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Fiber optic cables play a pivotal role in our every day’s lives and particularly within the telecommunications industry. This is mainly due to the advantages they have over regular copper network cables in terms of bandwidth, distance, security and reliability.

The range of fiber optic cables can vary greatly depending on the type used and the applications hey are designed for.

Internet Connectivity

Simply put, fiber optic cables have a massive advantage over traditional copper cables in this sphere as they can carry much larger amounts of data at far greater speeds. Because of this they are used throughout the industry and online space.

Computer Networks

In recent years it has become far easier to transfer data between computers across a network by using fiber optic cables. This allows for massive time savings and improved efficiency within the work place. A notable example of the use of fiber optic cable within networks would be within modern stock exchanges as these require data transfers within the shortest times possible.

Telephone

Long gone are the days of telephone operators transferring customers calls. Over the last few decades fiber optics have become the standard in telephonic communication, replacing the now equally as dated copper based systems of the past. This has led to revolutions in our daily lives with everything from clearer telephone conversations to full on video chats that we make use of on a now regular basis.

Medical

Being light weight and flexible makes fiber optics ideal for use within medical applications. The need for minimally invasive surgery is a major component in the success of fiber optics, mainly in the area of small and compact medical instrumentation. These devices are primarily used within the aforementioned surgeries as well as in diagnosing patients.

Automotive

Within the automotive industry fiber optics primarily take on the function of providing lighting to both the interior and exterior of vehicles. That being said, fiber optic cables within cars can play a vital role in safety systems such as traction control and airbags by reducing the time it takes for these systems to kick-in.

Military, Defense and Space Exploration

It almost goes without saying that fiber optics play a vital role in modern military, defense and space exploration systems. They are deployed throughout these applications to reduce communication times for data transmissions as well as provide greater security and confidentiality.

Lighting and Decorating

While perhaps not being seem as ground breaking or vital as the previously mentioned applications, fiber optics have really cemented their place as a convenient and cost effect solution within many commercial industries. Everything from street lighting to birthday parties these days tends to make use of fiber optics.

In today's world there is an ever-increasing need for more data, at faster speeds. The new MXC™ optical fiber connector system, created by US Conec, makes use of advanced high-density interconnect technology allowing it to offer greater speeds within data centers and networks.

PRIZM MT™ Ferrule

Able to support up to 64 fibers each handling one wavelength at 25 Gbps, the main component of the MXC™ connector system is the hermaphroditic PRIZM MT™ ferrule (also known as a lensed or expanded beam MT ferrule). This allows for speeds of up 1.6 Tbit/s (800 Gpbs in each direction), at this speed an entire 2 hour HD movie (4 GB) could be downloaded in just under 2 seconds.

The dimensions of the MXC™ ferrule are the same as those of a MT ferrule used in MTP®/MPO connectors. The key difference being that the PRIZM MT™ ferrule tip supports 64 micro lenses within 4 rows, each row containing 16 lenses.

MXC™ Connector Applications

Being able to support greater bandwidth than traditional MT fiber optic connectors, MXC™ connectors are being rolled out wherever high-speed data transmission is a top priority. This includes primarily Telecommunication Hubs and Servers, Storage Facilities, Open-Compute Architectures and Cloud Data Centers.

Features and Benefits

• Quality Support up to 64 fibers per ferrule
• 1.6 Tbit/s per connector
• Standard MT-ferrule compatible
• Lower cost due to reduced components
• No polishing required for assembly
• LC-style latch for easy insertion and removal
• Easy installation
• Small size

The Next Big Thing

As technology marches forward the MXC™ optical fiber connector system is doing its bit to stay ahead of the pack. We can most likely expect to see a switch from older solutions, as faster data transfer rates become essential to big business around the globe and begin the adoption of newer and more advanced solutions such as the MXC™.

MXC™, MTP®, PRIZM™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of US Conec Ltd.

If you're in the market for a Network Rack Cabinet and are trying to decide on which is best for you this guide is for you. Here we will endeavor to give you some clarity on how they work and which ones are best suited for particular situations.

What is a Network Rack? 

