Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1439508
January/February/March 2022 I 25 A mesh bonding topology improves circuit perfor- mance because the net effect of bonding everything together is to lower the overall resistance in the circuit. Each parallel addition reduces the overall resistance. Significantly less than established threshold can be demonstrated through measurement with a micro-ohmmeter. Installation can take a lot of time, time that instal- lers these days simply do not have; and time is money. Installers need to utilize a solution that will ensure bonding integrity. They also need products that will help them remain safe. It is important to remember that any onsite, in-field fabrication on ladders and overhead of equipment can always introduce an element of increased risk of falls and injury. Additionally, installers, at times, have to modify the cable runway, which takes even more extensive amounts of time and labor. When drilling to install straps is required, there are metal shavings that can introduce new opportu- nities for equipment damage to occur. Using the principle of a mesh bonding topology creates that series-parallel circuit across the room discussed earlier. In this case, field testers only show continuity. A micro-ohmmeter can then reveal the massive difference in resistance. This approach allows the design to eliminate a number of traditional components, purely by having the foresight to effectively combine those components together. Thus, a new kind of mesh bonding topology is born (Figure 5). It is here, at this juncture, where ICT professionals can build upon what has come before and make it better—not by tearing down the past but by building it back up, better. Benjamin Franklin would approve! FIGURE 5: By combining components together, a new kind of mesh network topology that uses interconnected and bonded cable trays and runway ensures a faster, safer, easier, more efficient, and better performing method for bonding and grounding in the data center and beyond. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: David M. Richards, RCDD, NTS, OSP, TECH, CT, has more than 30 years of experience in the ICT industry, having worked as a systems engineer and quality assurance and quality control consultant in several organizations, including 19 years as a design and installation Master Instructor and Certified Trainer for BICSI. In 2012, David was awarded the BICSI Presidential Eagle Award for his dedication, vision, and volunteerism in leadership of the BICSI Cabling Skills Challenge. As product manager of Open Systems at Chatsworth Products (CPI), David manages the lifecycle and performance of CPI's wide variety of racks, cable management, cable pathway, and bonding and grounding solutions. David also serves as treasurer for the BICSI Board of Directors and was recently named President-Elect; his term begins in February of 2022. David can be reached at drichards@chatsworth.com. Beyond the basics, the electrical protection of today's high-speed cabling systems is an essential part of a properly designed and installed ICT infrastructure.