Oh yeah, ICSNet requires termination

Posted on November 6, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

There is nothing worse that having a feeling a deja vu when you are troubleshooting an issue. You know that you have been through all this before, but can’t remember what the resolution was/is. That is one of the reasons that I started putting so much technical details into some of the posts here, so that I have a repository that I can access when needed. Writing the issue(s) down also helps with remembering the problem/procedure the next time that I have to do it. An unfortunately, most of the problems I encounter are not ones that show up on StackOverflow or similar site.

I had another deja vu moment this week when I was working on an AMX issues with a customer. The customer had a new BlueRay player that they wanted to control. However the blueray was about 150 feet away from the AMX controller. No problem I thought, since I was going to use some KramerTools devices to run the video and audio over cat5, I could also get a KramerTools box that would also handle RS232. Unfortunately, when we got it all hooked up, we realized that the BlueRay’s  (BDP-23FD) latest firmware made it talk only at 115200 baud. The max transmit on the KramerTools was 38400.

The customer has an extra AMX Com2 card and an AMX Netlinx module box, so the easy solution was to use that to bring the Com2 card closer to the Blueray using ICSnet. We had pulled extra cat5, so it should be no big deal. However, after making the physical connections, we couldn’t get the Com2 card to come online for more than a second or two. Tried powering the card locally and not over the ICSnet. Replaced the Cat5 connectors. Swapped cards, etc, etc.

Finally when back to the specs for the ICSnet protocol (which is going away in the AMX world since there are now ways to extend control over ethernet). Then I realized/rememberd that ICSnet requires termination on the last connection in the chain. On short runs, it doesn’t seem to matter, but on this one it did. Got some resistors at Radio Snack, made the terminator, and bingo the card was online and communicating with the Blueray. Unfortunately, by that time, the BlueRay had decided to stop transmitting video, so there are still more issues to deal with.

To create a ICSnet terminator: Connect a 120 Ohm (1/4 Watt or better) Resistor between pins 1 and 2 (Transmit + and Transmit -) and another 120 Ohn resistor between pins 7 and 8. I recommend using a small piece of cat 5 to extend the connection out and solder the resistors on to that and enclose in shrink tubing, so there is no chance of a short.

 

Posted in AMX, AMX Programming, Lessons Learned | Leave a comment

AMX IR Files for Firebird tuner

Posted on November 5, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

Ran across an interesting (cheap) TV tuner from a company called Firebird Systems . It provides a VGA output. Here are the IR codes for the remote in case it can be of help to someone else. Here is the ir file: FireBird,vga,ds,CableTunner,1

Here are the included commands:

  • Channel1: Power
  • Channel2: MUTE
  • Channel3: 0
  • Channel4: 1
  • Channel5: 2
  • Channel6: 3
  • Channel7: 4
  • Channel8: 5
  • Channel9: 6
  • Channel10: 7
  • Channel11: 8
  • Channel12: 9
  • Channel13: CH -
  • Channel14: Ch +
  • Channel15: Vol -
  • Channel16: Vol +

 

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What about those “other” vendors

Posted on November 5, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

Most of us working in the videoconferencing world, deal with a limited number of manufacturers: Polycom, Cisco (Tandberg), LifeSize, Radvision, Vidyo, perhaps Sony. But there remains a large number of manufacturers that make endpoints, that sometimes offer many more features for the money.

For example, an early player in the videoconferencing market, VTEL, as re-emerged with a series of endpoints that offers H.323, SIP, and Skype calling, integrated display and DVD player, multipoint capabilities, etc. Other third tier players include Aver, with built in streaming. And Samcen who features their integration with board room microphone systems.

From time to time, I get inquires from customers wanting to know if we offer products from one of these providers. I have to admit that I rarely consider these companies to be viable players in the videoconferencing market place, mainly because the companies that are making them are not one of the major players. My initial reaction is skepticism that:

  • These companies will not be around for very long in such a competitive market (I have seen a lot come and go).
  • These products will not be that reliable and if we were to sell such as system, we’d be doing an overwhelming amount of technical support.
  • That these products are not user friendly, but designed by engineers.

But when we run out a spreadsheet to justify a videoconferencing project or installation, are these biases legitimate? Certainly if the product is hard to use or not reliable, that will affect the adoption rate and usage, but assuming that is not the case, why not purchase a VTEL system instead of a Cisco?

If the cost/benefit shows that the end user will re-coop the costs in 10 months, and you figure that a videoconferencing system has a life span of 5 to 6 years, what advantage does having a “name-brand” product really convey to the end-user? Especially if they don’t need any particular new features down the line, why not just purchase an Aver system, use it for 5 years and get the benefits of its use and then move on to something else?

Your thoughts?

 

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The Project Management Triangle

Posted on November 4, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

In Project Management we start off talking about the trade-offs that we have to make with our customers or stakeholders in regards to Time, Cost and Project Scope. Below is a short discussion that I provide for my students to review these concepts.

Posted in MGMT 8510 Project Man, Project Management | Leave a comment

Ninite: One Installer to rule them all

Posted on November 4, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

Was out at a job site in Springfield MO and the client that I was working with showed me this web site: http://ninite.com/ . Ninite allows you to pick the programs that you want to install and then it will bundle them into one installer. Great for having a standard package of apps that need to be installed on a client computer for a job (some companies will not let you connect your laptop to the network).

