Sure. One end of the 25-pair cable can be cut down on a patch panel. There doesn't need to be a 66 block.

Or a person can buy a patch panel pre-assembled with an Amphenol connector, and just plug in a 25-pair cable between that and their gear. Here's one from Leviton: https://leviton.com/products/49012-j24

Or, there's unholy creations like this octopus breakout cable, which can be used to connect existing patch panels/structured cable plants into Amphenol world: https://www.sandman.com/products/cbl3c-6-foot-qwik-25x2-cabl...

And those kinds of things are great for rapid deployment, but we're not trying to do that -- are we? We're just goofing around with old telco stuff for the lulz.

The most tinkering-friendly option is 66 block (wherein: the structure is whatever we want it to be today), I think. Punch down tools are cheap (including those that have interchangeable blades for also doing tidy work of 110 keystone jacks). It only takes a few minutes to land all 25 pairs, and those pairs can do anything a person wants them to do.

Meanwhile, 66 blocks themselves: They're dandy things. I've used them in the field to build simple circuits: The resistor or the capacitor doesn't care that it is hanging off of a punch down block instead of soldered to a PCB. It works, and it's wall-mountable for permanence.

But yeah, there's certainly options. I've got good familiarity with 66 blocks and their ability to quickly (and rather universally) hack stuff together, so that's what I tend towards using.

> Micro Ribbon connector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_ribbon_connector

It's always important to know the specific and most-correct nomenclature, but it's equally important to use terms that others easily understand. :)

Like, the 4-pin Molex connectors in common use for things like PC optical drives (where those still exist). You probably know exactly what I'm referring to, and can picture one in your head whenever someone mentions a "Molex connector" in the context of a PC.

But those aren't from Molex -- they're instead from Amphenol's Mate-n-Lok line. Molex sells compatible-enough versions (as do countless other manufactures), but Molex had nothing to do with the design or introduction of that part.

Meanwhile: The square 4/6/8/20/24-pin jobbies that connect to things like video cards and motherboards, and that seemingly everyone calls ATX connectors? Those actually are Molex parts (from their Mini-Fit Jr line), but people would be confused AF if you called them Molex connectors.

So if we're doing it right in casual discourse, we use the terms that people understand -- even if they're not necessarily maximally-correct.

I've never witnessed the term "micro ribbon connector" used in face-to-face dealings involving telco stuff.

---

Up next: The male 1/4" audio connector. Is it a headphone plug? A guitar plug? TR? TRS? A phone plug? A jack plug? "Like an aux cable but bigger?" Yes, any of those terms work. The best term depends on the audience.

The connector originates in the forgotten world of plug-and-socket telephone switchboards, so of all of those options "phone plug" probably gets the history most-correct (and that's also what Radio Shack labeled them as). But that specific terminology is pretty archaic at this point.

It's so archaic that if I asked a sane and rational person for a cable with "phone plug" on it these days, they might go looking for something with 6P4C, 8P8C, USB C, or (maybe!) a TRS -- depending on their age and/or upbringing.

Build your own Dial-up ISP with a Raspberry Pi