AV-K248E15, 1.5RU, 2x48 Position, Microsize Video Panel, PDF DXF DWG. Series Name, AVP Mosaic Datapatch/RS422 Polarity Protected Patching, Files.
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A remote broadcast trailer's jackfield
A couple of managed Gigabit Ethernet rackmount switches, connected to the Ethernet ports on a few Panduit patch panels using Category 6patch cables (all equipment is installed in a standard 19-inch rack)
A patch panel, patch bay, patch field or jack field is a device or unit featuring a number of jacks, usually of the same or similar type, for the use of connecting and routing circuits for monitoring, interconnecting, and testing circuits in a convenient, flexible manner. Patch panels are commonly used in computer networking, recording studios, radio and television.
The term 'patch' came from early use in telephony and radio studios, where extra equipment kept on standby could be temporarily substituted for failed devices. This reconnection was done via patch cords and patch panels, like the jack fields of cord-type telephone switchboards.
Uses and connectors[edit]
In recording studios, television and radio broadcast studios, and concert sound reinforcement systems, patchbays are widely used to facilitate the connection of different devices, such as microphones, electric or electronic instruments, effects (e.g. compression, reverb, etc.), recording gear, amplifiers, or broadcasting equipment. Patchbays make it easier to connect different devices in different orders for different projects, because all of the changes can be made at the patchbay. Additionally, patchbays make it easier to troubleshoot problems such as ground loops; even small home studios and amateur project studios often use patchbays, because it groups all of the input jacks into one location. This means that devices mounted in racks or keyboard instruments can be connected without having to hunt around behind the rack or instrument with a flashlight for the right jack. Using a patchbay also saves wear and tear on the input jacks of studio gear and instruments, because all of the connections are made with the patchbay.
Patch panels are being used more prevalently in domestic installations, owing to the popularity of 'Structured Wiring' installs.[1] They are also found in home cinema installations more and more.[citation needed]
Normalization[edit]![]()
A patch bay for patching circuits to stage lightinginstruments
Rear view of a patch panel with dual coax patch jacks.[2]
It is conventional to have the top row of jacks wired at the rear to outputs and bottom row of jacks wired to inputs.[citation needed] Patch bays may be half-normal (usually bottom) or full-normal, 'normal' indicating that the top and bottom jacks are connected internally. When a patch bay has bottom half-normal wiring, then with no patch cord inserted into either jack, the top jack is internally linked to the bottom jack via break contacts on the bottom jack; inserting a patch cord into the top jack will take a feed off that jack while retaining the internal link between the two jacks; inserting a patch cord into the bottom jack will break the internal link and replace the signal feed from the top jack with the signal carried on the patch cord. With top half-normal wiring, the same happens but vice versa. If a patch bay is wired to full-normal, then it includes break contacts in both rows of jacks.
Switches[edit]
Dedicated switching equipment can be an alternative to patch bays in some applications. Switches can make routing as easy as pushing a button, and can provide other benefits over patch bays, including routing a signal to any number of destinations simultaneously. However, switching equipment that can emulate the capabilities of a given patch bay is much more expensive. For example, an S-Video matrix routing switcher with the same capability (8×8) as a 16-point S-Video patch panel (8 patch cables connects 8 inputs and 8 outputs) may cost ten times more, though it would probably have more capabilities.
Like patch panels, switching equipment for nearly any type of signal is available, including analog and digital video and audio, as well as RF (cable TV), MIDI, telephone, networking and electrical. There are various types of switches for audio and video, from simple selector switches to sophisticated production switchers. However, emulating or exceeding the capabilities of audio or video patch panels requires specialized devices like routing switches and crossbar switches.
Switching equipment may be electronic, mechanical, or electro-mechanical. Some switcher hardware can be controlled via computer or other external devices. Some have automated or pre-programmed operational capabilities. There are also software switcher applications used to route signals and control data within a 'pure digital' computer environment.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Media related to Patch panels at Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patch_panel&oldid=914015909'
I basically started with a HUGE page (architectural E sized paper) and 1':32' scaling.Then, I downloaded some visio stencils for the appropriate HP switches and racks. Then I drew some rooms to get a sense of relational position.Then, in each room, I drew some racks with the appropriate gear loaded in the racks.Then, I drew in all the fiber connections between each patch panel and the core switching room.Then, I created a set of objects that became those port-covers. At the scale I drew at, 0.1pt font is still about 2.5 times the height of a single switch port, so I drew out all the numbers from 0-9 at approximately 0.007 pt font.
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I then made basically one port cover for each vlan number in use and gave them different colors for backgrounds. Then I copy/pasted them around to 'set the VLAN' on each port.It took me about 20 hours total to make this document.I have a copy of it printed out next to me on the wall printed in landscape on a 60 inch plotter (60x84).Each of the rooms ends up being a 8.5x11 piece of paper at that zoom and I can read individual port vlans at that scale. There's a void in the market between 'spreadsheet' and 'price on application'. I'd go with a set of spreadsheets, one spreadsheet per room, one tab per panel.
Each building in its own directory, and that directory is where you also store all the installation invoices and test results.Within a room name your racks A, B, C. Then number the panel by rack unit (they start with 1 at the lowest RU and count up). In a large room imagine A-Z along one wall and A-Z along another wall at floor tile spacing (900mm) and name the rack by its position on the grid. It's tradition not to use letters I and O.I've seen mid-sized universities run from well organized spreadsheets. Commscope makes ImVision-Ipatch. It's software and hardware, literally lights up your cable paths and everything.
I have used over a dozen different systems. Here's how I feel about all of them (including all listed here):I prefer removing my own organs with a spoon to using any 'system' to manage cable paths or patch panels. That goes for all of these systems listed here. 100% of our engineers and tech's can mentally map or physically walk a path with millions of less hours per year and $s wasted on trying to keep software up to date with everything you have added. Just put good labels on the things when you install them, and plan where panels go before you place them. My current job is the only one where I have seen labels that are adequateYou know looking at any label anywhere on the path, everywhere it jumps.
Serial numbers for devices at either side, location of where every cable starts/ends, etc. Good labels are 10 trillion times better than any other system.
Have a strong planning and validation phase, and everything else comes naturally.Especially beware these systems when it comes to decomm time. We are forced to use these systems, a different system at each datacenter. 90% of our outages, and 90% of our RGEs exist because of these systems. If you really need a system, put a couple months into learning a web development language and a database and roll your own. We did that too and hated it less than everything else.
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