Network Racks are essentially frame structures used for housing standard 19" rack-mount equipment-servers as well as other devices such as routers, UPS’ and audio/video gear. This allows for better organization as well as provides additional security and cable management all the while enabling better airflow to the mounted network devices.

Where are Network Racks Commonly Used?

Without question the majority are mainly found throughout company data centers and server rooms across the world. Additionally they can be found in audio/video installations, anywhere where there is a need to house telecoms equipment and in industrial environments such as factory floors.

What Size Do I Need?

The height of network racks is measured in what is known as “Rack Units” (1.75 inches, or 44.45mm). This means that typically when you are shopping for network rack you will see the Rack Unit amount displayed, as opposed to the actual height measurement. An example is shown below:

18U Network Server Rack Cabinet – 600mm X 600mm

In the example above the network rack is 18 Rack Units in height, this means it is approximately 31.5″ or 800mm tall. Always be sure to properly access amount of space you will require currently and in the future so as to avoid having to make additional purchases as your system expands.

Which Type of Network Rack Do I Need?

This is entirely dependent on the type of environment and networking situation you find yourself in. That said, here is a simple break-down of the types and the various applications they are best suited too.

Rack Enclosure – Floor Standing

These are great for organizing and secure networking, storage and telecom equipment within future or existing data centers, server rooms and network closets.

They are generally neater in appearance than Open Frames due to them being enclosed, devices are generally accessible via locked doors and panels around the enclosure.

Open Frame – Floor Standing

This is perhaps the most economical way in which to organize your network equipment. It’s open frame allows for the best possible airflow and for the easiest access your mounted devices.

The only downside is they may not appear as neat and provide no additional security due to their open nature.

Rack Enclosure – Wall Mount

A particular type of rack enclosure which is specifically designed to be mounted on walls as opposed the floor standing rack enclosures. This is great if you are looking to save on floor space as these usually considerably smaller.

They are primarily found in places with limited space, a good example of which would be classrooms or smaller offices.

Open Frame – Wall Mount

With the same features as the open frame – floor standing versions these wall mountable racks are ideally suited for areas with limited space where security is not essential (due to the lack of a lockable enclosure).

The advantage with these is the ease of access coupled with great airflow. 

As mentioned before, it is hugely important to plan ahead when it comes to your network storage needs as well as to identify potential growth needs. Be sure to check out out our Network Racks and Wall Mount Enclosures and remember you can also get in touch with Fibertronics either by phone (877) 320 3143 or email sales@fibertronics.com.

Designed as a miniature detachable connector the PRIZM® LightTurn® Connector provides passive alignment and novel retention features allowing multiple re-matings\perpendicular to the printed circuit board.

This 12-fiber connector is made up of a multi-fiber floating ferrule with a photonic TIR lens enclosed in a protective housing. The perpendicular mating capability saves vast amounts of space on already densely packed circuit boards.

Features & Applications

• TIR (Total Internal Reflection) lens
• Wavelength independent optical grade material
• Bidirectional components
• Integrated alignment pins
• Housing protects TIR lens array
• Ferrule float within the connector
• Pre-alignment latches on connector housing
• Keyed for proper mating orientation
• Quick termination, no polishing
• Less than 1 minute light cure for epoxy
• Collimated light at optical interface

Where It's Used

The PRIZM® LightTurn® Connector can be used across multiple applications which include telecommunications, datacoms and within the newly emerging high-speed computercom markets.

Punching-down a cat cable into a patch panel may seem like tricky business, but once you’ve got the basics down it becomes as easy as the proverbial pie. This high-level guide is here to help.

What You'll Need

1. CAT Cables (Ethernet Cable)
2. Patch Panels
3. Punch Down Tool
4. Cable Strippers
5. Screw Driver

Step 1: Prepare the Cat Cable

To start off with you will want to begin with preparing the cat cables you intend to punch into the patch panels. You with do so by removing the outer jacket with the cable stripper. If you do not have a cable stripper handy it can also be done with a sharp knife, but please be careful as this method result in both injury to yourself and damage to the inner copper cables.

Ideally you should remove approximately 1 inch (25mm) of the outer jacket, this ensures a nice clean fit into the patch panel without the risk of exposing too much cable and damaging it. Once the outer jacket has been removed you will notice 4 pairs of copper cables, making up a total of 8 cables. In order to successfully punch down the cables into the patch panel you will need to gently untwist the pairs so that the 8 cables can be individually worked work with.

