Top Three Products to Help AV Installers Save Time

Anyone who has worked in the AV industry understands the frustration of having to complete a project only to be bogged down with tedious tasks that take up way too much time.  Product attributes that may seem trivial end up being a godsend when time is a factor. 

We've put together the top three time-saving products that significantly reduce labor time and offer a bit of relief for the AV technician.  

AUDIO CABLE

Preparing audio cable to be terminated takes some time.  The outer cable jacket has to be stripped and the conductors properly tinned.  Using an audio cable such as SPA22GS with a bonded foil shield (shield bonded to the outer jacket) allows the engineer to strip outer jacket easily and avoids the tedium up separating the jacket from the foil.  

Engineers should also use a product with low-wick Insulation.  The high melt temperature of such a cable minimizes insulation reduction when soldering.   

The last thing to look for are  tinned copper conductors.  This provides low loss, corrosion resistant protection that is easy to solder. 

COMBINATION AUDIO/VIDEO CABLES

I can't count the times that I've heard the question, "I need to run a couple audio lines and two or three coaxes, do you have anything that will work?".  The answer is undoubtedly yes.  If fact, it's easy to find manufacturers who offer such cables but it's really quite another to incorporate the product attributes mentioned above with a high quality, HD video coax.  

Too often, manufacturers "throw" a bunch of cables together, loosely jacket it and offer it up as a viable solution.  The problem is that bundled cables, especially those with varying diameters, need the sub-cabled group (audio cables for example) to be layed in a specific manner.  The cables are twisted together about a longitudinal axis.  This prevents the individual cables from being easily pulled from the overall bundle.

Finding a cable such as the RCC series saves labor time (installer doesn't have to pull individual audio and video cables) as well as provides a high quality solution for HD cable runs.

ADC PROAX® TRIAX GAUGE

This last product may be small in stature but really is a time saver when it comes to preparing a triaxial cable for termination using ADC connectors.  Placing the triaxial cable in the appropriate slot allows the installer to determine exactly where to cut the outer jacket, outer dielectric, inner braid shielding and inner dielectric.

This tool has proven to be a most useful addition to and installers tool box.  For more information on terminating a triaxial cable using ADC connectors please click here. 

About Clark Wire & Cable

Clark Wire & Cable, a leader in broadcast and professional AV interconnect technology, is celebrating over 23 years of business. With a focus on quality and innovation, Clark Wire & Cable delivers unique and reliable solutions dedicated to the markets it serves. From precision engineered bulk cable and cable assemblies to connectors, tools and custom panels, Clark Wire & Cable has remained committed to delivering comprehensive interconnect solutions.  Contact Clark at (800) 222-5348. 

About the Author:

Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy.

 

      
   

Technical News You Can Use: RS-232 Pinout

RS-232 is a serial digital interface originally used to connect a PC to a printer or other peripheral device and is still in use today as an interface for embedded computer development systems and industrial control equipment. 

RS-232 defines three types of connections: electrical, functional, and mechanical. 

The most commonly used interface, RS-232 is ideal for the data-transmission range of 0-20 Kbps/50 ft. (15.2 n). It employs unbalanced signaling and is usually used with 25-pin D-shaped connectors (DB25) to interconnect data terminal equipment DTEs (computers, controllers, etc.) and data communications equipment DCEs (modems, converters, etc.). 

Serial data exists through and RS-232 port via the Transmit Data (TD) lead and arrives at the destination device's RS-232 port through its Receive Data (RD) lead. RS-232 is compatible with these standards: ITU V.24, V.28: ISO IS2110. Following are the common or standard wiring pinouts for Serial Data Transmission cables.

