sales@mainframecomms.co.uk +44(0)1702 443800

MAINFRAME COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Products Overview

Mainframe Communications Ltd, Network House, Journeymans Way,

Temple Farm Business Park,

Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 5TF,

United Kingdom

Issue 2.0

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Head Office and Trade Counter:

01702 443800

sales@mainframecomms.co.uk

Network House, Journeymans Way, Southend-on-Sea Essex SS2 5TF

MAINFRAME

COMMUNICATIONS

LIMITED

Technical Support If you need advice in selecting products to meet your requirements, our knowledgeable sales and technical support staff are available to assist you, and detailed technical data sheets are available on request. For project-based or custom solutions,

we have an experienced design and development department using the latest 3D modelling techniques who will be happy to discuss your needs in detail and develop a high-quality, effective solution for you.

Delivery & Collections Next-day and timed morning deliveries are available for the vast majority of our products, with many also available for collection at our trade counter or for same-day delivery for your most urgent requirements.

Credit Accounts All customers may purchase our products online at mcldatasolutions.co.uk, using credit or debit cards, or by bank

transfer, but if your requirements are more regular you may apply for a credit account. Please contact our sales team for details.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 08:15 to 16:45

Accreditations:

...making the fibre connection since 1988

Find Us On:

Since 1988, Mainframe Communications Limited has been providing Fibre optic & Copper cable connectivity and Cable Management Solutions to the Telecoms, Datacoms, CATV/CCTV, M.O.D, Transportation (inc. LUL) and Petro-Chemical Industries. Mainframe places emphasis on customer-driven designs and high-quality products, with a cost-effective design-to-order process, and holds comprehensive stocks including the largest UK inventory of fibre-optic patchcords available for next-day / same-day delivery or collection. Many of our standard products are also available online through our e-commerce website: mcldatasolutions.co.uk

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Fibre Optic Terminated Cables 4

Fibre Patch Panels 5

Outdoor Products 6

Industrial Products 7

Copper Connectivity 8

Optical Distribution Frames 9

Cable 10

Racks & Cabinets 11

Power and UPS 12

Accessories & Cleaning 13

Custom Design 14

Specialist Services 15

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Fibre-Optic Patch Leads, Pigtails and Pre-Terminated Cables

Patch Leads and Pigtails lie at the heart of every fibre-optic system. We use state-of-the-art interferometric testing on our terminated cables to ensure we consistently deliver an extremely high quality product. With the widest stocks of these items in the UK as well as a make-to-order service, Mainframe are ideally placed as your one-stop supplier.

Connector Types: All standard connector types are available both from stock and made-to-order including the following:

ST, SC, SCAPC, LC, LCAPC, FC, FCAPC, MU, MTP/MPO MT-RJ, E2000, E2000 Angled

Cable Types: Standard patch leads are available in both simplex and duplex with 2.0mm LSZH jackets as standard. 2.8mm jackets

are also available with PVC jackets and alternative colours on request. Standard pigtails are 900µm buffered in twelve standard colours.

Fibre Types: As standard, pre-terminated cables are available in OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4 multimode and OS1, G652 singlemode.

Special fibre types are also available, with some bend-tolerant G657 singlemode patch leads and pigtails from stock.

OM1,2,3,4 Multimode; OS1 G652, G655, G657A/B Singlemode

Example Products:

Pigtails in all connector types. Single

colours or bundled sets of twelve

Patch leads in all connector types. Simplex /

duplex. Various jacket materials / colours

Custom rugged field-deployable cables on

drums. Up to 8-Ways. All connectors.

Pre-terminated multi-way cables

manufactured to length. All connectors.

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The basic function of a patch panel is to present terminated fibre so that it may be patched to its final destination within a cabinet or rack. However, there are many ways this may be accomplished, from a simple presentation panel for presenting a pre-terminated cable to total-front-access panels incorporating splice cassettes and patchcord management.

Connector / Fibre Types: Most of our panels are available from stock with standard connector types and pigtails with many other configurations

available with very short lead times. The connectors and fibre types available are the same as those shown in the pre-terminated cables section of this document.

Panel Types: Most of our panels are available from stock with standard connector types and pigtails with many other

configurations available with very short lead times.

1U, 2U, 3U, Patch Only, Splice & Patch, DIN Rail, 19”, 23”, ETSI, Wall Mount

Example Products:

Patch & Splice panels in 1U to 3U. Options for

patchcord management. All Connector types.

1U Patch only. Options for patch cord

management. All Connector types.

Wall-mounted lockable splice / patch

units. Cable entry options.

Specialist integrated splice & patch DIN-Rail

mounted units. All connector types.

