Tempo Fitness Sidekick 7B Installation guide

Tempo
Sidekick® 7B and T&N
Training Course
Revision 1.03
This manual is for training purposes only.
7B Model T&N Model

Rev. 11/10/00
ii
PREAMBLE
“Never could a highly trained and
experienced technician place more
emphasis on how paramount a
thorough understanding of the following
principles and analytical procedures
are to “Finding a better way” to trouble
shoot outside plant and equipment…”

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Table of Contents
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TEMPO RESEARCH CORPORATION ........................................................V
THE EVOLUTION OF THE SIDEKICK ............................................................................................................ V
ORIGIN OF THE NAME ................................................................................................................................V
MASTERING THE FUNDAMENTALS.................................................................................................... 1
BASIC ELECTRONICS........................................................................................................................... 1
Copper Wire......................................................................................................................................... 1
Voltage ................................................................................................................................................. 1
Current................................................................................................................................................. 2
Resistance............................................................................................................................................. 2
Ohms Law ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Capacitance ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Capacitive Reactance........................................................................................................................... 3
Inductance............................................................................................................................................ 3
Inductive Reactance ............................................................................................................................. 3
Power Formulas................................................................................................................................... 4
CONNECTING TO OUTSIDE PLANT................................................................................................... 4
FAULT TYPES ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Opens ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Shorts ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Grounds................................................................................................................................................ 5
Resistance Faults ................................................................................................................................. 5
Noise .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Line Imbalance..................................................................................................................................... 5
Crosses................................................................................................................................................. 6
Splits..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Power Influence ................................................................................................................................... 6
Induction .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Circuit Loss .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Loop Current........................................................................................................................................ 6
SIDEKICK 7B .............................................................................................................................................. 7
General Description............................................................................................................................. 7
Features ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Benefits................................................................................................................................................. 8
Front Panel Controls ................................................................................................................................................... 8
AC Volts Test ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
DC Volts Test ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
QUIZ 1......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Stress Test .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Fault Types Identified ........................................................................................................................ 12
Proper Ground................................................................................................................................... 12
Procedure........................................................................................................................................... 13
Identifying a Pair or Cross Conductor............................................................................................... 13
Bridged Stressed Noise Readings....................................................................................................... 15
Trouble Isolation................................................................................................................................ 15
Stress Test Effectiveness..................................................................................................................... 16
Questionable Cables .......................................................................................................................... 16
Equipment Balance ............................................................................................................................ 16
Testing DSSC, DAML, OR UDC Pair Gain Line............................................................................... 17
Troubleshooting Tips ......................................................................................................................... 17

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QUIZ 2......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Leakage Test ........................................................................................................................................... 21
Resistance Test ......................................................................................................................................................... 22
Resistance/Conductor Length (Approximate) .................................................................................... 22
Capacitive Kick......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Kickmeter ........................................................................................................................................... 23
To Kick a Pair.................................................................................................................................... 23
Capacitance/Conductor Length (Approximate) ................................................................................. 23
QUIZ 3......................................................................................................................................................... 25
EXAM 1....................................................................................................................................................... 27
SIDEKICK T&N ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Features ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Benefits............................................................................................................................................... 30
Front Panel Controls ................................................................................................................................................. 30
Coil Detect Test ........................................................................................................................................................ 32
Loop Current Test..................................................................................................................................................... 33
Power Influence Test ................................................................................................................................................ 34
Circuit Noise Test ..................................................................................................................................................... 34
Circuit Loss Test....................................................................................................................................................... 35
QUIZ 4......................................................................................................................................................... 37
EXAM 2....................................................................................................................................................... 39
QUIZ & EXAM ANSWERS...................................................................................................................... 41
TROUBLE SHOOTING INSIDE WIRING ............................................................................................ 42
Testing for Good Ground................................................................................................................... 42
Stressing the pair ............................................................................................................................... 42
Resistance Testing – Fault Isolation .................................................................................................. 42
Resistance Testing – Toning the Fault ............................................................................................... 43
Capacitance Testing – Kicking the Pair............................................................................................. 43
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE ....................................................................................................... 44
Ground Clip Replacement.................................................................................................................. 44
Test Lead Replacement ...................................................................................................................... 45
Battery Replacement .......................................................................................................................... 45
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ................................................................................................... 46
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................................ 49