1	Protective ground	6	Data set ready	11	N/C	16	Secondary received data	21	Signal quality detector
2	Transmitted data	7	Signal ground/common return	12	Secondary received line signal indicator	17	Receiver signal element timing	22	Ring indicator
3	Received data	8	Received line signal detector	13	Secondary clear to send	18	N/C	23	Data signal rate selector
4	Request to send	9	Positive voltage	14	Secondary transmitted	19	Secondary request to send	24	DTE transmitter signalling element
5	Clear to send	10	Negative voltage	15	DCE transmitter signal element timing	20	Data terminal ready	25	N/C

 

Clark Wire & Cable, a leader in broadcast and professional AV interconnect technology, is celebrating over 23 years of business. With a focus on quality and innovation, Clark Wire & Cable delivers unique and reliable solutions dedicated to the markets it serves. From precision engineered bulk cable and cable assemblies to connectors, tools and custom panels, Clark Wire & Cable has remained committed to delivering comprehensive interconnect solutions.  Contact Clark at (800)222-5348

About the Author:

Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy.

Why the Rental and Staging Industry Needs Product Durability

According to InfoComm's January 2013 Economic Snapshot, the Performance Index of the Rental & Staging segment is expected to increase 1.9% from 74.3% to 76.2%.  We thought it would be interesting to test the rental & staging market to determine whether or not there is an unfulfilled need for a cable to withstand stage and field abuse.

It goes without saying that a high quality product is essential, especially when dealing with digital video signals.  What about a product offering that combines quality and durability? Is there a need for this?  We think so.


Although it's assumed that rental and staging engineers work in a harsh environment, we can only truly embrace the marketing concept of discovering and addressing customer need through market research. 

In addition to the severity of the environment, to what extent cables are affected and how important durability is versus quality of signal, price and other attributes are all questions that will help answer our question.   

Our first course of action was to make sure that our target market is in agreement with our assumption that the environment in which they work is indeed considered a harsh environment. Furthermore, we should also consider what specifically the target market considers their environment to be. By asking questions about their environment, as well as questions about the importance of certain salient product attributes, we will have a better idea of the viability of our offering.  

According to our survey, approximately 55% of rental and staging engineering claimed they worked in either an outdoor environment or an hectic work environment where equipment, in particular, cable was prone to abuse.  In addition, 60% of respondents surveyed indicated that a cable with high tear resistance or tensile strength was the single or second most important attribute in a cable product (40% thought it was the number one most important attribute, 20% the second most important). 

Using the survey as a backdrop, we can now turn our attention to a product offering that fits the bill. 

Clark Wire & Cable:

Quality:  HFC Series hybrid fiber cables feature precision specifications that meet or exceed SMPTE 311M-2009 requirements for optical and electrical loss, mechanical strength, and environmental performance.

Durability: Tactical-grade tight buffers and HFCTP fiber elements have three times the tensile strength for added ruggedness. Outer jacket of the HFCTP utilizes a TPE jacket compound that is abrasion resistant and exceptionally flexible, even in low temperature environments.

About Clark Wire & Cable

Clark Wire & Cable, a leader in broadcast and professional AV interconnect technology, is celebrating over 23 years of business. With a focus on quality and innovation, Clark Wire & Cable delivers unique and reliable solutions dedicated to the markets it serves. From precision engineered bulk cable and cable assemblies to connectors, tools and custom panels, Clark Wire & Cable has remained committed to delivering comprehensive interconnect solutions.  Contact Clark at (800)222-5348

About the Author:

Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy.

Top 3 Reasons to Use Star Quad Mic Cable

Clark Mink4 with Built-in Drain Wire

1.   Greatly Reduces Labor Cost - Standard Star Quad mic cables require a certain amount of prep time before one is able to terminate a connector on the end.  Mic cables that have braid shielding are especially time consuming to prepare because the braid has to be "unwoven" in order to make a drain wire which is ultimately connected to ground.  This is accomplished by a process known as combing out the braid.   

Using a Star Quad type microphone cable with a built-in drain wire, like Clark Wire & Cable's Mink4, avoids the time consuming process of combing out the braid. 


2.  Reduces Inductive Reactance of the Cable -  Simply defined by Wikipedia, inductive reactance is an opposition to the change of current on an inductive element.