Step 2: Prepare the Patch Panel

In most cases full patch panels are made up various parts. That being said, it can prove very useful in most situations to break apart the patch panel into it’s small components. This allows for you to work with only the required parts of the panel and makes the entire project simpler to handle on the whole.

Take the screwdriver and begin by unscrewing the section of the panel you are going to work with and place the remainder to the side. While doing so take note of the label on the inside of the panel with the color code printed on to it. This will be explained in the next step

Step 3: Put Cat Cable into Patch Panel

In order to correctly insert the Cat cable wires into the patch panel you will need to take a close look at the color code that is printed on the label adhered to the panel.Let’s take a closer look.

First off you will notice that there are in fact 2 pin-out types, these are typically labelled A and B respectively. Generally most installations would use pin-out B, but please be sure to check which one is right for your specific application.

Once you have selected a pin-out type you will see that each one has it’s own color code, with 4 solid colors and 4 stripes. Simply match the solid colored wires to the solid color slots and do the same with the stripes. Inserting the wires into the slots requires nothing more than gently pushing them in. Once all the wires have been correctly inserted it is time to being with the actual punching down.

Step 4: Punching Down

First off you will notice that there are in fact 2 pin-out types, these are typically labelled A and B respectively. Generally most installations would use pin-out B, but please be sure to check which one is right for your specific application.

Once you have selected a pin-out type you will see that each one has it’s own color code, with 4 solid colors and 4 stripes. Simply match the solid colored wires to the solid color slots and do the same with the stripes. Inserting the wires into the slots requires nothing more than gently pushing them in. Once all the wires have been correctly inserted it is time to being with the actual punching down.

In order to correctly punch down the wires into the patch panel you will need to make use of a Punch Down Tool. The tool itself is fairly simple in that it has a pointed side and a flat size. The pointed side is the side that will trim the ends of the wires to leave a clean cut.

Begin by positioning the tool over the wire you intend to punch down and then using as much force as required push down on the handle of the tool. This will both push the wire firmly into place and trim the ends at the same time., continue doing this for all the remaining wires. You may also notice that occasionally some of the wire ends remain, you can usually fix this by gently removing them by hand as the tool may not have cleaved all the way through the wires on the initial punch down.

Want to watch it? Check out the video below for a short tutorial which outlines most of what we have discussed in this guide.

Data centers and ever-expanding server clusters have created a huge demand for more bandwidth and more space efficiency.

Multifiber Push-On (MPO) connectors have answered the call and provide up to 24 or ore fibers in a single connector pushing up to and beyond 100Gbps data transmission. The best part is that the connector takes roughly the same space as a single simplex SC connector. MPOs are paving the way for increased data transmission speeds and rack density.

MTP® is a registered trademark of US Conec, marketed as a "high performance MPO connector with multiple engineered product enhancements to improve optical and mechanical performance when compared to generic MPO connectors." MTP and MPO are often used interchangeably and MTP is considered a generalized trademark. Both MTP and MPO are available with standard or elite / low loss options. Fibertronics terminates our cables with both MPO and MTP connectors, so please be sure to specify with our sales staff if you need genuine US Conec MTP connectors.

MPO and MTP in Data Centers and Beyond

Many switches, servers and other network hardware come with fiber optic ports built in. More and more hardware is being shipped with QSFP/QSFP+/SR4/CFP/CXP ports and MPO fiber cables are becoming a requirement in these fields. However, data centers don’t have a monopoly on the technology!

Anybody working with a large count of fiber that likes to save space is a good candidate for MPO technology. Large bundles of hundreds of fibers, trunk cables, are spliced into pigtails. The old method would be to use a distribution fan-out cable or duplex cables to patch the trunk cable into your infrastructure. With MPO technology, you can connect your single fiber cables once, then route the rest of the way with MPO fanouts and trunk cables, minimizing the number of connectors and cables you’re working with.

Fibertronics offers MTP/MPO Multi-Connector Trunk Cables, Patch Cables, Pigtails, Loopbacks, Cassettes, Fanout Cables and more.

