3 ms·

Is there any good resources for learning more about this? I have a lot of legacy AV equipment mixed with modern digital components and networking and despite be

Is there any good resources for learning more about this? I have a lot of legacy AV equipment mixed with modern digital components and networking and despite best efforts, I typically fall into either a rats nest or something that’s too constrained to repair/modify without undoing everything.

Zircom 4y ago
I mean honestly there's not too much expertise involved, it's mostly common sense. It's just that it takes so much longer to do it right at the beginning to ensure its maintainable and ordered rather than just doing it the easy way and hoping that it's someone else's problem by the time someone actually needs to find the other end or replace a cable. Making your own cables that are the exact length they need to be instead of using preterminated ones and just stuffing the slack into the side of the rack, routing them down the side and through the floor or the cabling trays on the ceiling, standardized naming schemes for labeling devices/ports on either end of cables, documented rack diagrams, etc.
- chasd00 4y ago
  i once had to make up about a 100 ethernet cables of varying lengths at once. Man, untwisting, sorting, and separating the individual wires to insert into the connector before crimping made for some very sore fingers.
rtp4me 4y ago
Not sure of any specific resources, just years of running cables :-) Some of my lessons learned: * Whatever you do, be very mindful of future events (repairs, replacements, etc). Spending an extra 5mins upfront when you are in a hurry will save you lots of time later. * Label each end of the cable if possible. It is a PIA in the beginning but will be a real life-saver when you need to do maintenance * Replace old (fat) cables with new, thinner cables of the proper length when possible. I typically add 1ft extra to any cable for a little slack. * Think of airflow. Lots of cables bundled in the back of a rack can seriously cause airflow issues. Try to run all cables along the sides of the rack. * NEVER run cables across the back of gear - especially for multi-node chassis that require rear access for maintenance * Velcro is your friend. * Stick with a cable color standard if possible. For me, I use white for IPMI, blue for data, red for external access * Keep an updated diagram in the rack for the next guy/gal who needs to do work * Always remove old/un-needed cables after a maintenance job. * Keep the rack clean!
- dontbesquare 4y ago
  Velcro is your friend. So much this!
- systems_glitch 4y ago
  Abandoned-in-place wiring is the bane of every tech's and installer's existence. It's impossible to have worked on legacy equipment and not spent some time reterminating abandoned cable :/ Not to mention having to weed through it when tracing problems. We're in an ongoing battle with abandoned-in-place wiring in our current building. There's data wiring back to ARCnet (93 ohm coax), and power wiring going back to knob and tube days.
  - h2odragon 4y ago
    > 93 ohm coax ooo nifty. be on the lookout for vampire taps. they never truly die.
    - rtp4me 4y ago
      Wow - vampire taps. That brings back some memories :-)
    - systems_glitch 4y ago
      Thicknet stuff's just another day at work here: https://imgur.com/a/GDUR36j https://imgur.com/a/GDUR36j
  - chrisdhoover 4y ago
    Code requires abandoned cable to be removed from ceilings. Burning cable is toxic - reducing the amount of cable is beneficial if there is a fire.
    - systems_glitch 4y ago
      HAHAHAHA CODE. 800A 120/208Y service entrance conductors live in the same raceway as 20A branch circuits. I got shocked off a lighting circuit with the main open once. This is a former The Power Company building. I always heard it joked they could only use leftovers from customer jobs on their own stuff.
jcrawfordor 4y ago
"Finger duct" is often the easiest way to get relatively clean results in a situation like AV where cabling is sort of poorly standardized (connections front and back, inline DC supplies, etc). It's fairly cheap and often run vertically on rack posts and horizontally above and below cable-dense areas like patch panels and switches, but in an AV situation you probably only need one vertical channel to get a big improvement in results. Finger duct can get pretty messy without planning but I think it's usually the best results to effort ratio.
- systems_glitch 4y ago
  Often used inside industrial equipment as well. Routes pneumatic lines pretty good.

Zircom 4y ago

I mean honestly there's not too much expertise involved, it's mostly common sense. It's just that it takes so much longer to do it right at the beginning to ensure its maintainable and ordered rather than just doing it the easy way and hoping that it's someone else's problem by the time someone actually needs to find the other end or replace a cable. Making your own cables that are the exact length they need to be instead of using preterminated ones and just stuffing the slack into the side of the rack, routing them down the side and through the floor or the cabling trays on the ceiling, standardized naming schemes for labeling devices/ports on either end of cables, documented rack diagrams, etc.

chasd00 4y ago
i once had to make up about a 100 ethernet cables of varying lengths at once. Man, untwisting, sorting, and separating the individual wires to insert into the connector before crimping made for some very sore fingers.

rtp4me 4y ago

Not sure of any specific resources, just years of running cables :-) Some of my lessons learned: * Whatever you do, be very mindful of future events (repairs, replacements, etc). Spending an extra 5mins upfront when you are in a hurry will save you lots of time later. * Label each end of the cable if possible. It is a PIA in the beginning but will be a real life-saver when you need to do maintenance * Replace old (fat) cables with new, thinner cables of the proper length when possible. I typically add 1ft extra to any cable for a little slack. * Think of airflow. Lots of cables bundled in the back of a rack can seriously cause airflow issues. Try to run all cables along the sides of the rack. * NEVER run cables across the back of gear - especially for multi-node chassis that require rear access for maintenance * Velcro is your friend. * Stick with a cable color standard if possible. For me, I use white for IPMI, blue for data, red for external access * Keep an updated diagram in the rack for the next guy/gal who needs to do work * Always remove old/un-needed cables after a maintenance job. * Keep the rack clean!

dontbesquare 4y ago
Velcro is your friend. So much this!
systems_glitch 4y ago
Abandoned-in-place wiring is the bane of every tech's and installer's existence. It's impossible to have worked on legacy equipment and not spent some time reterminating abandoned cable :/ Not to mention having to weed through it when tracing problems. We're in an ongoing battle with abandoned-in-place wiring in our current building. There's data wiring back to ARCnet (93 ohm coax), and power wiring going back to knob and tube days.
- h2odragon 4y ago
  > 93 ohm coax ooo nifty. be on the lookout for vampire taps. they never truly die.
  - rtp4me 4y ago
    Wow - vampire taps. That brings back some memories :-)
  - systems_glitch 4y ago
    Thicknet stuff's just another day at work here: https://imgur.com/a/GDUR36j https://imgur.com/a/GDUR36j
- chrisdhoover 4y ago
  Code requires abandoned cable to be removed from ceilings. Burning cable is toxic - reducing the amount of cable is beneficial if there is a fire.
  - systems_glitch 4y ago
    HAHAHAHA CODE. 800A 120/208Y service entrance conductors live in the same raceway as 20A branch circuits. I got shocked off a lighting circuit with the main open once. This is a former The Power Company building. I always heard it joked they could only use leftovers from customer jobs on their own stuff.

jcrawfordor 4y ago

"Finger duct" is often the easiest way to get relatively clean results in a situation like AV where cabling is sort of poorly standardized (connections front and back, inline DC supplies, etc). It's fairly cheap and often run vertically on rack posts and horizontally above and below cable-dense areas like patch panels and switches, but in an AV situation you probably only need one vertical channel to get a big improvement in results. Finger duct can get pretty messy without planning but I think it's usually the best results to effort ratio.

systems_glitch 4y ago
Often used inside industrial equipment as well. Routes pneumatic lines pretty good.