Services Archives - Management Services and Solutions

TETRA Equipment and Terminals for PMR Networks

Public Safety, Utility and Transport organisations over many years have deployed Private Mobile Radio (PMR) infrastructure equipment with high availability and reliability to provide to provide dedicated, secure communications networks.

Modern implementations of PMR utilise the digital TETRA standard, which provides interoperability between systems and terminals from a range of manufacturers.

@YellowsBestLtd our mission is “Keeping Customers Operational”, by continuing to provided spares solutions, hardware repairs and support services to ensure continued long-term operations and maintenance.

Examples of the products we have recently been requested to provide spares solutions and repairs services include Motorola Desk Radio Terminals:

Terminal Products
Part Number	Product Code	Description
M47PCC6T25_N	MT912	MTM700 380-430 MHz DESK Terminal
M80PCC6TZ5_N	MT912M	MTM800 380-430 MHz DESK Terminal
FIRMWARE	CLEAR / TEA1 / TEA2	Choice for all radios
OPTION	EXP DASH	Expand Control Head, 5m cable

If you have similar or other Radio solutions requirements and legacy maintenance services needs, please get in touch to discuss how we may be of assistance.

Hardware Repairs

Organisations that deploy, own and maintain infrastructure systems and networks make considerable investments in time and money, and it makes complete business sense to maximise the return on these investments. Even if it were desirable to make wholesale replacements, such projects take time to undertake. Ideally, if the equipment is performing satisfactorily and operational requirements have not changed, then is better to keep the existing equipment maintained for as long as possible.

Critical infrastructure systems are typically built to last, with high availability and reliable system components, and interchangeable spare parts. But sooner or later, repairs to elements are needed. During initial deployment and warranty periods, this is not normally an issue, but over time, these services become more specialised and difficult to obtain, as vendors advance their portfolios and discontinue older products.

@YellowsBestLtd specialises in ‘Keeping Customers Operational‘ by sourcing equipment spare parts and hardware repairs to modern and legacy systems. Should you have any requirements, please get in touch; we would be very pleased to hear from you, and look forward to being of assistance.

Take a look at some of the elements for which we provide hardware repairs services: Recent repairs requests

GAIA – Earth Artwork by Luke Jerram

Fortunate to see the display of Gaia, the touring artwork by UK artist, Luke Jerram, hosted this month at the Beverley Minster.

Measuring seven metres in diameter and created from detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface the artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet, floating in three dimensions. In Greek Mythology Gaia is the personification of the Earth.

Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.

@YellowsBestLtd helps Customers with their operational needs, and one aspect is to #Reduce the demand for avoidable whole-scale replacements through a combination of supply for #Reuse of refurbished spares and repair of system elements. When removal and disposal of no-longer serviceable infrastructure parts is necessary, we can also assist with the resale and #Recycle for ‘value recovery’ of valuable materials. In this small way, we aim to make a difference in the impact we have on our planet through sustainable solutions.

Please get in touch should you wish to discuss your operational requirements and see how @YellowsBestLtd can be of assistance.

Motherboard Repairs

Repairs to elements such as modules and cards of infrastructure hardware is one way we achieve our mission of “Keeping Customers Operational”. A good and recent example is Motherboards for display systems. These are from established, long-standing and therefore proven and fit-for-purpose systems. It therefore makes sense to maintain and extend the life of these parts.

Typical with such ‘legacy’ elements is that the level of complexity of the items is not excessive, meaning that repairs using discreet components is perfectly feasible, unlike more modern integrated systems which use specialised parts that cannot be freely or cheaply obtained or impossible to disassemble resulting in them being classed as ‘BER’ (Beyond Economic Repair). This is ultimately costly and disruptive, requiring wholesale replacements.

@Yellowsbestltd would be keen to hear from you should you have any repairs requirements. We would welcome receiving any defective items you have in order to perform a no-cost assessment to establish the feasibility and likely cost of restoration. Please get in touch to let us know how we can help.

Broken? Don’t give up hope!

Cable end connector stuck in iPhone / iPad

Here is a recent problem which would appear to be quite common. The end of the connector on a lightning cable was stuck inside the charging / accessory port. This worryingly appears to be a frequent occurrence resulting from the use of cheap, unbranded cables where the tip of the connector can break off, forming a staple-shaped piece, jamming itself into the iPhone or iPad. The result is that it is impossible to charge the device, unless the broken connector lead is retained, as it is the only one now small enough to fit into the accessory port.

This problem can render the expensive phone or tablet useless. For older out-of-warranty products it is potentially not worth a repair investigation and even with newer devices this may be classified as ‘accidental damage’, requiring extended insurance cover to avoid a significant resolution cost.

