CHAPTER 3: Installation—UTP Repeaters
9
3.1 General
Before you install your Repeater, check the contents of the carton. In
addition to this manual, the package should contain an undamaged Repeater
unit. If it has been damaged, call your sales representative for a replacement.
When you install the Repeater, you should follow all customary precautions
for working with electrical equipment. Make sure there’s no current flowing
within your workstation, your controller, and your cable by shutting off power
to your devices before you begin.
The site requirements for the Repeater are minimal. It should sit in a flat,
stable, dry site that affords ample clearance for all connections, and has an
AC outlet within 6 feet (1.8 m).
3.2 Preliminary
To get the best performance from your repeater, you should check the
following:
• Your cable. It should not have any bridge taps, and the wires of the twisted
pairs should be grouped, not separated. You should avoid using flat silver
satin cable for long-distance runs — it is highly vulnerable to noise and
may cause intermittent problems with transmissions.
If you use multi-pair cable, you should use bulk lengths of 100 feet
(30.5 m) or more, and you should avoid connecting multiple services
under the same sheath.
• Polarity. You should make sure that wiring polarity between the host
and your workstations is straight-through. The Repeater is sensitive
to polarity reversals.
• Termination. The last workstation on the host should be properly
terminated.
• Configuration. Your system should be able to recognize all the
devices that are on-line.
3.3 Procedure
After you have checked your site, set your Repeater in place—no more than
2250 feet (685.8 m) from your controller, and no more than 2250 feet from
your workstation.
Make sure you can distinguish between the tip lead and the ring lead on
the balun that leads to your controller. When you attach your cables to the
repeater, the tip lead of the balun will contact the tip lead of the connector
marked “CTRL,” while the ring lead of the balun will contact the ring lead of
the same connector. The same arrangement will hold for the balun that leads
to your terminal, and the connector marked “TERM.”
3. Installation—UTP Repeaters