Wall mounted plastic FTTx enclosures in a

variety of sizes, capacities and connector types

Patch Panels / Customer Panels

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Outdoor Products

There are many situations where equipment or plant must be located outdoors, and Mainframe have products which cater for products from small plastic wall-mounted enclosures for up to four splices, all the way up to 4000 fibre splice and patch Optical Distribution Systems.

Product Types: In Mainframe’s outdoor range, you will find street cabinets, rail-approved enclosures, specialist rugged splice joints

and many industry-specific products, as well as a full range of Fibre to the Home / Cabinet / Office (FTTx) equipment. We also supply many types of fibre cable suitable for outdoor use.

Example Products:

864-way IP-Rated dome splice closure for

wall / pole / pit mounting.

Plastic FTTx 8-Way splice and patch premises

distribution enclosure.

IP Rated Roadside cabinets—empty or fully-

configured ODFs

Special-purpose all-metallic trackside plug-

coupled splice assembly.

Unitube indoor / outdoor loose tube, corrugated

steel armoured cable.

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Industrial Products

The variety of industrial settings in which cabinets and enclosures may be deployed is extremely wide and Mainframe have various products suitable for use where environmental protection, fire hazard and other similar constraints apply. Our Design and Development team are also available to create project-specific products to meet your brief. We also offer DC UPS systems , DIN-Rail mounted optical patch panels and many other items for the industrial and factory environments.

Contents: We are not only suppliers of empty racks and cabinets to house your equipment. We can also build your cabinets to

order with the necessary equipment—optical or copper panels or even your free-issued components. We can even wire it to your drawings.

Enclosure Types: Whatever your industry, we have a range of cabinet and connectivity solutions to suit. Roadside and Trackside

enclosures, DIN Rail mounting splice and patch units, specialist trackside splice joints and IP69 wall mounted enclosures to name but a few. Call us with your requirement and we’ll do the work of finding a product that fits.

Example Products:

IP Rated 19” cabinets in floor and wall

mounting.

Special-purpose all-metallic industrial splice

enclosure.

Compact rail-approved, stainless steel wall-

mounted splice and patch enclosure.

Specialist integrated splice & patch DIN-Rail

mounted units. All connector types.

DIN Rail mounting DC Power supply /

uninterruptible power supply.

.

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Copper networking is found everywhere—from the home and office to datacentres and telecommunications hubs, broadcast and film. Mainframe cater for all these applications with a range of products for all budgets and specifications.

Product Types: In Mainframe’s range of copper networking products, you will find CAT5e, CAT6, Augmented CAT6 and CAT7 cables,

patch leads, panels and outlets; installation tools and a unique secure-locking CAT6 system enabling physical security of your network. In addition to our high-quality, low-cost ranges we also supply high-end branded products from

Brand-Rex and Nexans.

Example Products:

Boxed CAT5/6/6a/7 cables in shielded and

unshielded types.

Comprehensive CAT5/6 termination, installation

and test kit.

Nexans LANmark7 LSOH jacketed patch leads

in various lengths.

CAT5/6/7 patch leads in a wide variety of

lengths, colours and constructions..

Patch panels in Keystone, toolless and

punchdown variants.

Secure CAT6 patching system. Prevents unauthorised

connection / disconnection of patch cables.

Copper Connectivity

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Optical Distribution Frames are ubiquitous in the telecommunications sector, but as the use of fibre has grown to other sectors, and higher and higher fibre counts are deployed, these products are now finding their way into many industrial and transport sectors. These sectors have their own unique requirements and Mainframe have much experience in designing or adapting ODFs into these new environments.

Product Types: There are many ways to construct an ODF—from an open frame design to a fully environmentally sealed cabinet.

Mainframe has developed a number of flexible, modular solutions which may be incorporated into a wide range of enclosures with port counts from 12 to 4000. Our portfolio includes small trackside IP67 ODFs, standard 19”, 23” and

ETSI cabinet solutions, and a 4000-way IP67 system designed for installation in pits under city streets.

Example Products:

A 384-Way ODF with FC/PC terminations in a 600mm deep 19”

IP66 Stainless Steel Cabinet using 4-Tray Pivot Modules.

A 586-Way ODF with mixed SC and FC/PC terminations in a

300mm deep ETSI Cabinet using 8-Tray Pivot Modules.

2160 fibre compact stainless steel IP67 ODF for

subterranean use.

A 360-Way ODF with in a pedestal-mounted compact FTTx

Pillar Street Cabinet.

Optical Distribution Frames (ODFs)

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The environments in which cable is deployed are myriad, and almost every cable installation is unique. Fortunately, the multitude of cable types available ensures that most environments are catered for—often off-the-shelf. Mainframe can supply many types of cable cut-to-length and also offer a pre-termination service on certain types of cable to minimize the installation time.

