Monday, January 29, 2007

L-com Connector Chart

What do you call this connector?(customerservice@L-com.com)

Like any industry, the connectivity industry has its jargon and unique terms. Among the more frustrating is the complicated names of connector types. Do you need a BNC or an RCA? Do you have a DB15 or an HD15? What the heck is the difference between a MD6 and a PS/2?

Fortunately, one of L-com's more popular pages on its web site, www.L-com.com, is the connector chart page. This is a free page that anyone can access to see pictures of connectors next to their names. Need a closeup? Click on any of the pictures and you can get a blown-up version to compare to your own product.

The connector chart is just one of the free educational benefits to L-com's web page, which includes tips, tutorials, video tips, educational newsletters, and white papers. On top of that, you can get CAD models, engineering drawings, and more details on most of our products for free as well! So, even if you're not ready to buy connectivity products, if you have an interest in them our site is worth a visit. Check it out here: www.L-com.com.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Industrial Rated Networking Equipment


IP67 and Harsh Environment Rated Active Networking Equipment (customerservice@L-com.com)

The benefits of connectivity are everywhere, nowadays. This includes factories, controlled environments, and even the outdoors. But the equipment needed to set up and maintain a network is often sensitive to dust, water, temperatures, changes in voltage, etc. So in these situations, you need an industrial rated Ethernet device.

The most common Ethernet networking devices that need to be protected from the harsh environment are Ethernet routers and Ethernet switches. Hirschmann and GarrettCom are two manufacturers that provide excellent quality industrial rated products, though there are many on the market.

In addition to switches and routers, you may need media converters, cables, and peripheral devices like IP cameras. You may also want to consider getting a IP67 rated enclosure, or using sealing grommets to allow cables to go between harsh environments and office environments without letting the elements seep in.

If you have very specific requirements for your active device, let L-com know! We may be able to contact our many manufacturing partners and find a device that fits your needs.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Technical Support Help

L-com's Technical Support (customerservice@L-com.com)

I've worked in L-com's Tech Support for a few years now and we've seen a lot of the same questions asked over and over. For that reason, we're creating a "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) section of our web site! We're adding questions as they come to us, but please help us out by letting us know your favorite questions about connectivity, signal technology, or L-com itself.

We will keep putting questions up and, soon, modify our site search so you can easily search those questions for answers. That's not to say we don't want you to call us anymore! There's no way we can put down every single question someone might ask, and, truth be told, we really like working with our customers to help them find the answers to their questions.

Did you know we have dedicated tech support reps connected to a phone queue all day long? They answer questions quickly, and if they don't know the answer right off the bat, they'll research and get back to you, usually within a day. You can also email directly to tech support at support@L-com.com, and get a response within 24 hours!

So, with our FAQ and Technical Resources online, and our live tech support resources offline, you can get all the answers you need to make an informed decision.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

HDMI Cables - Emerging Video Cable Standard


HDMI Cable Assemblies and Components (customerservice@L-com.com)


With a growing number of HDMI adopters, it's looking like HDMI may emerge as the reigning king of digital video connection types, at least in the consumer electronics side of things. But it joins a huge market of video standards, including HD15 SVGA connectors, DVI c
onnectors, S-Video (SVHS) connectors, RCA connectors for composite or component video, SCART connectors, and coax connectors like BNC or F type connectors for RF video. And the game isn't over yet, new video standards are still emerging so who knows what we will be using a year from now?

HDMI has a lot of advantages that make it preferable to other video types. It is digital, allowing the pixel-perfect video that is preferred over analog video by many a/v enthusiasts. It is small and easy to connect, and it can carry audio as well as video, a huge plus over most other video connector types. Early on, HDMI ran into the 5 meter length limitation of digital video, but improvements in cable technology have lead to longer versions of HDMI cables hitting the market.

Look for a host of new HDMI components to come out over the next year or so. HDMI cables will probably be joined by HDMI couplers, adapters, rack panels, and active equipment like HDMI extenders. As the standard gains in public acceptance, it will also make components that use the standard easier to roll out for smaller manufacturers.


Friday, January 05, 2007

Surface Mount Boxes and Wall Plates

How Do You Create Modular Ports for Your Users to Plug Into? (customerservice@L-com.com)

Undoubtedly, one of the most important technological advances of our time is the modular network. Networked together, machines throughout an office, a building, a whole country, or all over the world can all communicate. In order to make a network user friendly, it's a good idea to provide easily accessible ports or jacks where your users' machines are.

Traditionally, there are two main ways of mounting modular jacks: in a wall or in a box mounted on a surface. By far, wall plates and face plates are the most popular way to go. With them, the jacks are flush with the wall, out of the way, but still easy to get to. But in some cases there are either no walls close by, or the walls cannot have anything running inside them. In those cases, surface mount boxes provide a perfect solution.

Boxes and face plates often come separate from the jack itself, allowing you to mix and match the correct jack with the correct mounting medium. Make sure you get a plate with the proper hole size already in it so you can easily mount the jack. The most common hole size is called Keystone, and though it is not standardized it is roughly the same from company to company.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

DVI Video Standard








Digital Video Interface (DVI) - What is it?

(customerservice@L-com.com)

DVI is one of the video standards for the emerging field of digital video. As you get newer televisions, HDTV boxes, video cards for PCs, and other video equipment, you may see this type of connector more and more.

The connector is shaped vaguely like a D-Sub connector, with screws on either side to hold it mounted. It has up to 24 pins in the middle, plus four pins possibly around a bar to one side. I say "up to 24 pins" and "possibly around a bar" because there are actually several types of DVI connectors possible.


Three DVI signal types


In instruction booklets that reference the DVI cables you need, you may see a letter after DVI, like this: "DVI-D". There are actually three different types of DVI: DVI-A, DVI-I, and DVI-D. The -A is for analog only, the -D is for digital only, and the -I has both analog and digital pins. How can you tell the difference? The easiest way is to look at the bar at one side of the connector. The four pins around it are for analog signals, so if you do not have those pins, the connector is a DVI-D: it only includes digital lines. If you do have pins around the bar, and most of the pins in the center (there may be a strip of pins missing in the middle. More on this in a second), you probably have a DVI-I connector. If you only have 12 of the middle pins, you probably have a DVI-A connector.

On a male connector, usually on a DVI cable, it is important to know which type it is because if you try to plug a connector into a female port that doesn't have enough holes for the pins, then some of the pins may bend, destroying the cable. On the other hand, female DVI-I connectors can accommodate both DVI-D and DVI-A connectors because they have holes for all of the pins. Most newer DVI equipment is coming with DVI-I connectors standard for that reason.

Single Link and Dual Link DVI


Single Link and Dual Link has to do with how many channels of transmission are available in a cable assembly. You can visually tell a single link male connector from a dual link by the centermost vertical strip of pins. If they are missing, then the cable is single link only. If they are there (meaning all 24 pins are present), then the cable is dual link.

Contrary to many beliefs, dual link isn't really "better", in that the picture quality is the same. Dual link is primarily for getting up to very high resolutions, usually too high for most TVs to get to. Dual link DVI can reach a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 60 Hz Refresh Rate, sometimes called QXGA or Quad Extended Graphics Array. In most commercial cases, this isn't necessary.