Abstract: Multiple digital audio transformer circuits are included in a module for mounting in a chassis. These digital audio transformer circuits are comprised of a front mounted twisted pair digital audio cable connector and a rear mounted coaxial cable connector, with circuitry including baluns electrically linking the front and rear connectors to reduce the impedance of the signal and attenuate the amplitude of the signal voltage. In one embodiment, the module may also include removable attenuation pads accessible through the front face of the module to allow variation of the level of voltage attenuation. The preferred embodiment of the module bi-directional transforms 110 Ohm digital audio signals and 75 Ohm coaxial signals. If transformation of other levels of impedance are desired, modules may also allow for removal and replacement of the baluns. A digital audio transformer system including multi-circuit modules and rack mount equipment chassis is also provided.

Abstract: A method of generating optimized netlists is provided. The method includes providing an input mechanism that is adapted to receive selective test report files from one or more circuit board test generation software programs and adapted to receive in-circuit test restriction parameters. The method further includes generating netlists based on the received test report files and in-circuit test restriction parameters. The netlists comprise one or more of total number of nets for the board, number of nets that do not require in-circuit test pads, number of nets that possibly require in-circuit test pads, number of in-circuit test pads as test points and edge connector terminals, and number of nets that require in-circuit test pads.

Abstract: An electronic equipment enclosure (10) for housing electronic equipment (11), and broadly comprising a pivot bracket (22); a plurality of sleeves (24), each being associated with a transmit terminal (26), a receive terminal (28), protective circuitry (30), and test circuitry (32); a spreader plate (38); and a heat sink (40). The pivot bracket (22) allows for tilting an outer housing (12) up to 30° relative to a mounting surface. The separate and distinct transmit and receive terminals (26,28) maintain minimum cross-talk and interference levels. The protective and the test circuitries (30,32) are located on daughter boards adjacent each sleeve (24) so as to be easily accessible. The spreader plate (38) is operable to force the sleeves (24) into direct contact with the interior surface of the outer housing (18). The heat sink (40) is operable to facilitate conductive heat transfer between the sleeves (24) and the lid (18).

Abstract: A cable management system is provided including a rack for holding telecommunications equipment, and a ribcage cable support member along a vertical side of the rack. The ribcage cable support member includes a plurality of forwardly and rearwardly extending ribs. The ribs each include cable retention tabs. A plurality of spools are provided for cable storage on the ribcage cable support member. Holes through the ribcage cable support member allow access between the front and rear portions. An additional rack may be positioned on an opposite side of the ribcage cable support member to the first rack, and two columns of ribs are provided.

Abstract: A telecommunications module with a circuit board including pairs of connectors mounting on both sides of the circuit board held within a housing by structure that holds the circuit board offset from the front and rear of the module and connectors accessible openings in the rear wall of the module. A telecommunications patch panel including one or more modules mounted to the rear of a faceplate, each module with a circuit board including pairs of electrically linked connectors mounting on both sides of the circuit board held within the module by structure that holds the circuit board offset from the front and rear of the module with connectors accessible through a rear wall of the module and through the faceplate. A method of assembling a telecommunications module and a method of assembling a telecommunications patch panel including one or more modules attached to the rear of a faceplate.

Abstract: An optical fiber cable management panel is provided with slideable drawers and structure within the drawers for cable management and/or connection to other devices. Tray inserts drop into the drawers to provide the appropriate management and connection devices. A movable take-up mechanism manages the cable entering and exiting the drawers at side openings. Stackable pivoting storage trays on the tray insert include a detent arrangement for holding each tray in a pivoted access position. The tray inserts further include a front key, and a back tab mounting arrangement for mounting the tray inserts to the drawers, and side radius limiters including notches for extending over raised portions of the drawer. The take-up mechanism includes a U-shaped trough section and cable retention tabs. A control mechanism is provided for controlling movement of the take-up mechanism relative to the drawer.

Abstract: A telecommunications apparatus including a dielectric insert body and a plurality of jacks fastened to the insert body. Each of the jacks includes: i) a jack body defining first, second and third ports positioned such that the second port is generally between the first and third ports; ii) a first set of spring contacts positioned adjacent the first port; iii) a second set of spring contacts positioned adjacent the second port; and iv) a third set of spring contacts positioned adjacent the third port. The jacks are each secured to the insert body by a single fastener. The single fasteners are positioned between the second and third ports of each of the jacks.

Abstract: A telecommunications device including a chassis having a card housing for containing a plurality of splitter cards. The housing includes front and back ends. The front end defines an access opening for allowing the splitter cards to be inserted into or removed from the card housing. The device also includes a plurality of card edge connectors for providing electrical connections with the splitter cards. The card edge connectors are located within the card housing adjacent to the back end of the housing. The device further includes LINE, POTS and DATA connectors electrically connected to the card edge connectors. Guide members are located adjacent the back end of the housing for directing the splitter cards into the card edge connectors as the splitter cards are inserted into the card housing. The guide members include ramps aligned at oblique angles relative to a direction of insertion of the splitter cards.

Abstract: A telecommunications device including a chassis having a card housing for containing a plurality of splitter cards. The card housing includes front and back ends. The front end of the card housing defines an access opening for allowing the splitter cards to be inserted into or removed from the card housing. The device also includes a plurality of card edge connectors for providing electrical connections with the splitter cards. The card edge connectors are located within the card housing adjacent to the back end of the housing. Each card edge connector is arranged in a generally horizontal orientation. The device further includes forwardly facing LINE, POTS and DATA connectors that are electrically connected to the card edge connectors. At least the LINE and POTS connectors are positioned in a generally horizontal orientation.

