Pea River electric renews critical display systems with the help of Datapath

In the control center of its headquarters in Alabama has installed a videowall configured with LED screens of LG 55 inches and 700 Nits. For its monitoring, the VSNMicro platform is used 600.

From sending an email to feeding urgent medical teams, energy keeps America connected. The energy industry is diversifying as consumers explore new purchasing and distribution options. The electric cooperative Pea River, based in Alabama, is at the heart of innovation in the energy channel.

To offer optimal energy experiences to your 18.000 accounts, the cooperative is using advanced audiovisual tools to carry out critical monitoring tasks at its headquarters.

Pea River needed a new video wall and a control system for its headquarters in Ozark (Alabma) and resorted to Encore Technologies, a subsidiary of Harris Security Systems, also based in Ozark.

Encore opted for the VSNMicro platform 600 of Datapath for this project, "given its intuitive operation and robust feature set. The cost of the processor was also reasonable”, comments LaDon Findley, manager and senior designer/estimator of the AV division of Encore Technologies.

Available with a range of options including an industrial-grade motherboard, Intel processors, DDR4, ATX or RSPU memory and power supplies, the VSNMicro 600 is designed to offer the same feature set of larger VSN systems. Also supports vision capture solutions, image graphics and ActiveSQX IP decoding cards.

Customers can build systems with a large number of video inputs and IP streams that can power a large multi-screen video wall.

The supervisory control and data acquisition system (Scada) Pea River monitors power lines and transformers throughout its area, and more specifically, your area of responsibility. When they have a power outage, lose a transformer or a line falls, a critical alert appears on the videowall as an alarm. A map indicates the exact location of the problem.

Maintaining the serviceability of the structure is a complex task with many moving parts. There is no room for ambiguity and no time for guesswork. Several computers on pea River's HQCall desktop run different software packages and operators display information on the video wall.

“Everyone who sits at the call desk, usually three to four people, can look at the screen and see the status of a particular call. Operators see where they have a problem, how to get there and where it originates. This way they can send someone right away to have it fixed.”, says Findley.

Datapath activeconnect cables have also been used in this installation, what are DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 long-range fiber optics, with lengths up to 100 metre.

Greg Babbs, Datapath Sales and Account Manager, "The flexibility to visualize and position any of your critical operations at different locations and times is a key element for this Alabama control room.. Our solution offers enhanced flexibility, such as the ability to have cable TV, real-time operations software and status information. This is where the videowall processor offers benefits over other technologies. The user can place any of that information anywhere on the video wall, anytime you want".

A brilliant Led idea

The display solution in this control room is integrated by Led modules Lg of 55 Inch, super narrow bezel and 700 Nits. "These offer remarkable brightness., smooth performance and operation 24/7. The resolution, while running at 1080p, It's amazing”, findley clarifies. LG modules can also be configured via a LAN daisy chain if desired.

Findley believes this LED-based project reflects the broader display trends in the industry..

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