Author: Tom Shannon

Great Scott!!  October 21, 2015 is the date that Marty McFly travels to the future to chase down Biff Tannin.  You see, Biff has traveled to/fro the future and has gotten his hands on an almanac that allows him to predict every recorded sporting event since 1989.  Of course, riches follow.  Power and corruption soon follow.  That Biff.

It is a cool thing that we can compare the technological predictions made in the movie to what has actually occurred in real life.  Such an impressive list would include:

• Hover Boards – Not yet on the market, but they do exist.
• Google Glass
• Video conference calls
• Tablet computers
• Self Tying shoes – On their way.
• Finger Print Recognition

I’ve heard from a third cousin’s husband’s friend that another technology prediction put forth by the movie, unfortunately ended up on the editing floor.  But, it would have been spot on.  What was it?  Remote site continuous battery monitoring!

So, OK, maybe it’s not as suave as hover boards, but remote site battery monitoring is quite the accomplishment.  And, make no mistake, it is here…and affordable.

In order to time travel, Doc Brown needed three things:  88 miles per hour, the Flux Capacitor, and (say it with me)…

It’s funny how changes in thinking, the economy, technology, or values can seemingly happen without a great deal of fan fare.  Often times, we stop and ask ourselves, “How did I get here!?”.  Perhaps, this phenomenon occurs because, as a society, we have a tendency to swallow up the next trend, without ever noticing how it affects society as a whole.  It is only when we look at our past, that we are able to connect the dots, to understand how we evolved.

For instance, can you identify the object in this picture?

Pop quiz: Are traffic lights needed?

If you answered with an emphatic “Yes!”, or didn’t answer because the question was such a no-brainer, please keep reading.
If you are still thinking about an answer, or replied “No.”, you won’t find much value with the rest of this post.  Thanks.

Today marks the 101st anniversary of the very first installed traffic light in Cleveland, OH.  Wow, that means there was a time when cities were free-for-alls when it came to driving.  Today, that is a frightening, nonsensical proposition.  If traffic lights were not installed, every outing would be a coin toss.

Of course, it is an easy connection to know that the introduction of traffic lights was mandated by the immense growth of automobiles. As traffic increased and the zigzag of roads created intersections, something had to be done.

Next question:  How long did it take for traffic lights to become mainstream, then absolutely necessary, then taken for granted?

The term “one size fits all” does not apply to continuous battery monitoring.  When you think about it, the concept stems from a manufacturer’s desire to optimize production and minimize inventories.  “One size fits all” was a brilliant marketing ploy to make it seem easy to choose one product to serve multiple needs. I suppose it can be made to work OK for apparel, such as hats, shirts, socks, and stretchy pants, but for any other market does it have any customer benefit?

Battery backup power comes in all shapes and sizes.  There are vast and significant differences between a utility substation and a data center, between a remote telecom site and railway.  Mix the industries any way you like, the differences remain significant.  Heck, even within a market like cell sites, battery cabinets, number of batteries, and number of strings can widely vary. And, that’s within the same shelter! And, these differences are not limited only to the battery number and configuration.  Environment, space, importance, and accessibility all play a part in implementing a continuous battery monitoring solution that is specifically designed for the application requirements.

So, why isn’t there a continuous battery monitoring solution that fits each of these markets?  Well, you know I’m going to tell that BatteryDAQ provides systems for every environment and configuration, right?  But first, I’ll directly answer the question.

So, what’s the problem with Remote battery monitoring?  Well, today, the answer is “not a thing!”  However, historically there were several very real obstacles to implementing continuous battery monitoring at remote telecom sites.

Here is the punch line for this blog: BatteryDAQ Sentry monitors render all of those obstacles obsolete!  That is correct, all of the reasons for not deploying 24/7 comprehensive battery monitoring at remote telecom sites are no longer valid.

Not convinced?  As Bruno Mars sings, “Don’t believe me, just watch!”