Some of the features that make this a real time saver:

  • No Clicking Next, Next, Next: Ninite fully automates installers offscreen.
  • No Toolbars: Ninite automatically says “No” to toolbars and other junk.
  • Always Up-to-date: A Ninite installer always gets an app’s latest version no matter when you made it.
  • It Updates Too: Just run your Ninite installer again and it will update the apps to their latest versions.
  • No Signup: Ninite just works. No account, signup, or client needed.
  • 32 and 64-bit: Ninite installs the best version of an app for your PC.
Posted in Lessons Learned, Videoconferencing Tech | Leave a comment

Understanding Project Networks

Posted on November 4, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

There are a couple of important caveats or rules creating project networks, among them are:

  • Networks typically flow from left to right.
  • An activity cannot begin until all of its preceding activities are complete.
  • Arrows indicate precedence and can cross over each other.
  • Identify each activity with a unique identifier; this identifier must increment (1.2.3,  A,B,C, etc.) as the network proceeds.
  • Looping is not allowed.
  • Conditional statements are not allowed.
  • Use start and stop nodes.

Here are a number of videos that I did to explain how project networks work. I use these in my courses; I’m appreciate any feedback that you might have.

 

Project Management Networks Part 1: Project Network Basics AON, AOA, Critical Path

Project Management Networks Part 2: Forward and Backward Pass

Project Management Networks Part 3: Project Networks in MS Project

Project Management Networks Part 4: Task Relationships and Lags

Posted in MGMT 8510 Project Man, Project Management | Leave a comment

What is a Backhoe?

Posted on November 4, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

Had an interesting issue come up in the MBA Project Management course I teach that made me realize how challenging it must be for those students who come here from another country to function in graduate courses spoken in a language other than what they grew up speaking. I certainly know that I couldn’t go to a strange country and start taking graduate courses in a different language.

In my class we start off the subject of resource allocation and scheduling with a short “Botanical Gardens” example. In this project, all of the tasks (except Design) require the use of the Backhoe (Bh) resource.

After we enter the basics into MS project, we look at the resource usage and see that it is uneven: we have to deploy 2 backhoe, then 4, the just 1 and then 3 to finish.

So, we tell MS project that we have just 3 backhoe and then use the leveling features to level the project and smooth out the resource allocation, yielding something like this:

After I got done explaining all of this, I had several students who didn’t seem to think that what I was saying was right. They finally confronted me and said: “But we added them all up, you used 2 backhoes for the layout, 1 for walkways, etc, etc.  That is a total of 10 backhoes that you have used up and you just said we can do it with 3 total and that makes no sense.”

It was at that time that I realized that the word “backhoe” had not properly translated and they didn’t really know that a backhoe was. They thought it was a consumable resource like paper or paint! So, we did a quick Google search of “backhoe” to get us back on track. Everyone had a good laugh, but I have to saw, it just reminds me of what a challenge it is for students from foreign countries to keep up in these courses.

 

 

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Civility and Civil Public Discourse: The Next Generation

Posted on November 3, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

“The fifth and final video we have sponsored in support of the American Bar Association’s Mediation Week considers how the skills of citizenship are learned in each generation.  The video, “Talking About My Generation,” features an interview with two sophomores at the  University of Missouri,  one majoring in Philosophy and Economics and considering a future legal career,  and one majoring in Strategic Communication.  Both have been actively engaged in promoting civil discourse since high school, where as seniors they helped to run a student led forum known as the “Speak Your Mind” forum.    We invite you to show this video to others in your own community and invite further discussion.  Here are some questions you might ask the group to consider:   What are the skills citizens need now, and will need in the future to preserve our democracy? What are we doing to help our youth learn citizenship skills? What in the video reassured you or raised concerns about youth in the electorate?  How do we as very different generations, with different experiences, needs, and ways of accessing information, work to support each other and learn from each other? We invite you to share your comments and experiences by using the comment feature on this blog.”

 

 

This is reposted from buildingdialogue.wordpress.com and is part of a serials of videos sponsored from my company (VTCStream.com) and The Communications Center (www.buildingdialogue.com) as part of the American Bar Association’s “Mediation Week.” This year’s theme was Civility and Civil Discourse, reflecting the adoption of Resolution 108 in August.

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Civility and Civil Public Discourse: On-line Tools For Collaboration Rather Than Complaint

Posted on November 3, 2011 by J Scott Christianson

The fourth video we have sponsored in support of the American Bar Association’s Mediation Week looks at how on-line communication has affected our political discourse, and new platforms that foster more civil discourse.     The video, “On-line Tools For Collaboration Rather Than Complaint“  features a discussion between Sarah Read of The Communications Center, Inc. and Scott Christianson from Kaleidoscope Consulting and VTC Stream.  We invite you to look at several of the sites discussed in the video, including:

Two sites that publish useful studies about online platforms that government entities can use for collaboration include the IBM Business of Government site, and the Knight Commission site which focuses on the information needs of communities in a democracy.

Talk with others about promoting more civil discourse on-line and integrating on-line participation with your systems of government.  We also invite you to share your comments and experiences by using the comment feature on this blog.

This is reposted from buildingdialogue.wordpress.com and is part of a serials of videos sponsored from my company (VTCStream.com) and The Communications Center (www.buildingdialogue.com) as part of the American Bar Association’s “Mediation Week.” This year’s theme was Civility and Civil Discourse, reflecting the adoption of Resolution 108 in August.

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