Abstract: A telecommunications device including a plurality of splitter cards mounted in a chassis. The device also includes a circuit board and plurality of card edge connectors for providing electrical connections between the splitter cards and the circuit board. The device further includes POTS connectors, LINE connectors and DATA connectors. The circuit board includes a first layer having first tracings that electrically connect contacts of at least one of the POTS, LINE or DATA connectors to at least one of the card edge connectors; a second layer having second tracings that electrically connect contacts of at least one of the POTS, LINE or DATA connectors to at least one of the card edge connectors; and a third layer having third tracings that electrically connect contacts of at least one of the POTS, LINE or DATA connectors to at least one of the card edge connectors. The second layer is positioned between the first and third layers. A majority of the second layer is covered by a grounding plane.

Abstract: A telecommunications device including a plurality of splitter cards mounted within a chassis. The device also includes a circuit board and a plurality of card edge connectors for providing electrical connections between the splitter cards and the circuit board. The device further includes POTS connectors electrically connected to the card edge connectors by first tracings of the circuit board, LINE connectors electrically connected to the card edge connectors by second tracings of the circuit board, and DATA connectors electrically connected to the card edge connectors by third tracings of the circuit board. The POTS and LINE connectors are arranged in pairs with the POTS and LINE connectors of each pair being electrically connected to a common one of the card edge connectors. The POTS and LINE connectors of at least some of the pairs are inverted in orientation relative to one another.

Abstract: A circuit panel chassis having a plurality of angled slots in a top surface thereof. The angled slots improving flame containment inside the circuit panel chassis while providing for cooling the circuit components of the circuit panel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for batch processing semiconductor lasers producing substantially contamination free laser bar end surfaces for optimal growth of end surface layers are provided. The method includes loading a laser cell comprising a plurality of laser bars and an empty cassette capable of holding a plurality of laser bars into a cleaving chamber and pumping the cleaving chamber down to a desired pressure. Next, a cleaving cycle is performed in which an end laser bar is cleaved off the laser cell. The laser bar is deposited in the cassette, while the laser cell is positioned for a subsequet operation. The cleaving cycle repeats until a plurality of laser bars are cleaved off the laser cell and loaded into the cassette. The cassette is then moved into a deposition chamber where a layer of material is deposited on at least one end surface of all of the laser bars in the cassette.

Abstract: A system and method provide for accessing a plurality of communication lines. Each of a number of line access devices is coupled to at least one of the communication lines. A patch circuit, associated with each line access device, provides for manually establishing a cross-connection between a first and second communication line. A bus couples the first communication line with the patch circuit. A locking circuit is coupled to the bus and the patch circuit. The locking circuit selectively enables and disables patch circuit access to the first communication line in response to a control signal. The line access devices may each comprise a single line card or a front and rear line card pair. A redundant power supply arrangement provides for keep-alive backup power for the front line card in response to a failure of primary supply power delivery to the front line card.

Abstract: A circuit that uses a bi-directional buffer as follows: First a tri-state output buffer is connected to a functional clock and a bi-directional port is connected to a test clock. The bi-directional buffer is configured to receive control signals to selectively block and unblock the tri-state output port connected to the functional clock. In addition, the bi-directional port connected to a test clock is connected to the internal logic of the device. When the tri-state output buffer connected to the functional clock is blocked, the test clock transmits a clock signal to the internal logic of the device. When the tri-state output buffer connected to the functional clock is unblocked, the functional clock transmits a clock signal to the internal logic of the device.

Abstract: A ring voltage generator uses values stored in random access memory to generate a train of pulses used to drive a voltage waveform to ring a telephone ringer. The values are stored in RAM, and are programmable by a user without requiring a change in the ring voltage generator design.

Abstract: An access network adapted to be coupled to a local exchange over a high-speed link is provided. The access network has a digital line carrier having a port adapted to be coupled to the high-speed link and a plurality of line cards. Each line card has at least one port adapted to be coupled to a transceiver. The digital line carrier selectively connects a transceiver associated with a port of one of the plurality of line cards of the digital line carrier with a transceiver associated with a port of another line card of the digital line carrier based on a signal sent to and returned by the local exchange.

Abstract: A system and method for accessing a number of communication lines by one or more testing devices are disclosed. Each of the communications lines is coupled through the system and includes a first termination at a first telecommunications termination site and a second termination at a second telecommunications termination site. The system includes a number of line access devices, each of which is coupled to at least one of the communication lines terminating at the first telecommunications termination site and at least one of the communication lines terminating at the second telecommunications termination site. One or more monitoring busses are defined by a number of relays, one or more of which is coupled to one of the line access devices. A test device interface, which is selectively coupled to the bus, provides bi-directional connectivity between the selected communication line and a selected testing device coupled thereto.

Abstract: An improved technique of exposing a photoresist through a grating mask reduces the occurrence of overlapping gratings and also avoids distortions in the exposed mask when there is a gap between the contact mask and the photoresist layer. The technique is particularly well suited to forming Bragg gratings on semiconductors and other materials that are used for wavelength selection in, for example, optical communications applications. The technique employs a phase grating held close to, but out of contact with, the photoresist layer. Amongst the advantages provided by the present invention is that the requirements of the permissible thickness of the photoresist layer suitable for writing high visibility gratings are relaxed, thus reducing the complexity and costs for processing the substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that permit multi-directional fiber optic connections to a device. The multi-directional aspect of the fiber optic connections permit the connections to be aligned closely with the direction of travel of the fiber optic cables that interface with the device. Closely aligning the fiber optic connections on the device with the fiber optic cables' direction of travel maximizes the bend radius of the fiber optic cable near the point of connection or eliminates the bend altogether and reduces the likelihood of a broken fiber or signal attenuation.