A new type of fiber is getting closer.

The Southampton University Optoelectronic Research Center (ORC), based at the Zepler Institute of Photonics and Nanoelectronics (UK), announced a breakthrough in the design of HCF (Hollow-Core Fiber) optical fibers. Hollow core fibers are optical fibers in which the conventional glass in the core is replaced by a gas or vacuum. For decades, these fibers have been of interest to scientists and engineers around the world because of their special properties, including the ability to achieve higher speeds of light propagation and thus shorter transmission delays than those obtained in the traditional fiber optics with the glass core. In theory, HCF fibers should also feature lower attenuation, which would mean the possibility of signal transmission over much greater distances without the need for signal regeneration.

At the beginning of October, during the 45th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2019) in Dublin, the researches from the center presented a kind of HCF fiber, NANF fiber (Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fiber). The test results showed a record low attenuation for this type of fiber, 0.65 dB/km in the whole C and L telecommunications bands. The data transmission speed test was carried out at a record distance of 340 km.
These results still diverge from the possibilities of glass fiber optics used today, however, engineers dealing with this subject agree that the attenuation below the psychological barrier of 1 dB/km and demonstration that signal transmission in HCF fibers over a long distance is not accompanied by any significant fundamental restrictions will cause that the next levels will be achieved much faster. The nearest plans include designing NANF fibers so that they would have attenuation similar to that of glass fibers. Given that this is only the second year of intensive work on this project, one can expect that these plans will be implemented quickly.

SMATV system with optical and copper components in a hotel.

The designer had to satisfy three main requirements. First of all, the installation was to cover 5 buildings of the large complex. Secondly, the system was to distribute DVB-T signals from the local transmitter, and thirdly, the satellite channels (15) had to be converted to the form of digital DVB-T signals and distributed along with the terrestrial channels.
In order to ensure the best possible quality of the terrestrial TV signals and to equalize signal levels at the installation's input, the contractor decided to use the digitally programmed four-channel TERRA AT440 R82511 amplifier. Additionally, in order to introduce signals from VHF and FM bands, the multi-input FM/VHF/UHF ma400 R82520 amplifier was used.

The satellite channels are received and converted into DVB-T standard by the tdx-480 R81621 transmodulator. The set of the panels used allows for the reception and conversion of 16 satellite Full HD channels from eight transponders.

The combined terrestrial and satellite channels, in the form of DVB-T multiplexes converted into optical signal, are distributed to the four buildings via single-mode fibers. The conversion is carried out by the TV optical transmitter TERRA mo418 4D31 R82522 with 6 dBm output level that is sufficient for feeding the so414 R82527 4-way optical splitter, installed on the same DIN rail R82538. The optical transmitter and the amplifiers ( R82511 and R82520) are powered from the DR-60-12 R82532 power supply (12 VDC / 4.5 A).
The reverse conversion from the optical form into RF signals is made in each building by the TERRA OD-005P R81760 optical nodes. The maximum output level of the RF signals is 107 dBµV, which is suitable for distributing them to dozens of R62120 outlets without a need for additional amplifiers. By the way, such configuration of the network would allow for transmission of the DVB-T signals (in the optical form) over distances up to 12 km.

Cable marking in SMATV systems: a good practice.

The correct description/marking of cables of the multiswitch trunk (or bus) significantly simplifies the installation process as well as diagnostic procedures in the event of problems with signals. Installers often forget about the descriptions, which in the case of carrying out repairs in such systems is associated with painstaking verification of the correctness of cable connections with the LNB and cable connections between individual elements in the trunk.

Those who describe cables usually do it with a ball-pen or marker pen. The commonly used "polarization/band" notation is rather not eye-friendly: "V/Hi", "V/Lo", "H/Hi", "H Lo". It may happen that the descriptions of the inputs on the device may contain other information – e.g. in the form of LNB control signals specific for a given input, for example: 14V/22kHz for the "V/Hi" pair or 18V/0kHz for the "H/Lo" pair. In this case, a less experienced installer will not be able to match the cables to the appropriate inputs.

