Insane Impact

About the Issue

A High School Football game was delayed due to a malfunctioning Delay of Game (DoG) Clock. The customer attempted to repair the clock but was unsuccessful, leading to a call to Politon for assistance.

Diagnosis and Repair

The initial inspection revealed single-mode fiber patch cords in the DoG clock fiber enclosure and the tech booth, which were incompatible with the multi-mode fiber optic cable connecting the two locations. Replacing the patch cords with multi-mode ones did not resolve the issue. Further investigation using a laser to test the fiber revealed a break in the connection. The problem was traced to a connection point at the base of the stadium, where a mouse or rat had chewed one of the delicate strands. The solution was to move the connection to one of the two backup pairs that were already terminated.

Solution and Prevention

Once the connection was moved to the backup pair, the DoG clock was plugged back in and functioned as expected. The customer was surprised at the speed of the repair, which highlighted the importance of having multiple layers of redundancy in fiber optic cable systems. To prevent future issues, the panel was secured to prevent further animal infestation.