Product Types: With products from various manufacturers, including Brand-Rex, Mainframe offer a wide range of cable types—both

copper and fibre-optic. The copper range includes CAT5, 6, and 7, and the fibre optic range includes indoor/outdoor types in single and multi-tube constructions as well as all-dielectric and steel-tape armoured variants in both

singlemode and multimode.

Example Products:

Brand-Rex indoor / outdoor singlemode OS1 Fire Survival cable

12-core all-dielectric Multimode OM2 50µm unitube cable with a

Low Smoke Zero Halogen jacket. Water & UV resistant.

24 core singlemode tight-buffered LSZH internal distribution

cable. Flame retardant, all dielectric.

24-core indoor / outdoor corrugated steel tape armoured

singlemode OS1. LSZH, rodent-resistant, flame retardant.

CAT6 steel wire armoured LSZH network cable suitable for

outdoor and direct burial use..

Nexans LANmark7 S/FTP cable, individual foil screened

pairs, overall braid. Ultimate future-proof cable.

Cable

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Racks and Cabinets

Racks and cabinets comply with three standards relating to the width of equipment to be mounted; 19”, 23” and ETSI. Within these three standards are many different variations in construction, size, mounting-type and environmental protection, ensuring the best fit for your application.

Product Types: Mainframe’s racks and cabinets range includes a variety of different products, falling broadly into the following

categories: Wall-Mounted, Open Frame, Outdoor Cabinets and Data Racks - including a series of flat-packed racks for installation into areas where access may be difficult. Many products are configurable with regards to the doors and

vented panels.

Example Products:

12U IP66 rated outdoor wall mounting cabinet with

blank steel gland plates.

42U 600mm x 800mm Flat-Pack data rack. Safety glass

front door, solid side and rear panels.

IP 55 Rated Roadside cabinet, 19” Rails, 18U.

30U 600mm x 600mm 19” Open Access frame.

Simple 12U, 19” Wall mounting 600mm X 600mm

cabinet. Lockable glass front door.

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Power and Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Supplying and maintaining power to certain critical items of hardware is essential in many circumstances—whether to protect the integrity of data or to ensure the efficacy of safety or security critical systems such as alarms or interlocks.

Product Types: In Mainframe’s range of copper networking products, you will find CAT5e, CAT6, Augmented CAT6 and CAT7 cables,

patch leads, panels and outlets; installation tools and a unique secure-locking CAT6 system enabling physical security of your network. In addition to our high-quality, low-cost ranges we also supply high-end branded products from

Brand-Rex and Nexans.

Example Products:

24-Way DC Power Fuse / Distribution panel

Riello Dialog Vision 3kVA 240 Volt AC UPS.

J. Schneider 24V DC 5A Super-Capacitor

backed power supply. DIN rail mounting.

Riello Dialog Vision 1.1 kVA 240 Volt Line-

interactive UPS.

J. Schneider 24V 20A battery-backed DC Power

Supply. DIN rail mounting.

Riello Vision 2kVA Line-interactive 240Volt AC UPS

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Accessories & Cleaning

There are many small products which fall into the category of Accessories, but without which no installation could ever be complete. These range from consumables used in splicing such as support sleeves, through to attenuators used in testing and commissioning. Also included here are the most often overlooked essential—the cleaning kits.

Product Types: This group of products is incredibly diverse and it would be impossible to list a representative sample which covered

everything. Suffice to say Mainframe’s range encompasses practically every accessory the installer, operator or test engineer will ever need.

Example Products:

8 and 24-Way splice support bridges.

FC/PC, SC and LC singlemode attenuators.

Sticklers specialized fibre cleaning sticks.

Heat-shrinkable splice support sleeves.

24-way plastic splice cassette.

Universal fibre cleaning kit with tape and click type

cleaners, cleaning sticks, wipes and solution.

Adaptors and converters of every variety.

Rack mounting cage nut kit.

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Custom Designs

The reach of fibre optics, and networking in general is extending at an incredible rate, and while the technologies in use in the telecommunications environment are mature, they do not always translate effectively into emerging environments. Industries such as petrochemical, rail and power generation bring with them their own specific requirements and often the products available are just not quite up to the job. Mainframe have a long history of customer-led product design and employ the latest 3D modelling techniques to quickly develop and evaluate a solution which meets your specific requirements.

