Friday, April 27, 2012

Why and when would I need a Nitrile glove?

Nitrile is a synthetic rubber and when combined with a glove you get a superior disposable glove. This material also enhances the strength of the glove.


- Higher degree of flexibility
- Resistant to many oils
- Resistant to some acids
- Recommended for people with latex allergy
- Three times more puncture resistance than natural rubber gloves

For our low voltage contractors we typically sell these with direct burial cable. Excellent for keeping that ETPR compound away from you.

These gloves in my opinion feel like an excellent choice for pulling cable to avoid cable pulling blisters? If you have a preferred application for these gloves please comment below.

"By Mercy Salinas"

Friday, April 20, 2012

Greenlee Sidekick 7B 1134-5029 will test telephone stress and leakage

Before we get into stress and leakage lets go back to October 22nd 1991 when patent 5,059,911 was issued for a cable fault location detector.

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method of detecting a location of a break in a conductor of an electrical that has a multiple number of conductors therein means of a timer.

Background of the Invention

In the past it has been difficult to determine the location of a break in a conductor that is located within a cable that has a multiple number of conductors therein. One such means of detecting the location for such a break was by visual inspection. However such a method is not reliable when the break or discontinuity is hidden from view.

A probe that can detect an open a break or an unused pin in a multi-conductor cable is known in the art. The probe operates based on the amount of capacitance between the conductor and the cable. However, the probe cannot precisely determine the location of a break in a conductor of the cable since the probe does not have a timing means.

The present invention is an improvement in the art of detecting the location of a break in a conductor of a multi-conductor cable. In the present invention the amount of capacitance between the conductor under investigation and adjacent conductors is determined by means of a timer The smaller the capacitance is between the broken conductor and adjacent conductors the closer the break is to the automatic cable tester.

That's an intro into this patent and I'll fast forward to the point in case your yawning. If you do want more info including drawing sheets, here's a link to the U.S. patent.

Cable Locator Patent

Stress Test

The Stress Test reads the audible noise produced on a faulted pair that is stressed by a 90 dBrn longitudinal excitation. The Stress Test determines the capacitive and series resistance balance characteristics of twisted pair at any point along the pair. It is capable of identifying DC resistive or capacitive imbalances undetected by other subscriber loop tests. The Stress Test is also highly effective in identifying imbalances produced by series resistance opens (high joints).

Leakage Test

The Leakage Test detects intermittent resistance faults that do not appear under normal VOM tests. When a faulted pair is taken out of service, galvanic action forms an insulating oxide layer over the faults. When returned to service, such pairs develop "noisy static" in a relatively short period of time. The Leakage Test uses 135 Volts to "punch through" the oxide layer and reveal the fault.

The Sidekick 7B is the test set used in every major telephone company in the United States for troubleshoot twisted pair applications. This light-weight, hand-held meter quickly and accurately uncovers intermittent troubles that other test sets can't detect. Since the introduction of the patented Stress Test and Leakage Test in 1991, the Sidekick has become a benchmark in communications technology. Technicians now have the versatility to identify faults in locations ranging from outside plant cable to inside wiring, and from closures to connecting blocks, without sacrificing standard features, AC/DC, VOM, Kick Meter, they have come to rely on. The versatile Sidekick 7B is used throughout the telephony industry, including LAN/WAN, Private Networks, and BICSI applications.

For more than 140 years, Greenlee has been a provider of quality tools to the wood working industry and, for over 70 years, to the electrical industry as well. Over 20 years ago, Greenlee made a commitment to the high technology necessary to keep pace with the changing needs of our customers. Proof of that commitment is in the modern facilities, state-of-the-art production equipment, and enhanced quality assurance programs which comprise the Greenlee way of doing business today.

The Sidekick is a cool tool but I'm also a big fan of the 501 Tracker 2 Underground wire tracker and the 521A irrigation wire and valve locator. If you're looking for some kind of wire tester and not sure what to use for your application check out Greenlee for their wide selection of wire and cable testers.

Friday, April 13, 2012

What is Structured Wiring in a home?

Structured wiring is a standards-based system of cabling that distributes communication services including voice, data, and video from a central location over a network of built-in cables throughout a home.
Benefits of Structured Wiring
  • Enhance your connected lifestyle
  • Secure your connections
  • Easily integrate new technologies
  • Allow for future changes
To get a better feel on where your structured wiring home network begins let's look at a home network enclosure.

These enclosures provide a fast, flexible and clean distribution management solution for voice, data, video, and audio connections. The one shown below from our YOUTUBE channel is 14 inches high and other sizes are available. They can be flush mounted but they are designed to fit between 16-inch studs. Included are cable knock-outs for your horizontal and vertical cabling.



Want to access the internet from your bedroom?
  • Access the internet from any bedroom in your home
  • Share files, music and movies
  • Allow for future technology integration
To get a proper signal to multiple bedrooms you need to run a cable to each room that will support your steaming needs. A cat5e or cat6 rated cable will support that. All these cables then get punched down to a structured wiring patch panel. Then you make a simple connection with a patch cable and plug it into your switch for networking multiple locations.



Want to watch Television while in the garage?
  • Extend video to every corner of your home
  • Experience functionality from a true video network
  • Allow your entertainment to fit your lifestyle
This might get a little tricky. After you determine what service your going to install cable or satellite there are different modules for both. In the video below a Direct TV approved splitter is used and you'll notice that you need 2 inputs for satellite compared to only 1 for cable TV.



Use the Xbox or Playstation from the living room as the hub for a broadband entertainment center. Add to your music collection from the comfort of your couch. It is all possible with Home Structured Wiring. Structured wiring systems simplify and enhance your lifestyle and create long-term value for your home.

Today's entertainment and lifestyle products are developing at a tremendous pace. These systems often include computers, phones, gaming devices, audio players, appliances, set-top boxes and much more. In addition, communications and entertainment services continue to evolve and provide more choices.
A structured cabling system provides an effective way to integrate and utilize changing products and services to enhance your lifestyle today and in the future.

I get the feeling you're ready to dive more into your home wiring. Check out Bob Catanzarite web page at http://www.swhowto.com for an overview on installing your own Home Structured Wiring Network.

Questions don't hesitate on commenting and like us on Facebook.
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Friday, April 6, 2012

When would I need an Amber colored lens?

We recently got our stock shipment for Greenlee Safety Glasses and I noticed a few different types of colors for the lens. Let us take a look at the Yellow contrast Amber lens.



This color lens absorbs Blue and Ultraviolet light and is best used when sharpness, acuity and contrast are needed and to block high intensity blue lighting such as UV and in Curing Operations.

- Filters out hazy light that is hard on the eyes
- Good for working outside at Dawn and Dusk
- Excellent for hazy, overcast or foggy days
- High Intensity tint for maximum sight performance during low light driving

Recent studies have shown that too much light and especially Blue light, suppresses our natural sleep hormone melatonin. Wearing Yellow glasses for an hour before bedtime will block enough of this light to prevent your melatonin from being suppressed letting you sleep quickly and easily. Other studies have mentioned that the display on a computer, TV, phone, monitor, pad and video games have an excessive amount of blue light so wearing this color lens will also help those who find it hard to unplug.

If you have a favorite preference on when to wear this color lens don't hesitate to leave us a comment. Thanks!