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Innovation takes hassle out of changing cables
Lastar makes a product that can cut installation time of electronics equipment by up to 75 percent.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
DAYTON — — Home theater and video presentation technology is changing so rapidly that homeowners, businesses and schools find themselves ripping out wall outlets and replacing cables on a regular basis to accommodate the latest audio and visual equipment, from high-definition plasma screens to high-speed Internet connections.
Three years ago, Tom Sullivan of Lastar Inc. came up with a simple but compelling solution to this costly, messy ordeal: Why not package a variety of cables in a single tube and have threaded connectors that can be changed to whatever cable signals you need?
Extras
The idea led to the company's RapidRun family of products that not only makes wiring upgrades as simple as switching connectors, but reduces the cost and time of installing new wiring as well. The modular approach means no more splicing and soldering of wires and no more fear of changes after wall construction has been finished. End caps on the connectors keep out dirt, paint and dust while providing a convenient connection point to pull the cables.
"We were at the right place at the right time with the idea," said Sullivan, Lastar's product manager. "It just keeps snowballing. Every time we try to think what else we can do with this there's another application."
Lastar's development team has tweaked and expanded the idea to include both analog and digital connections that offer more than 30 different wiring configurations and, by the end of the year, will grow to 150 different configurations, Sullivan said.
Twice in the last two years, Lastar's RapidRun system has received a Mark of Excellence Award for innovation from the Consumer Electronics Association, the national trade organization for producers of all things electronic.
Lastar customers have discovered that RapidRun reduces installation time by up to 75 percent and does not require a skilled electronic technician, saving both time and money, said Gregory Billhardt, Lastar's vice president of marketing.
Lastar officials say they have experienced double-digit growth in each of the last five years. "We're expanding our products and also entering new markets," Billhardt said.
