Connection Solutions from EKRIS Cable - The Connectivity Experts Winter, 2000

 

Solutions - Category 5
New Products - MT-RJ Connector
Test Equipment - Ensures Fewer LAN Failures Due to Poor Cord Quality
Expert Profile - Randy Lloyd
Q&A

Welcome to Wired & Connected

Our goal in producing this newsletter is to improve communications between our company and our customers. This periodical will enable us to keep you informed about the products and services available from EKRIS Cable, as well as any changes in company personnel or policies. Each issue of Wired & Connected will feature new products available from EKRIS, along with a "Solutions" article and a Q & A column. We welcome any feedback and suggestions you may have for future issues.

Category 5

For quite some time, our customers have requested a Category 5 solution, using a Telco 25-pair connector for their LANs. Since April, 1999, we at EKRIS have responded to that need by bringing in the Lucent Technologies line of 25-pair connectors and termination equipment. We are now producing these assemblies in numerous configurations using these connectors: 90°: male, 180° in-line male, 120° angled male, and 90° female.

These connectors have allowed us to provide the Category 5 solution requested in not only the Telco 25 environment but also the Hydra/Octopus environments. Currently, this has generated a tremendous demand for custom orders.

These connector hoods can be flipped to allow for left vs. right orientation of the hoods in relation to pin #1. By utilizing the various hood configurations, our customers have been able to maximize the valuable space used in their LAN environments. When connecting to hubs and routers in closets or cabinets, customers are often in need of a space-saving solution. These new connectors offer just such a solution and have proven to be popular with and beneficial to our customers.

The experts at EKRIS Cable are here to help solve your connectivity problems. Please feel free to utilize our experience and working knowledge of assemblies and LAN environments. We are always available to participate in a technical conference call with you. These calls help us to fully understand our customers' needs and increase our ability to meet these needs in the proper fashion.

Custom configurations and solutions are something we strive to create for all types of customer problems. We will create a sample for the customer's inspection and approval. Let us show you and your customer our capabilities for the next situation that arises.

MT-RJ Connector

EKRIS Cable introduces a new line of cable assemblies based on a new small form factor duplex (two fiber) connector. The MT-RJ Connector was designed to meet the fiber optic industry's request for a new interface technology that is significantly lower in cost and size than the now-standard duplex SC interface. The MT-RJ interface can be spaced the same as copper, effectively doubling the number of fiber ports. The MT-RJ uses the familiar RJ latching mechanism found in copper systems, which allows it to be snag-proof. We at EKRIS Cable have brought in our partners at Siecor for a full assembly and testing training session on this new line of connectors. This training session will ensure our customers of the quality of the connectors and will provide a fully compliant product to meet their needs. Currently, we have stock on the components for the MT-RJ assemblies and are shipping orders in a timely fashion. These assemblies are available in many configurations. Please contact your EKRIS representative for additional information.

MT-RJ Connectors are available in many configurations.

New Test Equipment Ensures Fewer LAN Failures Due to Poor Cord Quality

Cabling is the basic building block for most local area networks (LANs). Cabling challenges arise as these networks reach 100 Mbps and beyond, especially for unshielded twisted pair (UTP) networks. Standards are rapidly evolving, and performance demands on cable and connecting hardware far exceed those of only a few years ago.

Companies spend many thousands of dollars upgrading their network equipment, yet, in comparison, the cabling often gets little attention. Some estimates show that cabling issues account for up to 50% of all LAN failures, and the resulting network downtime can cost organizations millions of dollars in lost productivity, idle resources and lost revenue.

The PCT-350 Patch Cord Test Set quickly and accurately test cord quality.

Certainly, it can be difficult to keep track of this rapidly changing area of technology. Here at EKRIS Cable, we are staying on top of these new standards, which will require new measurements, higher bandwidth and higher dynamic ranges. To accurately make measurements in these new areas will require advanced testing technology.

EKRIS has recently invested in new market test equipment that allows us to quickly and accurately test the transmission quality of modular patch cords used in LANs. This new tester consists of a balanced switching device and a Windowsª-based software program, which, when combined with a network analyzer and computer, provides a fully automatic modular/patch cord quality testing system.

By plugging in the modular cord, the system will automatically guarantee compliance with EIA/TIA modular cord test specifications. This system performs Attenuation, Return Loss, NEXT, FEXT and wire mapping tests against set specification limits automatically and accurately. Utilizing the data produced, we can qualify all or batches of cords with test reports showing parameters and the pass/fail rating. There are summary graphics for each test to show the worst case of all pairs for the parameters tested.

We at EKRIS Cable believe that improved modular cord production quality through advanced test data analysis is what our customers will demand to meet and exceed the new technology requirements in the ever-advancing LAN market.

Randy Lloyd

Randy Lloyd has been with EKRIS Cable since 1994, as a licensed network installer. Before joining our team of experts, Randy served in the U.S. Air Force, where he gained ten years of telecommunications experience. He has achieved numerous certifications in the telecommunications field, including Certified Cable Installer (Siemon Co.), Certified Installer/Project Manager (Belden-Krone), Certification in IBDN-700 (NORDX/CDT), and Berk-Tek Installations Guidelines Certificate. In 1999, Randy became an inside sales representative for our Cable Assembly Division. Please feel free to use his expertise in the telecommunications field for any questions you or your customers may have. Contact Randy via email: Randy@ekriscable.com.

When is stranded vs. solid used in Category 5 UTP networks?

According to a TIA 568-A Compliant Installation Section 3.2.4.3 UTP Equipment Cords:

• In the telecommunications closet, the summed lengths of the stranded equipment and patch cables and jumpers together should not exceed 7 meters (23 feet) total.
• Maximum length for work area stranded (station) cords is 3 meters (10 feet).
• All other cords over 30 feet should be of a solid conductor UTP.