The important thing to remember in relation to microphone cables is that inductive reactance acts as a low pass filter progressively reducing high frequencies.  To make the situation worse, the longer the cable run the more inductive reactance is added. 

By using a Star Quad type microphone cable on low impedance microphones you can greatly reduce inductive reactance of the cable.  

3.  Noise Cancelling Effect - As suggested by its name, common-mode signals are signals which appear on both wires of a 2-wire cable.  Furthermore, these signals are in-phase and have equal amplitudes. If we have a mic cable with 4 conductors and twist two of the conductors together (repeating the process for the second pair), we reduce what is called the "loop area". The effect is that noise and interference encountered will be the same on each wire providing noise cancellation or common mode rejection at each pin.

About Clark Wire:

Clark Wire & Cable (www.clarkwire.com) has been a leading supplier of cable products and solutions covering a wide range applications for the delivery of audio/visual content for the past 20 years.  For more information please contact at (800)222-5348.  

About the Author:Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy.

 

AV System Project Managers & Using Force Field Analysis

AV System Project Managers & Using Force Field Analysis

In a previous blog entitled: Conflict Management Model, I made the point that although change is often met with ambivalence...it is inevitable that at some point change will occur. It may not necessarily be the magnitude of the change itself but rather how we manage change.  Although this was referring to change in the workplace, it's also perfectly relevant for changes that occur in a project.  

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles in managing an AV integration project, or any project for that matter, is the ability to manage change.  Project managers must plan for maintaining effective communication, not only between the client and themselves but also the project manager and the install team, account manager, technical support, product support and any other relevant person involved in the project.  In addition, the ability to allocate and secure resources in a timely manner is essential.

As we know, the tasks can seem quite daunting but arriving at solutions in the planning stages preempts troubles that may surface.  Contingency planning, risk management and, thanks to Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in social psychology, Force Field Analysis, helps tackle the problem of managing changes that occur.  

Lewin's concept, Force Field Analysis, is based on what he calls driving forces (forces that promote change) and restraining forces (forces resisting changes).  Issues that arise, according to Lewin, are held in a state of balance by opposing forces.  By identifying each issue we can evaluate both the driving and restraining forces and assign them a power or strength number.  

How to Use Force Field Analysis - There are a number of ways to plot and evaluate the results but one of my favorites is taken from the Mind Tools web-site (see diagram 1).

1. Define the Problem at Hand - All good decision-making plans start with defining, and sometimes re-defining the problem.
2. Make Note of the Issue.  I like the method used by Mind Tools to draw a box in the middle of a piece of paper and write the issue in the box.
3. List Driving Forces - On the left side of the box, list the driving forces (forces for change)
4. List Resisting Changes - On the right side of the box, list resisting changes (forces against change).
5. Quantitative Analysis - Assign a number 1 through 10 (0 being the weakest) to each force, both positive and negative. 
6. Add up Each Side - Total the numbers for the positive forces and do the same with the negative forces.
7. Make your Plan - Notice which side has more points and determine which choices can be made to bring the problem to equilibrium.  Make your plan based off of what changes will take place to help solve the problem. 

Diagram 1: Force Field Analysis http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_06.htm

    

About the Author:

Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy

 

Business of A/V Technology and Connectivity: Quick Fiber Guide

Business of A/V Technology and Connectivity: Quick Fiber Guide: With all of the differen t type s o f fiber optic cables out there, we thought it would be helpful to provide a handy guide to some comm onl...

Quick Fiber Guide

With all of the different types of fiber optic cables out there, we thought it would be helpful to provide a handy guide to some commonly used types of fiber optic cable. 
 
Distribution Cables (Riser and Plenum)

•  Compact cable design for limited conduit space.
•  Flexible, rugged, high-strength construction for long cable pulls.
•  May be directly terminated with connectors with physical protection at termination points.
•  Typically lower total installed costs.
•  Both indoor & outdoor use - no need to splice outdoor cable to indoor cable at the building entrance.

