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

 
Clean Power for Network Systems
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In this age of fast food, cellular phones, and instant lottery tickets, people want action, and they want it now. So why should power conditioning for computer networks be any different?

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Fiber Standards Enable Low-cost, High-speed Optical Networks
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Welcome to a series of monthly articles focusing on “Premises Cabling Standards and Technology Updates” by Tony Beam, director of global systems marketing for AMP NETCONNECT.

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How Urgent Is E-Commerce for You?
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Tales from the land of construction business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce can be amusing (or depressing). Here are reports from the field to kick off this first monthly E-C column for EC.

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Branding Your Firm in the VDV Market
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Successful electrical contractors have “branded” themselves in the eyes of their customers, which in this context means they have differentiated themselves from competitors in one or more ways.

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Bidding Telecommunications Cabling, Part III: Preparing the Costing
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An electrical contractor’s most difficult task of a telecommunications cabling bid is preparing the costing.

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Choosing Fiber Optic Connectors and Using Them Properly
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When electrical contractors first decide to get into the fiber optic local area network (LAN) installation business, they have a plethora of factors to consider before ever making a single connection.

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Never Experiment on Your Customers
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In most high-technology fields today, the pace of change is mind boggling. If you buy a new PC, it's obsolete before you get it out of the door. New models are waiting in the stockroom to replace the one you bought, offering faster speeds, bigger hard drives, and features you never dreamed of.

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