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

Solar energy on a grand scale!

Tesla Inc. has been involved in projects related to the production of electricity from solar energy. The company decided to build a new power plant on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The project assumes that the energy accumulated before sunset will power the island with electricity in the evening and night.

Solar panel farm

The biggest difficulty is the storage of electricity on a large scale. It is complicated and expensive. As part of the experiment called Kapaia, Tesla will connect 13 MW SolarCity solar farm with a 53 MWh PowerPack battery pack.

Tesla signed a twenty-year contract with the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative for the sale of electricity at a price of 13.9 cents per kWh, which is about 10% less than the Kauai cooperative pays for the energy generated by diesel-powered generators.

The authorities of the Kauai island have set targets to generate 70% of the island's energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030, and 100% by 2045.

Spring training session organized by DIPOL.

In Poland, we organize a range of training courses for installers working in the fields of low voltage and cabling systems in buildings, video surveillance systems (Hikvision HD-TVI and IP CCTV solutions), IP networks (TP-Link switches). The number of the courses is approaching 30 and they are run in many cities, with the total audience of well over 600 participants.

A training course at DIPOL, concerning low-voltage and cabling systems in buildings
Krakow 2017

Modern TERRA headend in a hotel in Krakow.

The newly built building of the Golden Tulip Krakow Kazimierz hotel, located in the Krakowska street, has been equipped with SMATV system with 140 TV outlets providing access to terrestrial DVB-T broadcasts and a number of satellite channels. The master antenna set consists of 115 cm TRIAX 115 TD A9646 satellite dish with two QUATRO Inverto BLACK Ultra A98266 LNBs, and UHF TV antenna DIPOL 44/21-60 Tri Digit A2670. The signals from the antennas are provided to a set of TTX-410C R81615 and TDX-410C R81617 transmodulators, located in the server room.

Wireless point-to-point link (bridge).

The wireless bridge operation mode allows for creating a direct connection between two wireless devices located even over a distance of several hundred meters apart (some models can be used at distances up to several kilometers). This solution is based on static routing, which means that routes are manually configured according to MAC addresses of the interconnected access points (routers). In order to ensure proper performance in this mode, it is recommended to use devices from the same manufacturer. This mode can be used e.g. for connecting distant segments of wired networks.

Such a link can be based on N24115 wireless access points. The RouterBoard SXT-5HPnD N24115 is a complete device of the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) category, compliant with 802.11n standard. It operates in 5 GHz band using MIMO 2x2 technology, has double-polarization antenna with 16 dBi gain and separation between the polarizations of 35 dB.

A point-to-point link based on N24115 wireless APs

Knowledge of optical fiber structure necessary for trouble-free splicing.

Knowledge of the construction of optical fibers is absolutely necessary in order to perform any joining operations. Novice installers who have not even completed basic fiber-optic training in this field have problems resulting from the lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, the problems connected with improper positioning of fiber ends in the holders of fusion splicers or with wrong preparation and mounting of the ends in mechanical splices are often the cause of failures.

The above figure shows the standardized construction of optical fibers. In the middle there is a core made of silica glass, often doped with various materials. The core transmits the light signal (the "mode" in the case of a single-mode fiber with typical core diameter of 9 μm, or many modes in the case of a multimode fiber with core diameter of 50 μm). The next layers are normally identical in the both kinds of fibers, i.e. the glass cladding with diameter of 125 μm and acrylic buffer with a diameter of 250 μm. Fibers used in pigtails and in some other cables (e.g. in easy access cable L7812) have additional protective coating (called secondary buffer or jacket) with a diameter of 900 μm.

Irrespective of the splicing method, before this operation any fiber end has to be properly prepared by removing all layers above the 125 μm cladding. For most fiber-optic fibers, it can be done in one step, just by stripping the acrylic layer of 250 μm diameter. In the case of pigtails, it is necessary to make it in two steps - to remove the 900 μm and then the 250 μm coating. After the operation(s) the fiber end has to be cleaned and cleft.

A comparison of 2 pigtails with the same structure of the fibers but different colors of the 250 μm buffer.
To perform splicing operations, in both cases the installer has to remove the buffer layer.

The above picture shows the cause of the most common problems associated with the splicing of pigtails. All pigtails have 900 μm jackets, which may be yellow (single-mode pigtails) or orange (multimode pigtails). The acrylic coating underneath with a diameter of 250 μm can be colored or colorless. Some installers mistakenly regard the colorless buffer as the 125 μm cladding and do not remove it before the splicing process. Such negligence is the reason for many problems with joining fibers and makes it impossible to do it correctly.

Security camera in a home intercom system.

Cameras built into intercoms are usually quite simple, without possibility of zooming or adjusting the field of view. Additionally, the locations of the cameras make them naturally vulnerable to blocking the view by the caller. A good alternative is the use of the image from a security camera of the installed CCTV system. An example of such a solution is shown in the diagram below.

Schematic diagram of a system with access to video from one CCTV camera,
displayed on the screen of the door phone and on the selected channel on the TV

The signal from the video output of the DVR (CVBS) is split into two paths by the video signal multiplexer RV-1/2P M1707. One of them is used by the intercom, and the other modulates RF signal in the R871741 modulator. The signal can be displayed on a TV as another TV channel. Such solution allows for viewing the image from the camera both on the screen of the door phone and on the TV.

Access control with the use of SATEL PK-01 door control module.

The PK-01 G6405 module is used for electronic control of doors wherever it is convenient to use this form of access control and where there is no need to install a larger system. The option of entry or exit authorization using codes or proximity cards/fobs makes it a very versatile device - it is enough to connect a 12 VDC external power supply and electromagnetic lock to get a fully functional configuration.
The programming of the module and management of the cards and codes is performed with the use of the administrator code. The module has output relay with 2 A switching capacity, which can be connected in series with 12 VDC power supply, e.g M1825, and a door strike. It also has two OC-type outputs and 2 inputs dedicated for connecting a door open sensor and a door open button. The users can open the door with codes and 125 kHz RFID transponders such as RFID key rings G6805. The capacity of the module memory allows for saving up to 50 RFID transponders (cards, key fobs) and 50 user codes.

Below there is an example of simple access control to a house, based on the SATEL PK-01 G6405 standalone door control module. The module is mounted at the entrance gate and powered with the M1825 12 VDC power supply. After authentication of a user made by the pass code or passive transponder, the door strike is energized from the power supply through the relay output of the module. On the other side of the gate/wicket door there is a local opening button, inaccessible from the outside area. With this solution, there is no need to install second module. The opening time of the electric lock (adjustable within 1...255 s range) should be set so that it is easy to reach the door and open it. Of course, the door handles should be made inactive or replaced by door knobs. In the event of a power failure, the door should be opened with plain keys.

An implementation of access control with the use of the SATEL PK-01 G6405 standalone door control module

Integration of intelligent functions of IP cameras and PTZ camera. Hikvision IP cameras from budget series allow for intelligent image analysis in the form of detection of virtual line crossing and area intrusion. The functions can be activated and configured after logging in to the camera with the use of the iVMS-4200 client software or directly from a Hikvision NVR. The virtual line crossing and area intrusion detection can be used to detect people, vehicles and other objects. In response to the crossing of the line in a defined direction or intrusion into a defined area, the system can inform about the event, trigger video recording or alarm output, send an email, etc. These events can also be linked with PTZ camera in order to trigger preset, patrol or route... >>>more

IP video surveillance system using intelligent functions of compact cameras and special features of PTZ camera

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