I have a question regarding DIY Command bus cable

[TanAsh]

I need to connect my saltwater mixing station X2, located in my basement, to my collective on the main floor. I need to make my own approximately 50-foot command bus cable, as I plan to fish it through the drywall and keep it hidden behind the walls. I have a large roll of 12 AWG wire that I'm considering using.

My question is: Can I make a command bus cable with 12-gauge wire by running four lines, or must I use Cat5e cable? The pinout calls for pins 1-4 and 2-3 to be twisted pairs.

 

[Danny]

Those have to be twisted pairs. I am not sure but I think jeff was making a adapter to use a CAT 5 cable. I would suggest doing that instead of using the 12 gauge. The CAT 5 is for signals which is all you will be using it for on that long a run. It would be even better if you could run one of the prewired cables you get from CoralVue if you can but barring that I would go with CAT 5. I use a CAT 5 between my garage and the room where the tank is but that cable was already in place so I did not have to run one.

 

[TanAsh]

Those have to be twisted pairs. I am not sure but I think jeff was making a adapter to use a CAT 5 cable. I would suggest doing that instead of using the 12 gauge. The CAT 5 is for signals which is all you will be using it for on that long a run. It would be even better if you could run one of the prewired cables you get from CoralVue if you can but barring that I would go with CAT 5. I use a CAT 5 between my garage and the room where the tank is but that cable was already in place so I did not have to run one.

Yeah, I realized it was a bad idea. Luckily, I found a 100' CAT5 cable in the garage. That's what I'm going to use.