Ethernet Connection Fails Through Slip Ring - Works Fine When Bypassed

General Discussion
1

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a custom tether spool and I’m having trouble getting a stable Ethernet connection through my slip ring.

The Problem:

  • When I connect my devices directly with the Ethernet tether (bypassing the spool and slip ring entirely), I get a perfect connection.

  • When I connect through the spool and slip ring, I get no connection at all (no link lights).

Troubleshooting Steps I’ve Taken

I did a few tests to isolate the problem, and I’ve narrowed it down. It seems my individual components are working, but they fail when used together.

Here’s what I found:

  1. Test 1: Long Tether Only I bypassed the slip ring completely and connected my long tether directly.

    • Result: I got a perfect, stable connection.

    • This proves: The long tether cable and its connectors are wired correctly and are working fine on their own.

  2. Test 2: Slip Ring Only I tested the slip ring by itself using two short, known-good Ethernet patch cables.

    • Result: This also worked perfectly.

    • This proves: The slip ring and its Binder connectors are wired correctly and the slip ring is functional.

  3. Test 3: The Full System I reconnected the complete system as intended (Long Tether + Slip Ring).

    • Result: The connection failed immediately.

Given that my connection only fails when combining the long tether with the slip ring, what are the most effective ways to fix this signal integrity issue?

2

Hi @Stong -

Welcome to the forums!

Are you using the Blue Robotics Fathom tether spool?

Are you using Blue Robotics Fathom tether? This does not meet Cat-5 or Cat-6 specifications, which can lead to strange behaviors when carrying ethernet signals….

How long is your tether?

3

We are using Blue Robotics Fathom spool.
Our tether length is 100m and we want it has a 1Gbps capacity

4

Hi @Stong -

Unfortunately that isn’t going to be easy…. you may have luck with some g.hn adapters wired to the tether (may need to open housing, access PCB to connect twisted pair as co-ax connector not easily compatible) , but the Fathom-X or using standard ethernet signals on that length / type of tether isn’t going to provide more than 50-70 Mbps, or no connection at all (for standard signals.)

For that length and capacity, often fiber-optics are required!