Breakout Cables (Riser and Plenum)

• More rugged than the distribution series, tight buffer cable design allows cable to be hung vertically in building risers without concern for fiber axial migration.
• Most user-friendly design and construction for LAN applications.
• Fibers may be directly terminated using connectors, with no further protection required.
• Also suitable for both indoor and outdoor use - no need to splice outdoor cable to indoor cable at the building entrance.

Military Tactical Cables (Distribution and Breakout)

• Extra rugged, high strength design.
• Crush resistant and resilient.
• Excellent for use in deployment/retrieval applications.
• Tested and in use in military applications worldwide.
• Suitable for manufacturing and mining and petrochemical environments. Excellent chemical resistance.

3.0mm Simplex/Duplex Cables (Riser and Plenum)

• Resilient and flexible for jumpers, patch cords, and pigtails.
• Suitable for general purpose indoor use, such as routing connections in patching systems.
• Short “patch cord” cables ideal for links between electronic equipment and main fiber optic cables.

Subgroup Cables (Riser and Plenum) 

• Tight buffer multifiber cable allows sub-bundles to be routed to areas needing high fiber counts.
• Facilitates fiber identification of single-mode and multimode fibers in a single cable.
• May be directly terminated with connectors with physical protection at termination points.
• Ideal separation and identification of single-mode and multimode fibers in a single cable.
• Also Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use - no need to splice outdoor cable to indoor cable at the building entrance.

Armored Cables (Distribution, Breakout, and Subgroup)

• Suitable for direct burial and aerial applications, as well as indoor/outdoor.
• Corrugated steel tape protects fiber optic cable from rodents and provides additional stiffness for aerial lashing, if required.
• The armor is easily removed with an internal aramid strength member ripcord, leaving a Flame retardant (OFNR or OFNP) inner cable with the original cable part number and length markings printed on the cable. This eliminates the need to splice outdoor cable to indoor cable to meet the National Electrical Code's 50 foot maximum length requirement for outdoor cable used inside buildings.
• Suitable for direct field termination with most standard optical connectors.
• Optional all-dielectric fiberglass yard armor (FRP) available for rodent protection where dielectric properties, light weight, and flexibility are primary requirements of the cable. FRP provides an effective deterrent to damage caused by small non-burrowing rodents. FRP is ideal for use where cable is exposed in subterranean tunnels, ducts, an surface installations.

What Type of Leader are you?

Just as every person is different, so are leadership roles that individuals take on. 

There are five key roles to an effective manager:

1.  Edgy Catalyser role

2.  Visionary Motivator role

3.  Measured Connector role

4.  Tenacious Implementer role

5.  Thoughtful Architect role 

The Edgy Catalyser

The edgy catalyser leader wants to ensure that things are done right and will face the tough questions to ensure projects are on track. “In this role, the leader has the uncanny ability to ask just the right penetrating question, point the finger at one part of the organization, or question the accepted wisdom of the business in order to get people to see that things might need to change.”1 This particular type of leader clearly sees where the structure, systems, infrastructure or people are failing. A catalyser leader enjoys conflicts and arguments.

The Edgy Catalyser Leader Overview:

• Ask the difficult, penetrating questions.
• Spot dysfunction and resistance.
• Create discomfort and unease when things aren’t improving.
• Focus on ‘discomfort’.” (Cameron)

Visionary Motivator

The visionary motivator is seen to be the most adaptable and well-liked role within an organization. This leadership style can picture the future, help develop effective motivators who in turn work well with people. The visionary is very good at receiving the respect and trust of others that will ensure successful team dynamics.  