Multimode Fiber Variants

While singlemode is optimized for long range data transfer, multimodes are designed with high-bandwidth short range optimization in mind (Single-mode and Multimode Explained).

• OM1 is a 62.5/125µm fiber core, with the jacket usually cladded in orange. This is typically found in older applications where high bandwidth isn’t a priority.
• OM2 is the first variant of 50/125µm, usually also orange, but widely unused. OM2 offers modest improvement over OM1, however OM3 is leaps and bounds ahead with not much more cost.
• OM3 is a laser optimized variant of 50/125µm multimode, and is the first fiber mode that supports 10Gb/40Gb/100Gb Ethernet.
• OM4 is a recent addition to the lineup which offers a longer range than OM3. It should be noted that OM3 and OM4 are cross-compatible, and while OM4 is only needed for distances that exceed OM3 capabilities, it can still be used for shorter connections.

Fibertronics Standards

Quality Fibertronics 12 Fiber, OM3, MPO cables use Corning® ClearCurve® laser optimized bend-insensitive fiber. This type of fiber allows for tighter bends in your cables, so you can route without worry. The fiber comes in the form of 12 fiber 3mm micro-distribution cable, with aqua plenum jacket, which is rated for riser and plenum areas. The micro-distribution format uses 12 fibers in a loose tube jacket with protective aramid yarn, allowing for more flexibility and smaller footprint than traditional ribbon cable.

We can also build these to your custom specifications, including using a different brand of fiber, different type of jacket, or even customer-supplied cable. Options such as OM4, LSZH jacket, ribbon cable, armored cable, indoor/outdoor cable, and more are available, so please call one of our sales representatives to discuss your needs. Please keep in mind that MPO cables work best with loose fibers, so tight-buffered fibers may not be suitable for this.

MPO Gender Interface

MPO Genders can be counter-intuitive to newcomers to the technology. MPO cables are a plug, so they must be male, and transceivers have a port so they must be female, right? Wrong on both counts!

MPOs are classified by the guide pins on the end of the connector, and require 1 male and 1 female to mate properly. MPO connectors use a “barrel sleeve” adapter that simply holds one male and one female MPO “plug” together. The male guide pins fit into the female holes to ensure precise fiber alignment. Attempting to mate two female connectors will result in a seemingly secure connection, but with extremely high loss, and attempting to mate two male connectors will most likely damage one or both connectors due to the guide pins clashing.

Transceivers and cassettes come with the sleeve adapter built in, and the industry standard is a male connection on the inside. Therefore, the standard for cables is female to female. This changes, however, when you need to extend a cable or connect two cables. You will then need a male to female cable plus adapter. If you’re designing a multi-ferrule MPO trunk backbone cable, you might consider making this male to male, then patching to your hardware with female to female cables. We offer all combinations of genders, so contact us with your needs and we will be able to customize these for you.

Keys and Dots

MPO connectors have a key on one of the flat sides added by the body, and the orientation of this key determines the cable’s polarity. MPO and MTP connectors also have a white dot on one side of the connector to denote where fiber 1 is.

The key and gender are assigned near the end of the process of manufacturing an MPO by adding the body kit. Fibertronics is able to take completed MPO cables and change gender or flip polarity from Method A to Method B and vice versa. Please note that flipping polarity will not be possible with a Single-mode MPO cable, as these ferrules have an 8º angle polish. For this same reason, Single-mode MPO cables cannot be used with aligned key “polarity flip” adapters. This process does carry the risk of breaking the delicate fibers inside the MPO body, even for trained professionals, so this service may come with a charge.

Fiber optics in Florida grows as Fibertronics expands by 10,000 square feet at its Melbourne location and adds new division to build metal-box enclosures that house fiber optics.

The technology sector of the small-business market, especially, it seems, located in a hub around the North Drive area in Melbourne, is buzzing with growth. And some of these businesses have taken giant steps expanding their square footage, which means their employment base is growing, they are creating jobs, and their product is being well received by their customers. Existing small businesses and startups are the economic engine in America.

Fibertronics, which specializes in fiber-optic cable assemblies for the telecommunications industry as well as network products, is an example of a small business that has cut a path of success since it was started five years ago by area entrepreneurs Doug and Barbara Larson.

