DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Electronic clothing in EasyJet.

EasyJet, a British airline, plans to equip cabin crews and ground services with electro-clothes covered with LEDs and various kinds of sensors. The staff will receive two types of uniforms with built-in microphones, so that engineers, the crew and pilots will be able to communicate with each other. The LEDs on the lapels of cabin crew uniforms will display the flight number and destination. LEDs on the shoulders and illuminated hems will provide additional lighting, especially needed in case of an emergency. The orange color is the corporate color of EasyJet. The orange electro-clothing will combine the security and marketing functions, as a part of the 20th anniversary of the company.

EasyJet engineer in the uniform fitted with LEDs
(source: easyjet.com)

The uniforms of engineers, fitted with LEDs in the jacket hoods, can illuminate work areas, and built-in cameras will allow the engineers to take pictures and send them over to other staff for advice or assistance. This will improve the work comfort and safety. Additionally, air quality sensors and barometers will monitor the work environments of the staff, as well as may be used for creating maps of air quality in different cities of the world.

So far, "intelligent clothing" was meant as a supplement for the man, like a smart watch or a device for measuring physical activity. The development of advanced fabrics, flexible circuits and displays, means that this technology can be added to "normal" clothes that are worn on a daily basis, to military uniforms or to sportswear. EasyJet will begin testing the new uniforms at the beginning of the next year.

Kidde detectors for carbon monoxide and smoke.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly toxic, colorless and odorless gas, lighter than air and easily mixing and spreading with it. The gas is produced in the processes of incomplete combustion of natural gas, liquid and solid fuels, due to insufficient amount of oxygen. Such situations may occur in homes and other facilities especially in winter, when the residents/users close tightly windows to prevent heat escape. CO accumulates in the body, which means that long-term inhalation of low concentrations can cause symptoms hazardous to health and life. So, the Kidde detectors, in compliance with EN 50291-1: 2010 standard, monitor both temporary and long-term concentrations of the poisonous gas:

Kidde detectors have certificates of compliance with EN 50291-1: 2010 for home CO detectors. Some of the detectors are also compliant with EN 50291-2: 2010, so they are suitable for applications in trailers, campers or on boats. The compliance with these standards has been confirmed by an independent research unit - British Standard Institute (BSI).

It is very important to protect homes against the fatal risk, especially in winter. DIPOL offers carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, as well as combination devices. CO detectors with LCD displays have more diagnostic and information options. The offer includes 5CO detectors (without display), 5DCO detectors (with display) powered by three AA 1.5 V batteries and with 7-year lifespan of their sensors from the moment of activation. The 7CO and 7DCO detectors are also powered by three AA 1.5 V and have the lifespan extended to 10 lat years. The 10LLDCO detector with LCD display has built-in battery with service life identical with the lifespan of the sensor (10 years). The offer is complemented by the i9040EU and i9060EU smoke detectors, plus the 10SCO combination CO and smoke detector, all powered from 9 V batteries, with sensor lifespans of 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively. The devices automatically alert users of the need to change the batteries. Each of the detectors has to be replaced by a new one after the end of the operational life of the sensor.

Measurements of DVB-T signals - modulation error ratio (MER).

From the perspective of an installer or a viewer of DVB-T, an encyclopedic definition of the MER parameter is not very interesting. However, it should be borne in mind that MER carries information on the level and type of noise that interferes with the digital signal (phase noise, amplitude noise etc.). To truly understand the importance of measuring the MER parameter, there is the need to explain the phenomenon of so-called digital cliff - in the case of DVB-T and other digital signals, the boundary between an ideal image quality and loss of reception is very sharp. This means a sudden jump from a normal reception to a complete lack of content. Operation on the boundary is the reason that the picture appears to freeze up or show up like a mosaic.

MER can be treated as a measure of the distance of the received signal to the digital cliff. Without knowing this parameter, the antenna installer cannot guarantee stable reception in adverse weather conditions or other situations when the signal can fluctuate (e.g. interfered by a passing truck). The recommended and minimum values of MER required for proper reception depend on the modulation technique. In the case of 64-QAM modulation, they are 31 dB and 26 dB respectively.

Billion users of TP-LINK devices.

TP-LINK is a company that is fully committed to developing its products, services and consumer relations through extensive R&D department employing 1100 engineers, strict quality assurance practices, and effective outreach initiatives. Since 2005, TP-LINK continues to develop award-winning products, providing a complete range of networking solutions consisting of routers, network adapters, cameras, switches, and many other wired and wireless devices for both home and office use. The number of users has surpassed one billion yet.

TP-LINK has become one of the world's leading providers of SOHO & SMB networking products and the greatest supplier of WLAN devices, providing both innovative and award winning solutions to the market. All the kinds of products are distributed by DIPOL, with emphasis on the completeness of the offer for small and medium businesses. An example is the range of manageable TP-LINK switches.

Diploma of merit for DIPOL for active promotion and sale of SMB TP-LINK devices

Protection of fiber splices.

Heat-shrinkable tubes are used for strengthening and protecting fusion splices. They strengthen them mechanically and protect against dust and unfavorable environment conditions.

View of the L5554 tube

The L5554 heat-shrinkable tubing is designed for protection of splices of 0.25 mm or 0.9 mm optical fibers. The shrinking operation is performed in dedicated ovens, at the temperature of 120°C. Such ovens are typically built into fusion splicers, e.g. EasySplicer L5810. In fact, the tubing consists of two tubes, the internal (directly embracing the splice and the fibers on both sides) and external - with an additional reinforcing element made of stainless steel. The heating time depends on the power of the stove and the characteristics of the tubing.

IP ratings of camera enclosures.

CCTV cameras used outdoors must be protected from various weather conditions. The degree of protection is indicated by the IP Code (Ingress Protection Code), sometimes also called International Protection Rating. An IP rating consists of two digits describing the resistance against penetration of solid objects (the first digit) and against liquids (the second digit). Camera housings designed for outdoor applications are usually rated as IP 65 or IP66, which means that they are fully dust-resistant and partially waterproof. Environments with high humidity will require to use housings/cameras marked IP67 or IP68; the latter ones can even work underwater.

The most popular outdoor cameras have IP66 rating. They are available as dome, compact and PTZ devices.

Remote control of electrical appliances via OneLinkPLC. OneLinkPLC G7184 is an autonomous pair of switches used for control of two different electrical outlets without the need for an additional hub, control panel, or cable. The communication between the switches takes place directly via the 230 VAC power network. Each device has 5 wires for the connection to the AC power network and the local control switch... >>>more

An example of the control of electrical outlet and lamp using the pair of autonomous OneLinkPLC devices

Industrial switches - ready to work in all conditions