Tech College Updates AV and Power Protection

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/10/17

Clover Park Technical College in Washington has upgraded its audiovisual gear in 21 classrooms with a new system that incorporates power conditioners to prevent outages. The college, which has two sites with a student enrollment of about 7,200, delivers programs in aerospace, manufacturing, automotive, healthcare and tech, among others. Yet, until recently, the school's classrooms used analog equipment for presentations. Sometimes, the AV would turn on; and other times, it wouldn't, said Dean Michelle Hillesland in a press release. Frequently, projected content would overflow the screens, making images and text difficult to read.

Clover Park installation

The college brought in Proton360 Communications, a Kirkland-based technology integration firm, to design a new digital AV platform that included power protection. The integrator recommended 20 PL-8C power conditioners in a rack-mountable design from Furman. Next, Proton360 designed and deployed a new AV system with one-touch panels in each room that allow faculty to control displays and projectors. The implementation includes Hitachi multi-purpose projectors that are bright and clear enough to work in ambient light, according to the integrator.

The system has been running smoothly, said Hillesland, and the college hasn't experienced any power surges that have affected the equipment. "I have witnessed power surges before that have temporarily 'killed' our technology," she said. The new installation, she added, "has completely transformed our operations."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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