P a g e | 1 The Integrator
(A Quarterly newsletter produced by National Systems Integrator) VOLUME 5 T
he Wonder of Twisted Pair Cabling! First, let me give you a brief description of what twisted pair cabling
actually is. Twisted pair cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors (the forward and return
conductors of a single circuit) are twisted together for the purposes of canceling out electromagnetic interference
(EMI) from external sources; for instance, electromagnetic radiation from unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, and
crosstalk between neighboring pairs. It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. UTP cables are found in many
Ethernet networks and telephone systems. For indoor telephone applications, UTP is often grouped into sets of 25
pairs according to a standard 25-pair color code originally developed by AT&T. A typical subset of these colors
(white/blue, blue/white, white/orange, orange/white) shows up in most UTP cables.
For urban outdoor telephone cables containing hundreds or thousands of pairs, the cable is divided into smaller but
identical bundles. Each bundle consists of twisted pairs that have different twist rates. The bundles are in turn
twisted together to make up the cable. Pairs having the same twist rate within the cable can still experience some
degree of crosstalk. Wire pairs are selected carefully to minimize crosstalk within a large cable. UTP cable is also
the most common cable used in computer networking. Modern Ethernet, the most common data networking
standard, utilizes UTP cables. Twisted pair cabling is often used in data networks for short and medium length
connections because of its relatively lower costs compared to optical fiber and coaxial cable.
UTP is also finding increasing use in video applications, primarily in security cameras. Many middle to high-end
cameras include a UTP output with setscrew terminals. This is made possible by the fact that UTP cable bandwidth
has improved to match the baseband of television signals. While the video recorder most likely still has unbalanced
BNC connectors for standard coaxial cable, a balun is used to convert from 100-ohm balanced UTP to 75-ohm
unbalanced. A balun can also be used at the camera end for ones without a UTP output. Only one pair is necessary
for each video signal. Twisted pair cables are often shielded in an attempt to prevent electromagnetic interference.
Because the shielding is made of metal, it may also serve as a ground. However, usually a shielded or a screened
twisted pair cable has a special grounding wire added called a drain wire. This shielding can be applied to individual
pairs, or to the collection of pairs. When shielding is applied to the collection of pairs, this is referred to as
screening. The shielding must be grounded for the shielding to work, and is improved by grounding the drain wire
along with the shield.
Shielded twisted pair (STP or STP-A)
150 ohm STP shielded twisted pair cable defined by the IBM Cabling System specifications and used with
token ring or FDDI networks. This type of shielding protects cable from external EMI from entering or
exiting the cable and also protects neighboring pairs from crosstalk.
P a g e | 2 Screened twisted pair (ScTP or F/TP)
ScTP cabling offers an overall sheath shield across all of the pairs within the 100 Ohm twisted pair cable.
F/TP uses foil shielding instead of a braided screen. This type of shielding protects EMI from entering or
exiting the cable.
Screened shielded twisted pair (S/STP or S/FTP)
S/STP (Screened Shielded Twisted Pair) or S/FTP (Screened Foiled Twisted Pair) cabling offer shielding
between the pair sets and an overall sheath shield within the 100 Ohm twisted pair cable. This type of
shielding protects EMI from entering or exiting the cable and also protects neighboring pairs from
crosstalk.
S/STP cable is both individually shielded (like STP cabling) and also has an outer metal shielding covering the
entire group of shielded copper pairs (like S/UTP). This type of cabling offers the best protection from interference
from external sources, and also eliminates alien crosstalk.
W
orking too much! Limited employee involvement in schedule selection, long work days, and
an excess of consecutive work days are all linked to increased risk of ergonomics-related
injuries, according to a new report
Poor work-life conditions and sleep deprivation can also lead to ergonomics injuries and lost
workdays, especially among employees in extended-hours positions (regularly working
outside the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), according to the report published by Circadian
Technologies.
"We have long known that long work hours, high fatigue levels, and work schedules that fail to account for human
physiological needs are linked to a 20 percent increased rate of workers’ compensation claims among facilities with
extended-hours operations," said Kirsty Kerin, Ph.D., Circadian ergonomics specialist and one of the principal
authors of "Ergonomics Risks, Myths, and Solutions for Extended Hours Operations."
Dr. Kerin’s report further details the link between work practices and ergonomics injuries, such as musculoskeletal
disorders (MSD).
The study notes that:
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In a survey of over 12,500 extended hours workers, 30 percent of male workers, and 41 percent of female
workers reported "Chronic or Frequent" back pain, while 16 percent of maleworkers and 27 percent of
female workers reported "Chronic or Frequent" wrist pain.
P a g e | 3 •
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Sleep deprivation could possibly be damaging in terms of muscle, ligament, or tendon injury. With the
average extended-hours employee sleeping only 5.1 hours to 5.5 hours each day when working a night
shift, they could face an increased risk of ergonomic injuries.
