Systems

 

 

Integrated electrical and low-voltage systems of all types—inside and outside a building—encompass the range of work that electrical contractors do. The articles in this section highlight different types of work, from security, fire and life safety, to traditional electrical power and distribution, to lighting, cabling and more. 

Last month, I discussed one of the most important tools in the fiber tech’s toolbox: the fiber optic power meter. This month, let’s examine the other tool that is equally important: the test source used with the power meter to measure the loss of the cable plant.

I recently realized that our failure to properly train fire alarm system technicians has created a group of workers who simply do not understand the reasons they do what they do. When a technician asks for the rationale behind a procedure, we often respond, “Because the code requires it.”


Simple power quality problems often evolve into tangled webs that take a long time to unravel.

The fire alarm systems industry has changed considerably over the years. Many old-timers can remember a fire alarm system that only detected a fire and sounded an alarm. Nonfire alarm systems did not interface with these fire alarm systems.

More on Systems

 
Fuel Cells Now
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People have been talking about a hydrogen economy for many years, one driven by the cheapest, most common, nonpolluting element in the universe. This dream may become reality in this decade as hydrogen fuel cell development nears the production stage.

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Building a Successful VDV Service Business
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Providing first-rate, after-installation voice/data/video (VDV) service to your customers can be very profitable. More importantly, providing after-installation VDV service is a must if you want your project VDV business to grow and prosper.

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Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Expands Fiber Optic Bandwidth
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Students in my fiber optic classes have been inquiring about new optical networking companies dominating the business news recently.

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Home Networking: The Next Big Thing or Nothing at All?
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Many see home networking as a huge potential market. Contractors with a memory might confuse this boomlet with the home automation flop of the early- and mid-1990s. Is this more of the same, or something new—–and big?

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Terms of the Trade: Keep up with Fiber Optics Lingo...
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Absorption: That portion of fiber optic attenuation resulting in conversion of optical power to heat. Attenuation coefficient: Characteristic of the attenuation of an optical fiber per unit length, in dB/km.

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TIA-570-A: The Standard Whose Time Has Finally Come!
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The first release of “TIA-570-Residential Telecommunications Cabling Standard” was published in May 1991.

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Control, Signaling, and Communications by Light
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Fiber optics technology is among the fastest-growing communications technologies in the world. It is increasingly being used for communications, signaling, and electrical control instead of older-technology hardwired systems.

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