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A Brief History of Tempo Research Corporation
In August 1984, a small San Diego based company, Tempo Research Corporation,
began designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing copper cable fault locators
for the telecommunications industry. As time progressed, it became evident that fiber
optics would replace copper wire. Despite the growing talk about fiber optics, Tempo
believed that copper was not going to go away as quickly as some people thought and
decided to stay focused on the copper market where Tempo had the most expertise.
Dedicated to “Finding a better way”, research lead to the development of a reliable hand
held test instrument that is used by every major telephone company in the United States
today to troubleshoot twisted pair applications. It has also become the technicians’ test
set of choice worldwide – the Sidekick®.
The Evolution of the Sidekick
Origin of the Name
The Sidekick’s name originated from its characteristics and features. The word Side
came from the ability to carry or hook the test instrument on the side of a technician’s
tool belt. The word Kick was inherited from a common telephony practice whereby the
length of a wire in a pair, or a pair of wires, could be determined from their capacitive
discharge. The practice of “Kicking the pair” was greatly enhanced by two of the
Sidekick’s most powerful troubleshooting features, the “Leakage Test” and the patented
“Stress Test”.
The Original Sidekick 7A
In January 1991, Tempo Research Corporation released the first Sidekick 7A. It was a
compact Volt Ohm Meter designed specifically for telephone companies, but it had one
additional feature called a “Noise Test” that would catapult this unknown instrument into
a valuable telecommunications industry product. The
Noise Test utilized an entirely new patented method of
testing the voice grade of a circuit. It induced a 90 dBrnC
signal on top of 135 Volts DC into a copper wire pair
instead of using methods that depended on the presence of
ambient noise. The sum affect was to stress a telephone
cable pair to the limit and see if voice grade quality could
be sustained without the presence of “Noise” on the line.
Other test equipment at this time performed passive
testing for noise and balance which didn’t always reveal
faults. This new test allowed technicians to measure a
telephone pair’s ability to carry a voice signal without
noise interference under worst-case noise conditions.
Even minor fault readings were detectable on pairs,
otherwise, thought to be good. One hundred Sidekicks were produced and sold before
the revised Sidekick 7A was manufactured later that year.

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The Revised Sidekick 7A
A Leakage test was added to the original Sidekick and the patented Noise Test was
renamed the Line Test. Color coding was also added to the meter scale and the toggle
switches which replaced the original push buttons. The Leakage test continued to use DC
voltage that was higher than existing instruments to read insulation integrity between the
wires in a pair or a wire and ground. With this higher
voltage and the technician’s ability to reverse the polarity,
technicians could “Punch through” the galvanic corrosion
that often built up on unused pairs. This corrosion which
acts like a false insulator, often masks a pair’s fault that
returns after only a few applications of ring voltage.
Word began to spread that technicians using the Sidekick
were doing a better job. There were fewer problems and
fewer repeat trouble reports when a Sidekick was used.
After approximately forty-five hundred of these were
produced, the next generation of Sidekicks began to arrive – the Sidekick 7B.
The Sidekick 7B
In 1993, the Sidekick received a complete face lift and
some ergonomic improvements based on recommendations
from the field. The meter was enlarged and moved to the
top of the case. The case was redesigned to round out the
“Boxy look” and the “Line Test” was renamed the now
famous “Stress Test.” Industry praise bolstered sales that
had steadily climbed; further embedding the Sidekick in
the telecommunications marketplace.
The Tempo 7B
In 1995, the Tempo 7B became the first Sidekick to use the
“Big Head” design. The case was redesigned, not only to
accommodate an even larger meter face, but to also provide
expansion for additional features. AC voltage testing was
added and the switch positions were relocated to take
advantage of this new design The old push button style
switches were put back in service. Unfortunately, the field
technicians preferred toggle switches. Only four thousand
were sold before being replace by the Sidekick 7B “Big
Head”.

