Utility Company Deploys DKM Receivers and ControlBridge Touch Panels in Control Room

THE CHALLENGE

A utilities company needed to build a new control room. They had old equipment that was not effective, using a proprietary system that did not optimize workflows, and could not switch easily between many sources. Originally, the customer had a keyboard and mouse for each computer, but the desired solution needed to enable operators to switch between tasks with one mouse click via a single keyboard and mouse controlling multiple computers. The company wanted several specific capabilities, including glide and switch, redundancy, and flexibility to customize the solution to their requirements.

Compelled by a word-of-mouth recommendation, the company representatives contacted a Black Box distributor to design the desired installation. The distributor asked for the support of Black Box solution experts and we answered the call.

THE SOLUTION

We proposed a DKM KVM product solution for the utilities company. At the customer’s request, we presented a demonstration of a similar existing setup, and viewing the demo sealed the deal.

The current workflow setup has five control room desks with eight screens on each and a single keyboard and mouse, plus 3 x 6 walls screens. DKM receivers are attached to each workstation. A 12-inch ControlBridge® Touch Panel is installed on each desk, customized to enable users to control their single-head, triple-head, and quad-head PCs and their wall screens. Housed in the server Utility Company Deploys DKM Receivers and ControlBridge Touch Panels in Control Room Industry : Utility Companies Solution : DKM KVM Application : Control Room Product : DKM KVM, ControlBridge® room are a DKM 288 Port Matrix with DKM transmitters installed in a 21-Slot Chassis.

This flexible DKM solution allows users at the 5 desks to choose which computer they will work with, and they can view 4 outputs on a single computer, bring 3 screens from the video wall to their desk monitor to work on it, switch the screen back to the wall, then push another button to get the previous computer back on the desktop.

The resulting solution saves time and optimizes workflows by enabling easy switching between systems.

THE RESULT

Addressing every one of the customer’s requirements, the new DKM solution permits operators to switch between tasks with one mouse click via a single keyboard and mouse controlling multiple computers. The system uses glide and switch, and is redundant and flexible. Users enjoy fewer clicks and fewer buttons with less equipment to do their daily work, saving space and time. The new system supports speed and efficiency of workflows, and fosters fast reaction time.

The customer was very pleased with the results. It works better than they originally predicted. With eight screens on each user’s desk, users can move the mouse without any trouble to seamlessly switch to the desired screen. Black Box has been quick to respond to the customer’s needs during the installation and beyond, from designing a custom layout to programming the ControlBridge units.