Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from August 2004

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from August 2004

Cabling categories, color confusion, and cabinet cooling concerns.(cables)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... Random thoughts as the calendar turns to August and I look forward to my first trip to Seattle for the BICSI Fall Conference at the end of this month. This month's "Ask Donna" column (page 14) reminds me of my early days covering this...

Third-party testing, smoke and gas emission are serious firestop issues.(fire resistant buildings)
August 1, 2004... Many questions regarding life-safety issues in buildings have arisen since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Fire-safety awareness has become more significant than ever. Engineers now have more design considerations in building...

Augmenting Category 6, and the implications thereof.(Cabling designs)
August 1, 2004... If we have learned any lessons at all from Category 6, it is that the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE; www.ieee.org) has huge influence on the value that our cabling designs provide to our clients. Last month, I...

TIA data-center standard nearing completion: the TIA/EIA-942 standard will define new terms and address media selections, the center's physical environment, and equipment placement.(Telecommunications Industry Association)
August 1, 2004... Significant changes in data-storage applications, data storage equipment, and storage area networks (SANs) have altered the telecommunications infrastructure requirements for data centers and computer rooms. Mainframes and their support...

Copper cable testing reaches new accuracy Level (IV); emerging applications are less tolerant of all noise sources, including those internal to the tester.(electric cables)
August 1, 2004... As the cabling industry moves toward multiple-gigabit net working applications, field testers need to support high-frequency sweeps to meet such test standards as ISO-F 600-MHz or the emerging Category 6a to 625 MHz. At these higher...

Opening the door to collaborative, converged systems: next-gen technologies can link worldwide and building communications in real time, but require a cabling infrastructure to support it.
August 1, 2004... Technology is on the brink of another leap forward with the advent of collaborative and converged systems. Like PCs and the Internet, these new systems promise to change the fundamental ways in which people and systems cooperate and...

Technological advancements in safety, surveillance, and support: the latest security products help network managers see out-of-doors, in the dark, and from far-away places.(security)
August 1, 2004... The Canon Network Camera VB-C50i/VB-C50iR replaces the manufacturer's VB-C10/VB-C10R models released in Apri1 2002. The new model combines in one compact unit the communication camera and camera server so that users can establish a monitoring...

Hope is not a warranty when testing a cabling system: certifying and documenting standards compliance will help you set users' minds at ease.(Fiber optics)
August 1, 2004... The installation of a cabling system represents a significant investment for a commercial enterprise, both in terms of the money spent and of its impact on the efficiency of the enterprise. For many corporations, the network has become a...

It may be aqua-colored on the outside, but can it carry 10-Gbit Ethernet on the inside?(Fiber Optics)
August 1, 2004... If a contractor buys optical fiber wrapped in an aqua-colored sheath, can that fiber be counted on to carry a 10-Gigabit Ethernet signal for up to 300 meters at 850 nanometers (nm)? Some industry representatives say it may not, which is...

Optical-fiber adhesives remain tried, true, and reliable: knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each can help you decide.(Fiber optics)
August 1, 2004... While most optical fiber connectivity vendors promote "quick connect" no epoxy-no polish mechanical connectors, the less expensive but more labor-intensive traditional method of epoxy/polish and adhesive connectorization remains tried, true,...

Surveillance camera, recording system.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The QuickCapture A2D camera system, featuring the SpiderCam high-resolution video camera, is suited for security and surveillance installations. SpiderCam, designed specifically for extreme applications, provides what the manufacturer claims is...

Foam rubber firestopping withstands 3-hour test.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... A new version of the Firsto firestop with Actifoam fire-resistant foam rubber has successfully withstood a fire test lasting three hours. When the firestop was positioned completely on the exposed fire, no smoke emission occurs at the unexposed...

Connector removal tool for coaxial cabling.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The RT-F716 and RT-BNC tools in the Cablematic line let technicians remove connectors from coaxial cables. The RTF716 has a 7/16-inch head for F connectors, while the RT-BNC has a formed head specifically for BNC connectors. The socket on each...

Aluminum box saddles contractor gear.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... A new style of Weather Guard aluminum deep-saddle boxes is designed to fit compact pick-up trucks with short beds and wheel wells located to the front of the bed. The new style aluminum saddle box features a notched-bottom design that will fit...

Current monitor prevents equipment downtime.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The Model TPC2976 current-monitoring and power-control system is a 19-inch rack-mount control panel with two individual current meters. The system lets users connect two individual pieces of equipment or two power strips to AC receptacles. The...

Soil marker warns diggers.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... This soil marker is used for flush aboveground markings. The highly visible markers can be used where marker posts won't work. They are more permanent than flags and paint, the manufacturer says, and will not get in the way of construction...

Scissor-lift workstation increases productivity.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The JLG workstation includes a stowable bench, 110-V outlet for power tools, specially sized compartments for fasteners and connectors, plus tools holders that will accommodate a reciprocating saw, hammer drill, pipe bender, and circular saw....

Equipment boxes mount with flanges.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... Econobox die-cast aluminum boxes feature external mounting brackets that can be mounted on a wall or panel without having to remove the cover and expose the internal components to the environment. They are equipped with a permanently fastening,...

Kit designed for voice and data testing.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... This telephone/telecom test kit provides field technicians with a selection of test lead cords compatible with all standard telephone systems, data and voice transmission test sets, and wideband circuit path/interconnect devices. All the test...

Single UTP cable for video and data.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The Brilliance VideoTwist UTP cable is designed to eliminate the need for two separate cables for video/data installations by delivering both high-quality video and data performance. VideoTwist cables perform reliably, says the company, when...

Fast, small, light mass fusion splicer.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The S199M24 24-fiber mass fusion splicer is capable of fusing up to 24 fibers simultaneously. Weighing 3.4 kilograms and with 150x150x150-mm dimensions, the S199M24 splices singlemode fiber in 40 seconds. According to the manufacturer, all...

Male-to-female coax adapter for RF applications.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The 7-16 male-to-N female adapter is intended for a number of radio-frequency (RF) applications. The adapter is made of silver-plated brass and operates in the DC-to-8-GHz bandwidth. Its manufacturer says it is ideally suited for RF laboratory...

Cable ties install by hand.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The Unirap line of cable ties includes Tefxel and Halar, aerial support spacer, identification, hook-and-loop ties, mounting bases, tools, and ties for military applications. The Unirap line features a new catalog numbering system and...

802.11b/g test receiver has internal GPS.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The latest innovation in the Yellowjacket 802.11b/a/g family is the Yellowjacket Plus 802.11b/g. It contains an internal 12-channel global positioning system (GPS) receiver for real-time geocoding of all 802.11 measurements. These measurements...

Mini cable pathway requires no firestopping.(New Products)
August 1, 2004... The mini version of thr manufacturer's EZ-Path fire-rated cable pathway is a solution for cables and wires penetrating fire-rated walls. Designed to hold up to 15 Category 6 cables, EZ-Path Mini has all the performance features of the standard...