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The Sidekick 7B “Big Head”
The Sidekick 7B “Big Head” made it’s appearance in 1996,
and because of their popularity, toggle switches became the
standard. Currently used throughout the telephone industry, the
Sidekick 7B embraces unparalleled competition as the
technicians “Test set of choice”. It is used by every major
telecommunication company in the United States as well as
numerous countries around the globe.
The Sidekick T&N
In 1998, the Sidekick T&N was introduced with five
Transmission and Noise tests to keep up with the industry’s
demand for more comprehensive testing. Load Coil Detection,
Loop Current, Power Influence, Circuit Noise, and Circuit Loss
Testing were added to the current Sidekick test functions. With
enhanced color coding for improved meter readability and test
function coordination, the T&N has become so practical and
efficient that the need to rely on supplemental test equipment is
now rare. It received its acceptance at every Regional Bell
Operational Center (RBOC) in 1998 and has become even more
popular than the Sidekick 7B.
The VIP Sidekick
In the early part of 2000, the Sidekick evolved into the Virtual Instrument Package
(VIP Sidekick). A major communications company requested a unique conceptual form
of the Sidekick for their new Intelligent Field Device (IFD). The IFD is a Panasonic®
Model CF-27 Toughbook®computer with both
land-line and wireless modems for dispatch and
close-out. The VIP Sidekick module was
developed to meet specific criteria and is leading
the way for the development of future VIP
modules for multi-purpose testing. When the
module is inserted in the Toughbook, technicians
have Pentium PC power driving on-screen
instrumentation with digital testing accuracy. In
addition to having all the features from previous
Sidekick models, the VIP also has a Digital Open
Meter, Trace and Loss Tones, Caller ID, a
Resistance/Distance Calculator, a Modem Line Tester; and an Autotest which is an
advanced automated preprogrammed test sequence that automatically displays Pass/Fail
test results based on testing criteria configured by the technician, and a detailed on-line
user training and help system.

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Mastering The Fundamentals
BASIC ELECTRONICS
This section provides an overview of basic electronics and the theory
associated with outside plant telephone circuitry. Those not familiar with
electronics should review this material for a basic understanding of how the
various electrical characteristics in a circuit interact. It is important to know that
each twisted pair of copper wires in a telephone cable forms a circuit. Topics
covered include copper wire, resistance, current, voltage, Ohm’s law, capacitance,
capacitive reactance, inductance, inductive reactance, power formulas, and the
factors that affect these characteristics.
Copper Wire
Copper wire is the most commonly used material as a conductor in electrical
and telephone circuits due to its excellent electrical properties. Copper wire is
available in many gauges (diameters). The lower the gauge number, the larger the
diameter of the wire. For example, a 10 gauge wire is larger in diameter than a 19
gauge wire. As the gauge increases, the diameter decreases; and the resistive and
capacitive characteristics of the wire to electrical flow increase. Temperature,
humidity and other factors affect the properties of copper wire.
Even though smaller wire diameters offer more resistance, it is the physical
concerns of size and weight of larger wires and cables that lead to the use of small
wires. In a typical environment of 68º Fahrenheit and normal humidity, the length
of different gauge wires when reading 1 ohm resistance on a meter would be: 19
gauge = 125 ft, 22 gauge = 62 ft, 24 gauge = 40 ft, 26 gauge = 25 ft.
Voltage
Voltage is the measurement of electromotive force or difference in potential
between two points. Formulas use the letter V or E. Voltage measurements are
expressed in terms of alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). Typical
U.S. household voltage is 120 volts AC. Typical automobile batteries are 12 volts
DC. AC voltage can be converted to DC voltage through diode bridges called
rectifiers. Voltages can be increased or decreased through the use of transformers
that either step up or step down the voltage level through a ratio of turns between
the input (primary) and the output (secondary) coils.

