purple, yellow, etc. The inner 6 wires are color coded, but not everybody uses the same standard.
The big question is do you need a “straight thru” or “crossover cable”? It doesn’t just depend on the cube, but what you are plugging into on the other end.
This is where RTFM comes in handy.
Once you know that, go into a computer store and say:
“Give me a X foot straight thru|crossover Cat5 cable.”
Also you can find these cables at any of the big office supply stores if that is more convenient.
All my network cables have 8 contacts, not 6.
Eight wires: White/Orange, Orange, White/Green, Blue, White/Blue, Green, White/Brown, Brown.
The OP will need a crossover cable to connect the Gamecubes to each other (or two straight-through cables and a hub or switch).
On a crossover cable, pins 1 and 3 and pins 2 and 6 are switched. So one end of the cable would be colored like the above, while the other end would be White/Green, Green, White/Orange, Blue, White/Blue, Orange, White/Brown, Brown.
As noted by Mr2001, the exact colors don’t matter and I’ve seen CAT5 cables that worked with the wires in different places, but this is the official and most common implementation.
Whoops. By “wires in different places,” I meant just the coloring. IOW, pin 1 could be a purple wire instead of white/orange, as long as it’s going to pin 1 on the other end of the cable.
Sorry for any confusion that may have caused.