Happily, it may be possible to address the problem using the following simple technique:

Use a ultra-small, precision screwdriver. It needs to be small enough to easily fit inside the accessory port and be able to be levered across it’s width, whilst being sturdy enough not to bend or break.
Insert into the device’s accessory port, and position sideways across the width of the opening, such that the end of the tool is pressing on the inside of the port about half-way in / up.
Then, with an outwards ‘levering’ action, pull the broken connector piece out of the port.

If fortunate, this will remove the obstruction and return the device to an operational state. Naturally, success is not certain and there is the risk of causing further damage. Hence, particularly with newer devices, if you are not confident in your abilities then best to consult an electronics specialist or seek professional assistance from an approved repair centre.

The lesson from this experience is to purchase good quality, branded accessory leads and dispose of any cables where the connector shows signs of wear.

Maintenance of new and legacy systems

@Yellowsbestltd our mission is “Keeping Customers Operational”, by assisting with with the repair of parts for infrastructure systems. These are typically established, long-standing and therefore proven and fit-for-purpose. It makes sense to maintain and extend the life of these systems, as wholesale replacements will be costly and disruptive. This is particularly applicable when the service requirements have not changed, so functionality upgrades are not necessary.

We would be keen to hear from you should you have any repairs requirements. Please get in touch to let us know how we can help. By example, there follows a list of a few recent requests we have been able to assist with. We look forward to hearing from you with any feedback you may have.

Recent repairs requests

Repairs

Maintenance of new and legacy systems

In order to accomplish our mission of “Keeping Customers Operational”, we often assist with the repair of parts for infrastructure systems, which are typically established, long-standing and therefore proven and fit-for-purpose. It makes sense to maintain and extend the life of these systems, as wholesale replacements will be costly and disruptive. This is particularly applicable when the service requirements have not changed, so functionality upgrades are not necessary.

Often, new product spares are expensive, difficult to source with long lead times, or no longer manufactured due to the product range having been discontinued and/or the original vendor having ceased business. In such circumstances, it becomes even more important to restore existing parts to working condition, tested and warrantied.

Available hardware services vary depending on the wide range of deployed technologies, and sometimes repairs are not possible due to component shortages or poor condition of the parts (e.g. suffering from water damage). But often both ‘legacy’ and newer items can be refurbished. Rebuild and recovery of software configurations can also be required and performed.

By example, there follows a list of a few recent requests we have been able to assist with. We look forward to hearing from you with any feedback you may have.

Recent repairs requests

Repair Services – is it B.E.R.?

Equipment repair decisions – the Customer’s right!

Customers with critical infrastructure networks have elements that fail from time-to-time. These can usually be swapped out with items from a spare parts stock, to return the system to operational service with the minimum of disruption to overall system availability.

The question then arises of whether the failed item can be repaired. In most circumstances, it is possible to restore parts to working condition, but sometimes they are classified as ‘Beyond Economic Repair’ (B.E.R.). This can be a somewhat contentious issue.

In theory, the term should be only applied to items where the repair cost would exceed the price of the purchase of a new or refurbished replacement. However, on the one hand the term can be used to label something that physically cannot be restored e.g. due to fire or water damage. On the other, it’s often applied to items where no repair facilities exist or it’s not possible to easily source the required components to complete the remedial work. So in other words, the term is used instead of the negative-sounding ‘repair not possible’.

The reason why this can become a source of frustration is because some customers rightly insist that they should be the “one who decides” if the item is ‘B.E.R.’. Maybe for reliability statistical reasons or version compatibility, it is sometimes desired to retain the original part even if repair costs are high. Sometimes, legacy replacement spare parts are in very short supply, and so it makes sense to retain and refurbish items rather than scraping and losing them forever. Even if the short-term associated costs are greater, for products that are no longer being manufactured, the available ‘spares pool’ is finite and diminishing over time and so the decision to repair may avoid longer-term supply issues in the future.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

@YellowsBestLtd helps Customers with their operational needs, and one aspect is to #Reduce the demand for avoidable whole-scale replacements through a combination of #Reuse of refurbished spares and repair of system elements. When removal and disposal of no-longer serviceable infrastructure parts is necessary, we can also assist with the resale and #Recycle for ‘value recovery’ of valuable materials.

We can assist by supplying critical and hard-to-find spare parts and hardware repair services, even when the systems have been declared ‘obsolete’ (i.e. no longer in production) by the O.E.M. And we will endeavour to ensure that repair options are always available and the question of B.E.R. is up to the Customer to decide. Please let us know how we can help; we look forward to hearing from you.