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Current
Current is the rate of flow of electricity through a circuit. In simple terms, it is
the number of electrons that flow past a specified point in one second of time.
Current is measured in amperes using the letter A in the measurement and the
letter I in formulas. A typical circuit breaker for a house is rated at 15A or 20A.
Current flow in telephone circuits and electronics is usually in the milliampere
(mA) range. A milliamp is 1/1,000th of an ampere (1mA = .001A).
Resistance
Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electricity in a circuit. The length
and diameter of a wire or cable pair affects the total resistance in a circuit. Other
factors like temperature and humidity have some affect on resistance as well.
Resistance increases as the wire diameter decreases. Resistance is measured in
Ohms and is identified by the omega (Ω) symbol. Formulas use the letter R.
Different materials offer different amounts of resistance. Conductors offer little
resistance while insulators offer high resistance. A multi-stranded wire has less
resistance than a solid single-strand wire because the multi-stranded wire has more
surface area for the electrons to travel on than a solid wire.
Ohms Law
Ohms Law is a formula used to calculate voltage, current, and resistance when
any two of these values are known. The formula is expressed in three different
variants depending upon which values are known and which value is to be
calculated. The variants are: E = IR, I = E/R and R = E/I. This means that
voltage is directly proportional to the current multiplied by the resistance. Current
is calculated by dividing the voltage by the resistance; and resistance is calculated
by dividing the voltage by the current. Therefore, we can observe that the higher
the voltage, the higher the current flow; and the higher the resistance the lower the
current flow.
Capacitance
A capacitor is a device that stores an electrical charge and usually consists of
two conductive plates separated by an insulator. A twisted pair of wires with
insulation acts much like a capacitor when voltage is applied to the pair. A
capacitor blocks DC voltage. Capacitance is referred to as the ability to hold an
electrical charge and is present on telephone cables. The unit of measurement for
capacitance is the farad, although micro and pico-farad measurements are most
commonly encountered. Larger gauge wires and longer runs of wire have more
capacitance on them. The greater the capacitance there is on a twisted pair, the
greater the voice signal loss. Insulation, thickness, and spacing of wires affect the
capacitance in a cable.

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Capacitive Reactance
Basically, reactance is to an AC circuit what resistance is to a DC circuit.
Reactance, however, is affected by the value of the component and the frequency
of the circuit in which it is being used. Capacitive reactance, commonly expressed
as Xc, is inversely proportional to the value of the capacitor and the frequency.
The formula is Xc = 1/2πfC, where Xc is calculated by dividing one by (two times
the value of Pi times the frequency times the capacitance); Pi (π) = 3.1416.
Therefore, we can observe that Xc increases as frequency or capacitance decreases
and Xc decreases as frequency or capacitance increases. Larger gauge wires and
longer runs of wire have more capacitance on them which calculates to lower
capacitive reactance. As the frequency increases, the capacitive reactance also
decreases. Lower reactance, like lower resistance, appears more like a short as the
value approaches zero.
Inductance
An inductor is a coil of wire that can be used to increase the inductance in a
circuit. Inductance is resistance to any change in current flow and slows down the
rate of change. Inductance is the result from a magnetic field that surrounds a wire
when current flows through the wire. The number of turns in the coil and the rate
of the change of current through the coil determines the inductance. Inductance is
measured in henrys, though millihenrys is the common range of measurements.
Telephone circuits use load coils as inductors to increase the circuit inductance.
Increasing inductance counteracts capacitance thereby stabilizing current flow
(voice signals). A cable equipped with load coils is said to be a loaded cable. The
most common loading scheme is called H88 because 88mH coils are used and
they are spaced at 6,000 foot intervals.
Inductive Reactance
Inductive reactance, like capacitive reactance, is affected by the value of the
component and the frequency of the circuit in which it is being used. However,
inductive reactance, commonly expressed as Xl, is directly proportional to the
value of the inductor and the frequency. The formula is Xl = 2πfL, where Xl is
calculated by multiplying (two times the value of Pi times the frequency times the
inductance); Pi (π) = 3.1416. Therefore, we can observe that Xl increases as
frequency or capacitance increases and Xl decreases as frequency or capacitance
decreases. Higher reactance, like higher resistance, appears more like an open as
the value approaches infinity.