Case Studies:

Trackside Equipment Cabinet with Fibre Optic

Distribution

The customer brief was broad, but the requirements

were centred around:

Trackside environment

London Underground Standards

Fire Safety Performance

Environmental Protection for Signalling

Vibration Performance

48 Fibre Presentations

Up to 120 splices

Multiple Cable Entries

Internal AC power distribution

6U of 19” Equipment Space

DIN rail for terminal wiring

Secure Locking

Low profile

From the outset it was clear that this was not an off-the-shelf product. Mainframe’s modular Pivot ODF

was a very good fit for the fibre-optic part of the requirements but the space requirements for the

equipment to be housed meant that it could not be

mounted on standard 19” rails.

The initial design comprised an integrated swing-out frame for the optical distribution panel and a pair of

recessed rails. AC terminals were located behind the equipment area for effective utilisation of space.

This design was reviewed by the customer using functional 3D models and a prototype built and

tested before a full production run. These cabinets have now been deployed on Metro lines in various

cities around the world from Dubai to London and

remain part of Mainframe’s portfolio.

Wind Farm Patch-Through Splice Enclosure

This project was, from the original customer request, a bespoke design. The initial requirements were as

follows:

Exposure to marine environment

Splicing area for 1 x 96, 1 x 72 fibre cable

Insertion loss <0.5dB

Field reconfigurable without tools

Low profile

The obvious design baselines were first identified:

marine-grade stainless steel and IP67 sealed, but the low insertion loss required more consideration.

Ordinarily, a reconfigurable enclosure would present the

incoming cables as pigtails via a splice cassette, and a patchcord used for interconnection. However, this

arrangement requires two splices and two mated pairs

per circuit, which on average would total approximately 1.0dB. This would suggest the use of specially-selected

(and consequently higher cost) pigtails and patchcords. This configuration would also require space and

management for 72 patchcords within the enclosure.

Several solutions to the problems above were posited,

and it was decided that rather than using patchcords for the interconnection, the pigtails would instead connect

together directly. However, this would require that reconfiguration in the field be undertaken on relatively

fragile buffered fibre. This was deemed an unnecessary

risk. The solution was to use ruggedized fibre from the interconnection panel to a gland panel which anchored

the fibre strength member allowing the buffered fibre to pass through on to the cassettes. This solution satisfied

all the design criteria and offered substantial cost and

space savings over a more traditional solution.

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Specialist Services

Since Mainframe’s inception in 1988, and its work on military installations it has developed a core of expertise in

many disciplines from copper and optical network design, installation and testing to harness building and cabinet

wiring. An experienced management team and multi-disciplined staff enable us to react quickly to emerging requirements and ensure our technicians realise consistently high quality products. All our wiring is to IPC-

WHMA-A-620 or higher. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and whether you require a simple mechanical assembly or a complex mechanical / optical / electrical build, we are meticulous and diligent.

In addition to custom designs and product sourcing and supply, we also offer the following services:

Cabinet build-to-specifications or drawings

...using Mainframe-supplied product

...using customer-supplied product

...using a mix of the above

Cubicle and Rack wiring to specifications or drawings

Wire harness assembly to specification or drawings

Custom cable assemblies

A flexible documented system of controls is embedded in our ISO9001 quality management system, allowing us to easily implement additional controls such as:

Customer approved suppliers only

Customer approved products only

Customer–specified in-process tests / checks

Factory acceptance testing

Work to specified standards

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At Mainframe we understand that things aren’t always straightforward. Our policy is to make things as simple for our customers as we possibly can, and listed below are some of the ways we make that happen. Of course, if you need us to do something we haven’t listed all you have to do is call us for a chat and we’ll see what we can do.

...the extra mile

Rack Building We can supply you with an empty rack or a rack with shelves and power or

even a rack fully populated with your free-issued equipment and wired to the highest standards. Our wiremen have experience with the most

demanding builds—from railway signalling and PLC cabinets to SCADA and large digital and optical distribution frames.

Custom Cables Sometimes all you need is an odd length cable with connectors on to get the

job done. Let us know and we’ll make it to order.

Specialized Product Design (OEM) Custom-designed products feature heavily in Mainframe’s history. Many of

our standard products were developed in response to a customer requirement and we can handle anything from one-offs upwards. Call us

with your specification.

Direct Ship / White Box Want your goods delivered direct to your site? Of course. Don’t want your

customers to know who supplied you? No problem. Want us to include your delivery note? Just email your request and a copy of the paperwork. Simple.

Product Modifications If you need a modification to one of our products, such as labelling with your

brand, different paint, extra holes, an odd connector mix or something else that would make your life easier just let us know and we’ll do all we can to

accommodate.

Projects / RFQs Need help sourcing the right products and pricing for a larger project? With

a large supplier base and plenty of experience we could help take the strain.

Pre-Sales Support for Fibre & Copper Systems The field of fibre optics is constantly changing and is full of traps for the

inexperienced. If you’re not sure what you need, give us a call; the only silly questions are the ones you didn’t ask.