PB & Cables with Pete Belyea

Happy Halloween

Pete Belyea — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Just wanted to drop a quick note into the blog today as it is Halloween. Halloween at CXtec / CABLExpress is a special day filled with over 200 people dressed up in costume having a great time. There is pumpkin carving, world famous “judge bribing” in anticipation of the “parade of costumes”. If you tune into one of the many web cams today I am sure you will see the merriment underway. Take some time today to have a good time be a little crazy as we kick off the holiday season that runs from today until 1/2010! YES, before you know it 2010 will be here!

As we say… work hard, play hard and everyone wins.

LC Fiber Connectors

Pete Belyea — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:17:50 +0000

In a continuing series of You Tube Videos Josh Taylor Sr. Product Manager for CABLExpress provided a quick tutorial which describes the different types of LC fiber optic assemblies. In this short (1.:26 min) video Josh covers: features and benefits of different design types, fiber light paths, cable management, fiber patching, fiber patch cords, LC connectors, fiber cable infrastructure.

This is a quick introduction to the application of LC connectors and their application Check it out!

Fiber Cable and Ground loops? Not

Pete Belyea — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:40:14 +0000

One of the reasons why fiber optic cable is used to connect between buildings is because of its non-conductivity. When two buildings are connected by a cable with copper conductors, slight differences in the ground potential of each building may cause a “ground loop”, which is a form of EMI that disrupts the signal on the cable. Fiber cables carry light, not electricity, so they don’t require any copper conductors or metallic shielding. This eliminates ground loops, and provides error-free communication.

The importance of Fiber Cleaning

Pete Belyea — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:43:24 +0000

We all know that fiber optic cabling is a high performance option for datacenters and network connectifivity. But, did you know that fiber cable endface contamination can quickly crash your link?

Check out this quick tutorial by Josh Taylor of CABLExpress® which shows and describes fiber optic end face inspection and cleaning. Covers: how to clean a fiber cable, how to inspect a fiber cable, how does fiber get dirty, what happens when fiber gets dirty.

What is Impedance?

Pete Belyea — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:34:18 +0000

Impedance is an electrical property of a communications cable. It is a measure of how much the cable impedes the flow of current across the length of the wire. High-frequency signals, such as RF (TV) and analog video, require a cable with constant impedance. Variations in impedance cause reflections of the signal, which results in an anomaly called return loss.

Structured Cable vs Point to Point

Pete Belyea — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:03:39 +0000

Despite the added time required to plan properly there are many advantages to deploying a structured cabling solution as compared to a point to point approch.

Join Josh “Cupper” Taylor for a quick tutorial which shows and describes a structured cabling system vs. a point-to-point system and the advantages.

Check out this YouTube episode of “Cable Talk”

Despite the added time required to plan properly there are many advantages to deploying a structured cabling solution as compared to a point to point approch.

Join Josh “Cupper” Taylor for a quick tutorial which shows and describes a structured cabling system vs. a point-to-point system and the advantages.

Check out this YouTube episode of “Cable Talk“

Ever Wonder: Microphone

Pete Belyea — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:24:26 +0000

Ever wonder how a microphone works? Microphones use a device called a transducer, which converts one type of energy to another. Most mics have a small diaphragm which picks up the sound energy from a source, such as a person speaking. The diaphragm vibrates, and in turn it vibrates a small magnet, creating an electrical audio signal. This signal then goes out from the mic to an amplifier, and then back out to a speaker.

Origins of Fiber Optics

Pete Belyea — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:13:51 +0000

Ever Wonder?

Fiber optic cable was originally developed for use in medical applications, such as endoscopy. However, these early fiber devices could only send signals a few dozen feet, so they were not practical for telecommunication. In the early 1970s, researchers at Corning devised a way to efficiently produce optical fibers using chemical vapor deposition. This method allowed for the construction of fiber cables up to several kilometers long, which made the technology ideal for long-distance and high-bandwidth communication. The rest is history!

Make Your Cables Count – Cables for a Cure ‘09

Pete Belyea — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:27:17 +0000

CABLExpress® is pleased to announce our seventh annual Cables for a Cure program in support of the American Cancer Society’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. We have committed to donate to the American Cancer Society, 5 cents from every CABLExpress copper and 50 cents from every CABLExpress fiber cable sold between September 14th and October 31st (stocked lengths only).

Customers who purchase cables this month will also receive a Cables for a Cure pin or window cling (shown to the right) to display in support of this important cause.

Or, if you would like, you can purchase pins or clings directly. They’re $5 each with 100% of the proceeds donated directly to the American Cancer Society’s fight against breast cancer. To purchase cables or pins, just go to one of our sources: CXtec (www.cxtec.com/cure) or TERACAI (www.teracai.com/cure).

Tech Quiz

Pete Belyea — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:58:10 +0000

Over the years legendary Bell Labs has made significant contributions to the progress of semiconductors, telecommunications and computing. To test your knowledge which innovation(s) is brought to us by Bell Labs?

A – Solar cells
B – Lasers or
C – Transistors
D – All of the above

If you answered D, you are correct!

In fact, Bell Labs innovations include: solar cells, lasers, transistors, cellular mobile radios, long-distance television transmission, stereo recording, communications satellites, and sound motion pictures. The 25,000 Bell Labs engineers and scientists now aligned with A.T.& T. continue to generate a patent a day. This pace has been continued since its founding in 1925