Repair Services

Maintenance Services for Systems Equipment

From time-to-time, hardware elements within infrastructure systems fail, and repair services are required for a diverse range of parts procured over a considerable period of time, from a multitude of Original Equipment Manufacturers (O.E.M.s), some of which no longer exist.

YellowsBest is able to provide a comprehensive repairs management service for both new and old equipment items, all to a standard equivalent to the original working condition and with warranted operation.

Component Level Repairs Example: SES Displayboards

An example of the type of equipment that we are often asked to assist with is the MS1 Matrix LED ‘displayboards’ produced by SES and used for professional signage applications.

Typical issues to deal with are Faulty LEDs, damaged capacitors and broken sockets, which have occurred in operational use over time. Adding to this are problems stemming from heat gun damage and resoldering caused by previous ‘user fixes’. But these issues are addressable and the boards restored to full working condition.

Other types of equipment for repair services include Telecommunications products, power supplies and CCTV cameras.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Most customers have implemented their private network infrastructure systems over a number of years, and for many their operational requirements have not changed. Consequently, it makes more sense both financially and environmentally to maintain these systems rather than embark on complete change-outs. We can assist by supplying critical and hard-to-find spare parts and hardware repair services, even when the systems have been declared ‘obsolete’ (i.e. no longer in production) by the O.E.M. We look forward to hearing from you.

Keeping Customers Operational – ‘telling’ not ‘selling’

@YellowsBestLtd our mission is to provide our Customers with Management Services and Solutions so their infrastructure networks continue to serve and perform – “Keeping Customers Operational”

Needs vary from the launch of the latest IT and Telecoms technologies through to the support of well-established legacy systems.

Given that each organisation is unique, both in its business practices and deployed infrastructure, then we find that its best to take a flexible approach and provide tailored services to suit exacting demands.

Our no-cost and no-obligation Customer consultation is all about finding out needs, regardless of technology or manufacturer, and then sourcing the required solution(s), which may mean seeking out difficult to obtain products or requiring the supply of specialist services. So in essence, it’s not about us ‘selling’ them something we have, but rather our clients ‘telling’ us what to provide. Making it easier and more convenient for busy procurement and operational teams, saving them effort, time and cost.

We’re always keen to see how we can enhance our range of #business services, increase the #enterprise infrastructure we support and expand our mix of #systems solutions to supply the required #technologies and products for our customers.

Please help us understand what services would be of interest to you to support your systems requirements, by getting in touch; we look forward to hearing from you.

*Business Services*
Day Rate	Operations & Maintenance	Engineering Site Visits	Hardware Repair
Project Based	Training	Solutions Sourcing	Software Support
Consultancy	Telephone Assistance	Spares Supply	Reverse Logistics & Value Recovery

*Enterprise Infrastructure*
Alcatel-Lucent	Bosch	Ernitec	Ganz
Huawei	IBM	Keymile	Marconi
Nokia	Pelco	RAD	360Vision

*Sustainable Solutions*
Legacy Systems	Refurbishment	Testing	Craft Terminals
Spares Sourcing	Repairs	Maintenance	Technical Support
New Telecoms Infrastructure	Functional Replacements	Reverse Engineering	Management Systems

*Technologies & Products*
PDH Access	SDH Transport	IP / MPLS	CCTV Cameras
Copper Cabling	Microwave Radio	Pseudo-wire	Solar Energy
IT / Servers	DWDM / CWDM	Carrier Ethernet	PMR / TETRA

Business Financing

Equipment Leasing and Funding

With Business expansion in mind, when there’s a need to fund key purchases of equipment, but you don’t want to tie up precious capital, and perhaps even with a carefully worked out business plan, your bank won’t provide the lending – help, is at hand …

@YellowsBestLtd we can assist with funding though our business finance partners. Finance can be arranged for nearly all business equipment, machinery and IT (including software). With facilities small and large that can be repaid over 1 to 5 years, it makes sense consider how you can get what you need now, not what you can only afford. After all, you don’t pay for your staff 3 years in advance, and you don’t wait to buy a building for them to work in. So don’t hold yourself back!

Please get in touch to let us know what you need to purchase and see how we can enable your business to move forward. Or perhaps you’re selling your products to your Customers, in which case we can arrange a point of sale facility to aid their purchase and accelerate your sale.

Summary of Customer Benefits

– an alternative line of credit: finance lease, lease/hire purchase, loans, sale & leaseback

– tax efficient: leasing is 100% tax deductible

– all asset types considered: office equipment, production machinery, fixtures & fittings, etc

– the biggest benefit is ‘the use’, not ‘the ownership’

Summary of Vendor Benefits

– provision of ‘point of sale’ leasing and finance facilities

– increase order values, sell more equipment

– incorporate services & consumables in rentals

– more effective cost justification