Case Studies

Let there be light

Confronted with the ultimate test of their skills and expertise, GEM came up with a precision solution for a one-off, high-tech scanner designed by TS-Space Systems, specialists in solar simulation equipment.

Knowing there was no room for error, we needed to devise a sure-fire way of linking 112 highly sensitive diodes to their respective connections – and get it right, first time.

Despite the limited work-space and the attention to detail required for a three-way connection for each diode, our tests revealed perfect soldering on the TS Uniformity Mapping unit, an expensive piece of kit which measures beam uniformity when setting up solar simulators to duplicate the properties of light in space.

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Three into one will go

A cabling conundrum equivalent to a square peg in a round hole, GEM’s innovative, labour-saving solution made sure Virgin Media technicians could make lighter work of complex roadside upgrading.

The challenge was to devise a way to terminate three connections into one cable while ensuring ease and speed of installation in less-than-ideal circumstances.

The logistics of roadside working are a headache at the best of times, and Virgin Media’s technicians faced a daily ordeal when upgrading the company’s network at roadside street cabinets.

With the aim of improving signal quality, yet remaining super-easy to install, we designed and manufactured a purpose-built, high-end adapter to convert multi-pair cable connections into 12-core ribbon cable and then spliced these into a 64-way Euro connector. The result was a seemingly simple solution that was nevertheless state-of-the-art – just: ‘connect, test and go’.

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No need to mind the gap

Not all cables lead to the same termination, so when a network gap for Alcatel-Lucent had to be bridged between two very different formats, GEM came up with a unique solution.

The puzzle was to craft a cable with a single assembly at one end and a high-end assembly of twelve RJ45 ports at the other.

Our solution was to design, then part-source, part-manufacture the component. The result was an ‘industry-first’ – a high-end Tyco MRJ21 assembly as part of a fabricated 12-port patch panel with a Centronics interconnection – a blend of inspiration and skill cooked up from the latest technology and our ‘one-stop-shop’ capability.

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Follow that line

Faced with the familiar quandary of how best to distribute a signal from base to various parts of a complex network, GEM took a fresh approach and found a ground-breaking, truly interconnected solution.

The first task was to understand the parameters and needs of Alcatel-Lucent’s project to build a fixed telecommunications network across Great Britain for Network Rail; providing a future platform for all the company's operational railway circuits, IT data and business telephony traffic. A complex set of design and installation or refurbishment tasks concerning hundreds of kilometres line-side, it was clear we needed to step out of the box and look at the problem from every angle.

The result: we got creative with an innovative way of using a 1642 Edge Multiplexer Compact for dealing with this set of always-on, mission-critical applications – an extraordinary solution to an ordinary problem that has set a precedent for the way ahead.

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Size is everything

Cable size matters when it comes to getting a specification spot on, so when GEM saw an opportunity to make a serious dent in the cost associated with an order from one of their clients in the satellite industry, their recommendation was a measure of their dedication to keeping customer costs low.

When the customer submitted a repeat purchase order for five kilometres of LMR240 coaxial cable, they did not ask for anything other than confirmation of a quick delivery date.

Always looking for ways to support our customer’s bottom-line, we nevertheless asked a few pertinent questions.

Once we knew that they could increase the signal strength at one point, we made the calculations to establish if another of our products could offer a better solution. As we were able to guarantee the maximum loss at the other end, we proposed the LMR195, a coaxial with a much smaller diameter than LMR240, and amended the order to give them a cost saving of 20%.

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