Developed and maintained by Motorola Solutions in 1987, the R56 guidelines were first drafted as an internal reference document. In 1994, however, the R56 guidelines were modernized, published, and have since been regarded as the guiding standard for safety protocols in the communications industry. The R56 guidelines are a broadly accepted trade standard that outlines the requirements and regulations pertaining to the installation of communications infrastructure and facilities. R56 standards have been widely adopted by our customers and even our competitors for all installations of console units. Overall, the R56 standards and guidelines have driven stringent surge protection requirements necessary for high-reliability communications networks.
R56 is essentially the proper grounding techniques that are compliant with wiring standards and best practices required by your business, as R56 takes the following into consideration:
Fire Codes
Electrical Codes
Lighting Protection
Tower Grounding Codes
Construction Codes
The Standards & Guidelines Manual
The R56 Standards and Guidelines for Communication Sites includes instructions and requirements for the certified installation of communications equipment, infrastructure, and facilities. The standards reflect and incorporate safety recommendations developed by other governing bodies, as well. Some of the governing bodies included are ANSI, BIFMA, UL, NFPA, ISO, IEC, FAA and more.
The Standards and Guidelines Manual details instructions for Communications and Control Room professionals in the following 8 categories:
Communication Site Building Design and Installation
External Grounding
Internal GrounPower Sources
Equipment Installation
Surge Protective Devices
Minimizing Site Interference
Site Design and Development
R56 Grounding Methods at Sustema
Sustema has been integrating Grounding Bus Bars inside all its products to meet R56 requirements. Sustema consoles are equipped with a heavy-duty steel base on which grounding lugs have been welded to assure efficient grounding. All grounding lugs are connected to the bus bar that is located in the rackmount section of the console.
CPU enclosures and Steel storage enclosures are also equipped with ground lugs are per the pictures below.
To help you adhere to R56 compliance standards in your control room center, Sustema offers data storage solutions and consoles that meet the set R56 requirements. These requirements surpass most traditional quality standards found within the console furniture industry.
R56 Resources
Additional Console Furniture Resources