Description

BC100i Intelligent 3RU Rack-Mounting System

The BC100i represents a major upgrade of Bluebell’s BC100 rack frame, designed for the BC Series fibre optic interface cards. Retaining the ability to house up to 15 single-slot BC Series cards with dual redundant power supplies, the BC100i introduces significantly enhanced card monitoring and advanced user interfaces, making it ideal for OB and live sound trucks, fixed installations, and fly-away systems.

Cards are inserted into the rear of the frame, ensuring all copper or fibre cabling remains neatly contained within the rack enclosure. System status and monitoring are displayed on the front panel, with additional external monitoring capabilities over an IP network when the optional BM102i network card is installed into the dedicated Slot 16. The BM102i is fully compatible with SNMP v2.1, allowing integration with third-party management systems, as well as having it's own monitoring webpage.

The BC100i’s internal motherboard includes a microcontroller and onboard memory that continuously gathers and displays real-time status information for all installed cards. A 7" colour touchscreen on the front panel provides an intuitive, colour-coded interface designed for immediate familiarity, resembling the LED indicators of the earlier BC100 frame. The display includes detailed system information such as card types and status, PSU status, supply rail voltages, and internal temperature. A dedicated per-slot view delivers card-specific data, tailored to the card type. Additional screens provide status updates for the optional BM102i network cards. Firmware updates are made simple through a front-panel USB port, allowing quick installations via a flash drive.

The BC100i features hot-swappable, dual redundant power supplies (PSUs), which are accessible from the front of the frame. Each PSU is capable of powering a fully loaded chassis, regardless of the card combinations installed. The two PSUs employ load-sharing technology and are equipped with independent IEC AC inlets, ensuring uninterrupted operation in the event of a single PSU failure.

The BC100i uses convection cooling as standard and only requires vertical spacing above and below the unit for optimal performance. For high-temperature environments, the frame can be factory-fitted with a low-speed fan card, reducing the internal temperature by approximately 10°C while maintaining quiet operation.

For comprehensive facility-wide monitoring, the optional BM102i network card has a built in webpage which allows status monitoring of all signals, cards, and PSUs, viewable from any browser on the connected network. The BM102i is fully compatible with SNMP, enabling quick integration with existing third-party monitoring systems.

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