Visionary Motivator Leader Overview:

• Articulates a compelling picture of the future.
• Energizes groups of people and engages them.
• Holds the vision long enough and strong enough for others to step into.
• Focuses on the ‘buy-in’.” (Cameron, p. 48)

Measured Connector

The measured connector leader focuses on creating a common sense of meaning. This leadership style is good at multitasking and creating trust amongst subordinates to get things moving forward. The common motivator will influence and encourage people to move towards common areas of interest. Letting people reflect on their roles and activities will allow the team to broaden their perspectives. (Cameron, p. 62) 

Measured Connector Leader Overview:

•  Reinforces what’s important and establishes a few simple rules.
•  Calmly influences complex change activity through focused reassurance.
•  Connects people and agendas.
•  Focuses on ‘connectivity’.” (Cameron, p. 61)

Tenacious Implementer

“The Tenacious Implementer makes sure things get done. In this role, the leader is seen as the driving force for the implementation of the agreed plan. This is often described as the classic Project Manager or Program(me) Manager role. These leaders are renowned for their ability to mobilize other people in service of a plan. They know the milestones, understand the key aims and are au fait with enough of the technical information behind the project that they can be useful integrators at a top level when needed.” (Cameron, pp. 73-74) · Doggedly pursues the plan. 

Tenacious Leader Overview:

•  Holds people to account.
•  Leads by driving a project through to completion.
•  Focuses on ‘the project’ (Cameron p. 73).

Thoughtful Architect

The thoughtful architect is principal architect and designer of strategies.


Thoughtful Architect Overview: 

• Crafts seemingly disparate ideas into a way forward.
• Scans the environment, sees what’s happening in the environment and creates an organizing framework.
• Focuses on ‘the design’. (Cameron, p. 86)

What type of leader are you?

1. Cameron, E., Green, M. (2007, p. 19). Making sense of leadership: exploring the five key roles used by effective leaders. London, Philadelphia Kogan Page, 2008.

Consider Both New and Existing Customers for Your Revenue Growth Strategy

When we view an organization from the financial perspective (in the Balanced Scorecard) there are two strategies that can be used to increase revenues:  a revenue growth strategy (Figure 1) and/or a productivity strategy.  This blog post will concentrate on the former. 

 

For a revenue growth strategy there are two ways an organization can gain customer share: through acquiring new customers or retaining existing customers (customer retention). 

If we consider expanding our customer base through new customer acquisition, we can, for example, implement a plan to increase the markets we serve, create a plan to introduce our products to new customers and create a number of contact points to make it easier for potential customers to get information about our company.

Building relationships with existing customers may consist of developing specialty programs for our strategic partners, developing referral and loyalty programs or having a sales process that exceeds customer expectations (disconfirmation theory).     

Figure 1: Revenue Growth Strategy Example

We've all heard that the cost of acquiring new customers is much higher than the cost of retaining existing customers.  Although this is true, we must strike a balance between devoting our energies and resources to acquiring new customers as well as lowering the defection rate of existing customers.  

By providing consumers with useful information on a variety of subjects, introducing innovative products to new and existing markets (I certainly won't bore you with alternative growth strategies such as the Ansoff Matrix, but if you're a glutton for punishment like me, have at it) and having clear lines of communication between the organization and the consumer, Clark Wire and Cable is on the right track in regard to customer acquisition.  

Since its inception, Clark has been in tune with their customers.  I'll be laconic in my narrative about consumer behavior and spare you the tedium of spurious versus true brand loyalty only to use the adage that a happy customer is a loyal customer.  

It's clear by the content of customer testimonials that Clark Wire and Cable understands this concept and so should you.  It's not enough to have a customer just be satisfied with your product or service but come away from a purchasing experience that exceeded their expectations.       

Whatever your strategy, use these basic concepts to find balance between gaining new customers and keeping your most important asset, your existing customers.

 

About Clark Wire:

Clark Wire & Cable (www.clarkwire.com) has been a leading supplier of cable products and solutions covering a wide range applications for the delivery of audio/visual content for the past 20 years.  For more information please contact at (800)222-5348.  

About the Author:
  Dan Collins - Dan has worked as an audio system design engineer, director of marketing and currently director of business development for Clark Wire & Cable.  Mr. Collins holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and specializes in strategic planning, integrated marketing communication planning and organizational strategy.