WOODLAND HILLS, CA — At the UCI School of Biological Sciences, attention to detail is pivotal. In understanding the division of cells, isolated cellular organelles and postmortem changes, students observe cell activity through a microscope attached to a PC. The resulting microscopic image is enlarged on the PC monitor and distributed to five different HD digital displays located throughout the lab.
UCI’s Bio Sci Computing Services group turned to Gefen for a distribution solution that allowed the signal to be extended up to 30 feet between the displays and the source.
“The microscope’s signal is fed to the first Gefen DVI Splitter 30 feet away. From there, the signal is sent to two more Splitters, one six feet
away and the other 30 feet away. Those two splitters then feed the signal to the four displays,” explained David Krueger of Bio Sci Computing.
Prior to going digital, the lab was using an old analog VGA Microscope camera connected to two 27-inch consumer grade televisions.
“The cabling was bad, the signal was horrible and the picture on the televisions had degraded with time,” said Krueger.
Because the stock video card in the PC supports dual monitors, the team was able to split the signal coming out of the PC; one went to the local
display and the other to the DVI Splitters and the four extended displays.
Gefen supplied two 30-foot DVD-D cables and three DVI Splitters, connected to one Dell OmniPlex GX280 PC, an Olympus BX60 microscope, a microscope mounted camera connected to the PC via a PCI card, and five Dell LCD displays.
“The Gefen boxes delivered the same video signal to all of the displays with no degradation to the image,” said Krueger. “The splitters are small
and do exactly what they are supposed to do – duplicate the video signal with pristine imagery.”
Everything came together in just under a week. The final touches included two lockable fiberglass electrical panel boxes to ensure the security of
the Gefen Splitters and to protect them from lab chemicals.
With the tangible benefits of microscopic imagery in the digital domain, UCI’s School of Biological Sciences is investigating the possibility of
duplicating this set up for other labs in the future.
About Gefen:
A leader in the high definition digital domain, Gefen delivers advanced technologies with multi-platform extension, switching, distribution and conversion capabilities. Gefen equipment is utilized all over the world in professional AV/IT and consumer electronics/home theater environments. Their add-on hardware maximizes system functionality and enhances operability by enabling AV systems to go beyond their original
functionalities. Solutions support an array of connectivity interfaces including HDMI, DVI, dual link DVI, HD-SDI, SDI, VGA, RCA, USB, Firewire
and RS-232. A selection of high quality cabling is also available. Additional information may be found at www.gefen.com.
