Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from February 2003

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from February 2003

Making houdini proud. (Editorial).
February 1, 2003... Just a few months ago, I was an unwitting participant in a magic show, and I didn't even know what was happening until it was over. I sat in a pediatrician's exam room, after describing the symptoms of what turned out to be my son's...

Abandoned cable: all about safety... and some pocket change. (To the Editor).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Reading your editorial on abandoned cable ("Installers taking varied approaches when dealing with cable removal," December 2002, page 7), it struck me that you did not hit on the fact that communications cable--even old Thinnet--can be scrapped...

Step-index, graded-index become focus for plastic optical-fiber applications. (Perspective).
February 1, 2003... In 1966, the first Plastic Optical-Fiber (POF) product with a polymethyl methacrylate or acrylic core was introduced by Dupont under the brand name Crofon. At the time, while market development was significant, tremendous advances in POF...

Code word: abandoned. (Ask Donna).
February 1, 2003... Q: I have a quick question. Could I get the exact wording of what the National Electrical Code 2002 states concerning abandoned cables in the plenum? Brent Clements Rice University Houston, TX A: The question may be quick,...

Structured cabling applications for IEEE 1394 networks: the FireWire protocol, as it is commonly called, is quickly becoming the network of choice for digital video and audio transmission. (Design).
February 1, 2003... Most LAN applications that run over structured cabling systems are optimized for support of asynchronous transmission. The IEEE 1394 (also called FireWire and iLink) protocol is designed from the ground up to support isochronous applications,...

The top 10 issues for residential cabling systems: what will it take for this market to go from early-adopter to maturity? (Installation).
February 1, 2003... As the residential market grows, it is important that we are all aware of issues that need to be addressed to get the market from an early-adopter stage to maturity in the next year. This list of issues and commentary was developed from...

New standard defines building automation installations: guidelines can grease the wheels for installing automation systems in commercial buildings. (Standards).(Cable and Fiber Optics Industry standards )
February 1, 2003... A new standard designed to act as a guide for building automation systems cabling will, installers say, lead to better and more efficient installations. "What the standard is doing is taking an outdated cabling system, one that has been...

OFS, BTexact join forces for blown fiber solutions. (Industry Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... OFS (www.ofsoptics.com) has signed a license agreement with BTexact Technologies (www.labs.bt.com)--an advanced research and technology business of British Telecommunications--allowing the optical-fiber product manufacturer to use BTexact's...

AGL Networks builds customer-controlled fiber plants. (Industry Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... Atlanta-based AGL Networks (AGLN--www.aglnetworks.com), an offspring of the utility Atlanta Gas & Light, offers an option for customers who have high-bandwidth, high-speed data requirements but do not necessarily want to own the infrastructure....

3SAE, Ericsson form service support agreement.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... 3SAE Technologies Inc. (www.3sae.com) has teamed up with Ericsson Network Technologies (www.ericsson.com) to act as its exclusive Authorized Service Center in North America. Ericsson, based in Stockholm, Sweden, manufactures optical-fiber...

Correction.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2003... In the December 2002 issue ("Next generation of OTDRs are on the way," page 21), incorrect information was given for Acterna, Inc.'s MTS-5100 media test set for the singlemode market. The product's new test functions are designed to let field...

Get into the zone with cost-saving enclosures: with minimized downtime and huge savings associated with zone cabling, telecommunications enclosures are becoming more essential than ever. (Product Update).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Interested in reducing costs and downtime while increasing performance and bandwidth? Implementing zone cabling with backbone cable from the telecommunications room (TR) to active equipment housed in telecommunications enclosures (TE), and...

Industrial strength media converters. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The FL MC industrial Ethernet media converters converters l00 Base-TX data signals from an eight-pin-modular interface to a l00 Base-T FX optical-fiber interface. The converters are designed specifically for the industrial control cabinet, with...

Low-profile tie. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The grooved head design of the 7.5-inch Low-Profile Cable Ties, says the manufacturer, provides maximum strength while allowing the head to flex easily around the contour of bundled wires or tubing. Reduced head height and rounded edges are...

High-performance coax. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The RG+ 142 is a lightweight, flexible coaxial cable designed especially for commercial and military/aerospace applications. The company says the cable delivers significantly improved transmission line characteristics over standard RG cable,...

Distributed architecture power supply. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Mercury Series 1.2 kw front-end DC power supply is designed for distributed architectures and rectifier applications for telecom and industrial settings. It features power factor correction, hot bus plug-in, 90% efficiency; droop or active...

Factory-grade wireless protection. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... For wireless networking in the factory environment, industrial-grade plastic enclosures protect computers, barcode label printers, touchscreens, and other electronic equipment without interfering with data transmission on WLANs. The enclosures...

Laying it on the line, in color. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Super Chalk for all self-chalking line reels is designed to last three times longer than comparable contractor-grade chalk. 'With concentrated colors of vivid red, blue, and black, the manufacturer says Super, Chalk creates crisp lines that...

Copper alternative for short-haul. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) product line for short-haul networking applications includes the SFP-to-HSSDC-2 converter, active and passive patch cord assembly, copper loopback, SMT 20-position connector, and EMI cage. All products are...

Patch cord parameter tester. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A patch cord testing capability for the Fluke DSP-4000 Series CableAnalyzer series is designed to provide a fast means of certifying and documenting transmission performance specification of patch cords, as specified by the TIA/EIA 568 B. One...

Compact structured cabling panels. (Premier Products).
February 1, 2003... The half-width Compact Series pre-configured structured cabling panels are housed in a durable plastic bracket, designed for economical telephone and video distribution in confined settings, such as MDUs and apartments. The Series includes the...

Duct-ready fiber. (Premier Products).
February 1, 2003... Cable-in-Duct is a manufacturing capability to produce and place jacketed optical-fiber cables inside a duct for shipment on a single reel. The company says installation time can be cut in half while providing extra protection for the fiber....

Backup forever and ever. (Premier Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The SmartPro 1500 RMXL2U is a line-interactive, rack-mount UPS system with 1,500 VA of battery backup, designed with unlimited runtime capabilities and advanced power management features. The 2U device houses such features as SNMP slot for...

Testing coax crimp force. (Premier Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The portable MPT - 100 Crimp Pull Test instrument is used to certify the crimping of coax connectors and center pins to short and long lengths of coaxial cable. The digital readout displaces the exact fail force point. Providing adequate crimp...