The balance of work and home life is important in controlling the number of lost workdays due to MSD
complaints. Both men and women who face simultaneous presence of high mental workload and increased
domestic workload have increased neck and shoulder MSDs.
Disturbances in sleep affect pain and negatively impact the time it takes a worker to return to work after
suffering a soft-tissue injury such as low back pain.
• Six days of restricted sleep (4 hours per 24-hour period) caused changes to the sleep architecture that are
similar to the changes seen in people suffering from depression. Also, lack of sleep causes changes in
several natural body rhythms of hormone secretion including melatonin, cortisol, thyroid-stimulating
hormone, leptin, prolactin and growth hormone.
These conclusions raise significant new questions for managers of extended hours facilities, in which overtime
levels have reached all time highs, and in which employees regularly work evenings, nights, rotations, and long
shifts.
The study also challenged long-held myths on work schedules and ergonomics, clearly finding that 12-hour
schedules are not inherently more dangerous for employees.
With 41 percent of extended-hours facilities using some form of 12-hour schedule in 2003, this conclusion is
important to note when designing alternative work schedules. In particular, the authors found:
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Although working more than eight hours a day was shown to increase ergonomic injury rates, working two
to four weekends a month was also shown to have a negative impact. Since most 12-hour schedules limit
consecutive workdays to four, and provide employees with twice as many weekends off as eight-hour
schedules, there are pros and cons to each schedule type and 12-hour shifts are not inherently problematic.
Female risk factors for neck and shoulder ergonomic injuries include overtime and unsatisfactory leisure
time, which can be linked to poorly designed schedules or excess work hours.
Employees who reported little or no influence over their work schedule had significant increases in
ergonomic injuries of the shoulders, hips and knees.
At NSI we allow our employee to dictate as much of their schedules as possible. Often, they work the daily
hours they want. We do, of course, have strict rules for working too many hours. We will always try our
best to keep our employees fresh and not over worked.
P a g e | 4 Company Snapshot The results of our 2nd quarter NSI fun poll (on our website home page) are as follows: The importance of making the customer#1! There are a number of
fundamental rules that you as a retailer should strive to follow in order to
create a great sense of customer satisfaction and loyalty in your business. The
“Time driving to jobsite” How much time per week do you spend driving a company vehicle? 0 hours:
4%
1 hour:
below was taken off of the internet from a site talking about retail sales…but
most of these same principles apply. I thought it would be a good review to
everyone…both NSI employees and anyone reading this…all of us have
customers ☺
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Listen to the Customer – Taking time to truly listen to your customer
8%
2 hours:
can make them feel that you genuinely care about their needs. Concentrate on
12%
5-10 hours:
what they’re saying and try to offer them a solution to any problems them may
50%
10-20 hours:
19%
20+ hours:
8% have. Ideally, if you’re able to almost preempt their needs, by offering
alternatives to what they want or ways of getting them the item they desire,
you will impress your customer and they’ll feel special and appreciated. One
of the areas that customers most appreciate a good representative is when
they’re able to give them undivided attention. Never look around your store at
Amazing data here really…77% of NSI employees drive at least 5 hours per week to and from their job sites. This is why proper maintenance of our vehicles is very important! other possible customers when you’re engaged in a conversation with an
individual. It will look like you’re not listening or paying attention and can
give the wrong impression.
•
Make Customers Feel Important – If you are able to get your
customers name without sounding cheesy, do so. Customers appreciate
retailers who take time to get to know them personally. It makes them feel
important and if you remember their name the next time you see them, they’ll
be pleased that you value their custom so much. Thank them and use their
name whenever it seems appropriate, although be aware that overusing this
NSI would like to thank our customers and employees for being a part of National Systems Integrator! can make you sound insincere, so judge it wisely.
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Always Try to Say Yes – If your customer has a reasonable request,
try and say yes to them. In most cases, items that customers want can be found
someplace, so let them know that yes you will do your best to get them it and
yes, if you can it will be theirs. Staying positive when faced with difficult
requests for rare and limited collectibles makes your customer see that you’re
trying to please them and want their custom.
•
Give a Little More – If you have regular customers who are loyal to
you and generally feel satisfied with shopping at your collectibles store, try
and reward them. Offer a reward or a loyalty card and give discounts for
buying in bulk. If they place pre-orders for new items, reward them for this by
P a g e | 5 giving them the choice of other similar items first. Keep them up to date with new stock and let them know
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that you are happy they choose to shop with you
Appreciate Customer Feedback – As difficult as it may be, from time to time it’s extremely important to
ask your customers for feedback. If you aren’t comfortable doing this face to face, put out a form that they
can fill in if they choose to. You’ll learn a lot from customer feedback and you could even persuade them to
take part by offering a prize draw or a raffle ticket to those who fill in the form.