Here is an easy way to extend your VGA Cables. This is a great DIY project for anyone that is setting up a home theatre. If you set up the projector on the ceiling, you have to run wires all the way to it. If you want to play your favorite computer game on your new big screen, and don’t have a video out card, then you have to have a really long VGA cable. I am sure these cables are really expensive, and not that easy to find. Cape sent me this article from elephantstaircase.com. Elephantstaircase is a cool wiki site with a lot of neat projects. I was really happy that I found this site. Anyway, this converter is a simple mod where you can use the 8 wires in an ethernet cable to carry the signal for your VGA cable. A VGA port has more pins than this, but only 8 of them are used.
All you have to do for this is get two Ethernet plug boxes (RJ45 project boxes), and wire in a VGA port for each one. It doesn’t really matter which ethernet wire you use on which VGA port pin as long as they are done the same way. You don’t want to build a cross-over cable 
. Anyway, I thought this was a cool project, and was very useful for your home theatre. Go check out this article.
15 Responses to “Convert VGA cable to CAT5”
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I would suspect that the quality is not the greatest. If you could somehow shield the wires, it would not be that bad at all.
Hmmm I doubt that the quality of the signal will remain the same after it passes through the CAT5 cable. We have alot of potential for loss here.. the original vga cable, 2 converters, and a variable lenght of cat5 cable.
Would have to try to know.. Anyone ever did it?
If you Guys are interested in making your own CAT5 cable, I wrote a tutorial right here: http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2006/01/save-money-how-to-make-your-own.html
Sorry to be the one to point this out, but a long (25 foot) VGA cable can be purchased for about the same $ as a comparable length ethernet cable (for example, see http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1661 , this one sells for about $12.)
“But shielding should help improve signal integrity over longer runs.”
Only in environment where there is some RF/electrical noise.. If you do this at home, and you do not run your wire beside a power Cable, you wont see the difference with UTP, STP or ScTP. The maximum lenght is the same.
Kiltak
[Geeks Are Sexy] Tech. News
We used something like this at my church. We meet in a HS auditorium each week, and after about a year, the CAT5 became very degraded from winding/unwinding each week. After some research I was able to find 100′ M/M VGA @ TigerDirect for $40.00. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=1104151&sku=C250-1186
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http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/vgacable.html
Thanks for sharing
I notice that many people are commenting on if the cable was shielded it would provide better quality. cat 5 is UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cat 6 is shielded, and if you are planing on wiring your home for a gigabyte network 10/100/1000 then a box of cat 6 is a good investment…
I have been thinking about somthing like this for a while. I just completed one of these
last night. I used a Leviton 2-port surface mount enclosure from homedepot. That allowed me
2 cat5 jacks so i could extend ALL conductorsto run over 2 cat5 cables. The above plan would
extend the RGBHV positives and THE RGB sheilds but thats it. I used the 6 foot VGA cable
that came w/ my Acer 17″ monitor and cut it in half. punched 4″ tails to the RJ45 jacks,
then stripped and soldered everything. I tested it. looks good thru a pair of 6ft. Belkin
premade cat5e patch cables. So I went for broke and turned the resolution all the way up.
Still looked good! However there was a rolling hum bar of wavyness approx. 2′ tall and full
screen width that i noticed when looking at the background picture. so i ran the vga signal
thru a monoprice 1×4 vga amplifyer splitter, then tru the VGA-to-cat5 adapter. The hum bar
was harder to find but still there. I says on the box you can go like 225 feet so i think
the signal is hotter that what just comes out of your average VGA card. It basically can be
used as a Line Driver. I don’t know what to do to trouble shoot the hum bar so I may look at
other options. I just found a better deal tonight. I can say that monoprice dot com has
great prices on VGA cables!, I may go that route. $10.09 for the following >> 35Ft SVGA
Super VGA M/M Monitor CL2 Rated (For In-Wall Installation) Cable w/ ferrites (Gold Plated)
AND $13.18 for this one ..50 Ft SVGA Super VGA M/M Monitor CL2 Rated (For In-Wall
Installation) Cable w/ ferrites (Gold Plated) I got some of their component video cables
this summer and they were heavy and great. What do you guys think?
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