When Miami, FL-based Concord Electric Contractors was tasked to upgrade the computer and media infrastructure for the Immaculata-LaSalle High School, the limited room for cable runs presented an installation challenge. Concord found the solution in Isotec's (www.isotec.com) new SIMTRA Ferrite-Barrier power cables, which are designed to be both a space and time saver.
"The Immaculata-LaSalle installation posed significant design issues because of the lack of space to run wires," says David Linenfelser, electrical supervisor at Concord Electric Contractors. "The Isotec SIMTRA power cables became the only solution for the installation because the unique design of the SIMTRA wire allows for multi-format media and low-voltage cabling to co-exist in the same conduit as the 120 volt AC power cable without interference, while only having to run one cable."
SIMTRA cables conform with NEC specification sections 725.136, 760.136, 770.133, 800.133, 800.179, 820.133 and 830.133, and are designed to eliminate transients and interference. Each conductor of the power cable is sur-rounded by a proprietary ferrite bar-rier that provides shielding within thecable itself, thereby attenuating surges and minimizing interference that can corrupt the signal in adjacent low-voltage cables.
The Immaculata-LaSalle project required several different types of cable to be run to each classroom. For instance, each classroom has cables running to the teacher's desk that provide interconnections for the video projector, DVD, audio amplifier and computer networking, in addition to power for each student desk.
Power outlets for each student computer were positioned next to each desk, but there was not space available for multiple conduit runs. By using SIMTRA power cables, however, Concord Electric Contractors was able to pull the projector wiring, TVcable, speaker wire, data cable, and AC power all in one conduit into the room, breaking out Category 5 Ethernet cable and AC for the individual student stations.Also, since the cable could be run through the small space in the floor, installers were able to eliminate the extra step of supporting the cables every four feet— required when running low-voltage cable through ceilings.
"A big benefit of the SIMTRA cable is time savings on a job and streamlining the installation to meet code," explains Linenfelser. "Also, whenever you go through a classroom wall, the building codes consider it a firewall, and thatrequires a whole new set of rules. What's beneficial with SIMTRA is that we actually run one large conduit from the classrooms to the main room where the high voltage and low voltage all converge, eliminating the need for multiple penetrations of the firewalls. [For] Immaculata-LaSalle, SIMTRA cable actually made this installation possible."
Proprietary design of Isotec Inc.'s SIMTRA wire allows for multi-format media and low-voltage cabling to co-exist without interference in the same conduit as a 120 volt AC power cable.