PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA, May 2, 2017 – Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) in Puyallup, Washington, offers over forty courses in aerospace, engineering, science and technology. But despite CPTC’s complex subject matter, the school’s technology has struggled to keep up with modern times, partly because of the pesky power surges that plagued its previous system. That’s why CPTC’s Dean for Health, Client, Business and Human Services Michelle Hillesland called PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS, a Washington state based technology integration firm with whom she had worked with in the past, to design a new reliable digital A/V system with sophisticated power protection.
To guarantee that the new school-wide AV system would be as reliable as the staff wanted it to be, PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS installed 20 Furman PL-8C power conditioners to protect it from power surges. “Dirty power, which can cause surges, is pretty common in Washington’s schools. It was our priority to make sure that the sophisticated presentation system we were about to implement did not act delayed or ‘sticky’,” said PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS General Manager Joe Westbrook. “So we used Furman power conditioners to protect every single piece of gear. Furman shields the school’s technology from any power mishaps that could occur.”
With sophisticated power protection in place providing much needed peace-of-mind, PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS built an entirely new AV system for the school. Previously unable to switch between sources, expand visuals on lecture hall displays, or guarantee that the system would even turn on, CPTC’s professors needed a simple but reliable way to conduct multi-media presentations that would engage their students.
“Our staff was experiencing a lot of difficulty using our old analog system. It was totally unreliable. Sometimes it would turn on, sometimes it wouldn’t. Many of our presentation components were left unused as a result,” CPTC’s Dean for Health, Client, Business and Human Services Michelle Hillesland said. “In addition, the screens weren’t large enough for the content. We had to turn off the lights to see the text or images being displayed. Students were quite literally falling asleep!”
Now, with one automated touch panel per room, CPTC’s staff can easily turn a display or projector on or off with the touch of a button. They can now switch between sources and control the room’s audio. “Much of the subject matter being discussed in the labs or lecture halls is complex,” Hillesland said. “The new functionality really enhances the learning experience for teachers and students alike.”
Additionally, CPTC’s staff no longer have to turn off the lights to conduct a presentation. Hitachi’s 6,500 ANSI Lumens Multi-Purpose Projectors provide bright and clear content in normal ambient lighting. “CPTC’s professors can now create presentations that engage students,” Westbrook emphasized. “The system is sophisticated on the back-end, but extremely simple on the front-end for the user. “Everything – the projectors, displays, audio, video, and power management – work together to create a reliable and easy-to-use system.”
The integration process was not without its challenges, however. PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS originally planned to integrate the school’s twenty-one rooms at once. They quickly had to change their plans when they found out that they’d have to work on one to two rooms at a time, while classes were still in session. “We had to adjust our schedule and work around classes,” Westbrook explained. “But we re-arranged our entire process, powered through, and made life easier for our client–which is the ultimate end goal.”
According to Hillesland, the system has been running smoothly, and CPTC has not experienced any power surges that have affected the equipment. “I have witnessed power surges before that have temporarily ‘killed’ our technology,” she said. “With Furman power protection and conditioning, we have had no problems at all since the new AV system was installed.”
Hillesland continued, “I would definitely recommend a system of this nature to any higher education school that wants to enhance how they teach their subject matter and delight their staff. It has completely transformed our operations.”
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About PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS
PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS continues to break new ground and push the boundaries of the industry. They are recognized as a national provider with a wide array of AV and Communications Services and can design, build and support any scale or scope of project in Corporate, Education, Hospitality, Municipalities and many other environments. PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS was named a top 10 integrator by the Systems Contractor News.
PROTON360™ COMMUNICATIONS further supports their higher education customers via the implementation of a highly customizable on-line eProcurement tool called BOLT™. Customers can purchase their own Room Standards in a single click, as well as find tried and true AV education products like the Furman Pl-8c.
About Furman®
Furman, from Core Brands, is legendary for developing award-winning, innovative power management products. Furman power and energy management products give audio/video systems the pure, noise-free power they need for superlative performance while protecting them from damage caused by power surges and lightning. The brand addresses all major electronic markets, including professional audio and video, the music industry, broadcasting, audio/video recording, office equipment and home theater. More information is available at www.furmansound.com.
About Core Brands
Anchored by the ELAN Smart Home Control Platform, Core Brands combines the strengths of its iconic control, audio, power management, connectivity and video distribution brands – ELAN®, SpeakerCraft®, Gefen®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, Furman®, Sunfire® and Xantech® – to deliver a portfolio of connected home and commercial solutions to its channel partners and end users. For further information, visit www.corebrands.com.
