Using Virtual Wiring In An Age Of Instant Solutions

The subject of this article is virtual wiring or wires. So what do I mean by virtual? Usually if one wants to connect a digital signal to a relay then one has a circuit which drives the coil, this pulls in the relay contacts and this creates an isolated switch which may be used to provide power to a light or other suitably rated appliance. If the distance between the initiating signal and the appliance is great then one has a choice of either extending the digital signal with a long piece of wire or extending the switch side with long wiring. This seems to be a simple solution but in many cases, extending the wiring may not be the answer if the extension is complex, not aesthetically pleasing or many wires are involved.

The solution is virtual wiring and this can be implemented in a number of different ways.

1) If some wiring already exists then by virtue of multiplexing (combining many signals into one compound signal) and demultiplexing (taking one compound signal and expanding it again into many) electronics on either side, existing wiring can be used if an increase in the number of switches is required without laying extra cable.

2) The mux/demux solution can also be implemented with the use of fiber optics, where the compound signal is transported by means of modulated light.

3) Another transport medium is rf (radio frequency) In this age of Zigbee and other wireless standards, the compound signal can be transmitted through the air without any visible means. The simplest implementation would be a switch (or eight or more) on the near side being closed, detected by the monitoring electronics, assembled into some kind of protocol, transmitted wirelessly, received by the far unit, disassembled and the relevant relay or other switch mechanism would then be toggled. This would allow lights, appliances and other devices to be controlled without the addition of any control wiring.

The natural extension of this type of virtual wiring is to extend analogue signals as well. An example of this could be an appliance/device that needs to be set at a particular value. This value could be read (using a A/D converter) at the near side, assembled and transmitted as described previously and then output to the device in question as an analogue signal (using a D/A converter).

The one drawback of this type of signal extension method is that there will invariably be a delay between switch pushed/signal read and the corresponding action on the far side. Usually however a small delay is acceptable and other high speed methods exist for signals that require a higher bandwidth.

Marc Jarchow
47 year old entrepeneur providing MODular ElecTRONics solutions for the Professional (custom instruments for your business), Educator (can be used as a training aid), Entrepeneur (can be packaged with your logo) and Hobbyist (make your own home based products) using low cost modules to create whatever application you have in mind. This is all done via modetron.com

Want To Be An Electrician?

The electrician is one of the most respected of the tradesmen in our society. The understanding and harnessing of electricity has changed the world like few other things. The loss of electricity would plunge the world back into darkness. Most people are involved with electricity to the degree that they insert a plug into a wall socket or throw a switch. Making sure the right thing happens when they do this is the job of the trained electrician. So, how does one become an electrician?

The path to a career as an electrician usually runs through an apprenticeship program of some type. The apprenticeship program will consist of a mix of on-the-job training and formal classroom instruction. The average apprenticeship program will run about 4 years. The classroom training usually amounts to roughly 144 hours of instruction. So, it is obvious that the majority of learning takes place on the job. This is not unexpected as the electrician is much more involved in the hands on work of installing and maintaining electrical systems than in understanding the theory behind them.

This is not to say that the theory part is unimportant or unnecessary. The aspiring electrician is going to need a minimum of a high school education or GED. It is important to have math skills and a good command of English. Electricians often work from manuals, so reading and comprehension skills are needed. The ability to solve math problems and understand blueprints are essential electrician skills. These skills must be acquired before beginning the apprenticeship program. Classroom training within the apprenticeship program shows how to apply these skills to the work place. It also includes teaching how to use testing equipment, and even includes first aid training.

Many trade unions and contractor associations sponsor vocational schools to prepare electricians. This is an alternative to the apprenticeship approach. At the vocational school, the aspiring electrician completes the classroom portion of their preparation first. Graduates are usually hired as beginning electricians, generally at a higher rate of pay.

A person may select to go through an apprenticeship program or attend a vocational school. The electrician can look forward to good financial compensation and quite a bit of job security. The job is demanding, however, and is not for careless people. School guidance counselors, local contractor associations, and even trained electricians can give advice on the best ways to prepare yourself in your local area.

Find an electrician at ElectricianCompanies.com.

The Electrician's Guide to Effective Yellow Page Advertising

I can guess that if your are any kind of electrician at all, you can do all the basic trouble-shooting, rewiring, and replacement that any homeowner or business person would require. After all, you are a licensed professional, right? But knowing how to replace a circuit breaker is not what?s going to pay the bills. So what is going to ultimately make you successful? Your accountant, insurance agent, landlord, truck fleet dealer, or your parts supplier? A big ?No? should be the answer in all those cases. How about your Yellow Page rep?

You have to bring in new customers or establish a reliable base of returning customers. It?s going to take a marketing plan that allows for future growth and increasing profits. Assuming that I you have realized that a Yellow Page program is essential for your success, what do you have in mind? Who do you want to reach and how will you get there? Set aside a reasonable advertising budget that has room to grow as you do. Now, pick up the local directory and survey the YP heading. How many of your competitors are in the book and what are their ad sizes? What will it take to meet or beat them? Now you have an idea of size, it?s time to get to the content of the ad.

What makes you better than all of them? Don?t say your price and experience. Everyone of them already says that somewhere. You have to come up with something that will get the readers attention and set you apart from the other guys. Hey, I didn?t say that this would be easy. It?s about time to seek out an expert, wouldn?t you agree?

I should know, I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.

So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Or read any on my online articles here and you?ll probably pick up some terrific tips. Then go to my website for more great stuff.

Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at www.poweradbook.com

He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.