Most manufacturers of SMATV equipment use a certain color scheme to mark the inputs. This also applies to some quatro converters. Here are some examples:

Color markings of inputs/outputs in multiswitch systems:
white – terrestrial TV, black – V/Lo, green – H/Lo, red – V/Hi, yellow – H/Hi.

Marking cables with colors guarantees unambiguous assignment and no possibility of confusion during installation and maintenance operations. For this purpose, DIPOL has introduced color cable ties that, in addition to the obvious function of binding cables into bundles, can be used as cable markers. This method of marking cables is a guarantee of durability (in contrast to descriptions made with marker pens), as well as ensures a high level of aesthetics in the installation.

Example markings of cables entering the Terra MV-516 multiswitch.

New, cheaper ULTIPOWER industrial switch!

The ULTIPOWER PoE switch is an industrial device enabling smooth data transmission in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet networks. Its five RJ45 ports support auto-negotiation function, four of them can provide power over Ethernet (PoE function). The switch automatically detects PD devices compliant with IEEE 802.3af or IEEE 802.3at standard and provides them with power supply. This way, it is easy to power network devices located in places without access to AC lines, such as access points, IP cameras, IP phones etc. The switch has been equipped with two SFP 100 Mbps ports allowing for the use of SFP modules and optical transmission medium.

ULTIPOWER industrial switches are capable of reliable operation in harsh environmental conditions typical for many industries, like increased dust levels, high or low temperature, high humidity. Such switches should also be mounted in hermetic enclosures installed on poles or other structures located outdoors. The ULTIPOWER switches are equipped with Ethernet ports (Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet, depending on the model) for connecting IP cameras, computers etc. The industrial switches are protected by housings with IP40 ingress protection rating (against solid foreign objects greater than 1 mm in diameter). All the Ethernet PoE ports can power the connected devices.

Industrial PoE Switch N299701: ULTIPOWER 152SFP 802.3af/at
(5xRJ45 incl. 4xPoE FE, 2xSFP 100M, Extended, VLAN, PoE Auto Check)

Integration of Hikvision NVRs with SkyHawk hard drives.

SkyHawk Health Management (SHM) software embedded in the hard disk series has been designed so that the NVR can inform the user about activities that may adversely affect the condition of the disks. The software monitors the parameters and conditions in which the disk operates (temperature, humidity, vibrations). Based on them, it may recommend taking specific actions (e.g. reducing the temperature or number of disks) when it is likely that the condition of the disk will deteriorate the system performance. If the software determines that the disk is in bad condition, it will automatically recommend backing up the data to ensure continuity of data access.

View of the SkyHawk Health Management window, available in the NVR menu

View of a preventive message

View of a warning message

RAID Rapid Rebuild is the latest feature that significantly reduces the time needed to restore a data volume. This function recreates only the damaged data and then copies the remaining, undamaged data to the spare hard disk. SHM software is integrated with SkyHawk series drives with a minimum capacity of 4 TB and is compatible with Hikvision NVRs equipped with v4.X software.

Tool for configuring Hikvision IP video intercom systems.

Hikvision IP video intercom systems do not have a built-in web server, therefore they cannot be configured using a web browser. The client application dedicated for their full configuration is iVMS-4200. After connecting the door station and monitors, the system components must be activated with the SADP or iVMS-4200 application, beginning with setting an administrator password, similarly to IP cameras or NVRs. After activating the devices and setting the appropriate IP addresses, they should be added to the iVMS-4200 application. Only after successful addition it is possible to go to the "Remote settings" tab of each device to perform its full configuration.

View of the iVMS-4200 (v3.1.1.6) window after adding a door station and three indoor stations.
The 1st generation video door systems (Villa) should be configured with the v2.8.2.2 or higher version. The 2nd generation requires at least the v3.x.x.x version.

Avoiding errors in fiber optic transmission measurements. A problem with proper fiber optic network diagnostics using an optical power meter is a common case. The correct measurement method is one that allows the user to check the actual attenuation of only the section of the network that is to be actually used for the transmission (without the influence of additional attenuation of connection cables, measuring patch cords, connectors etc.). A necessary condition is also a constant and known signal level from the optical power source... >>>more

Calibration of the measuring system

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