They saw a niche locally and created a company to fill it. Their business has grown from their two-car garage to 25,000 square feet at a facility on North Drive owned and managed by West Melbourne-based CIA Developers Inc. "We started in our garage and my wife was the 'terminator,' the person who terminates or builds the cables," said Doug Larson.

"Soon, our daughter started helping, as did our son. Then one of our daughter's friends came aboard the operation. The business was growing. We said 'this is not going to fit in the garage anymore.' We also had some personal belongings stored there, so we rented a 2,000 square-foot building." After one year in that building, Fibertronics needed more space and rented another 4,000 square feet. The business outgrew that space, too.

Doug Larson said he then contacted Aaron Anderson of CIA Developers. Anderson showed him a 15,000 square-foot building on North Drive. It's one of a number of facilities CIA Developers owns in that area. Fibertronics moved in and set up its operation.

Recently, the company leased another 10,000 square feet that is connected to the original unit that CIA Developers owns, bringing Fibertronics to 25,000 square feet at the North Drive facility. "We have doubled our business every year over the last five years and we're on track to do it again," said Doug Larson, whose company has grown from two to 27 people, including their son Mitchel Larson and their daughter Evelyn Vogt.

"We pride ourselves on quick turnaround, short lead times, and we are really pushing quality." He added that the company is growing at a "steady pace and we don't see any signs that it's going to slow down. Our growth is based on the Internet's growth. And the Internet is still growing at a radical rate. The Internet runs on fiber optics. So I would say the key to the success and growth of our company is the performance of the industry, which is fiber-optic communications."

According to the "Accenture Technology Vision 2015" report, in the rapidly growing "Internet of Things," companies are using "digital ecosystems" to offer new services, reshape experiences, and enter new markets. By 2020, there will be a "quarter billion" connected vehicles on the road, enabling new in-vehicle services and automated driving capabilities, according to Gartner Inc. During the next five years, the proportion of new vehicles equipped with this capability will increase dramatically, making connected cars a major element of the Internet of Things.

Gartner forecasts that 4.9 billion "connected things" will be in use in 2015, up 30 percent from 2014, and will reach 25 billion by 2020.

John Chambers, the president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems, said in a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that he sees the value of the evolving Internet of Things at $19 trillion, and gave a number of examples in support of his forecast.

Meanwhile, Fibertronics is well positioned to grow because its core customers include Fortune 200 companies that purchase in big volume from the company. "They tell us what they want, and we custom build it for them," Doug Larson said.

Doug Larson has owned a number of service-type businesses over the years. One day, he learned there were defense contractors in the region wanting to buy fiber-optic cables in a more timely fashion than what was currently available. Companies were having to wait a month or longer. "Coming from a service-business background, I couldn't imagine taking a month or so to do anything. So I started looking into what is involved in building fiber-optic cables." He continued, "Yes, it is kind of intense. But it takes hours to build a cable, not months. That's when I said, 'I think I have something.' Now we build cables for many defense contractors, though that is not our core customer."

Fibertronics, whose customers are mainly from out the state, builds small cables that have a lot of power because they contain fiber optics. "For example, we build 40 gigabyte and 100 gigabyte cable assemblies. We'll build as many as 1,000 cables a day. That's normal. We constantly strive to stay on the cutting edge of quality." Barbara Larson is a hands-on businesswoman with an eye on quality. "I like to build the cables in the back of the facility and work right among the employees to make sure everything flows smoothly." Fibertronics hired at least 10 people last year and three more recently. "We try to provide our employees with very good benefits because we want to retain them. They can grow along with company," she said. "We pay 100 percent of our employees' health insurance," added Doug Larson, "and that has nothing do with the mandated Affordable Care Act. We don't want turnover, which is costly to a business. We like to train new hires the company's way and give them the opportunity to advance up the ranks."

As it continues to grow, Fibertronics has expanded with a new division dedicated to building sheet-metal boxes - known in the industry as "enclosures"- that house the fiber optics. "A lot of the fiber-optics assemblies we build are installed in these metal boxes," he said. "So now, we are starting to make those cabinets for customers. We can now offer them a full network solution, including the fiber, all of the adapters, and so forth." He added, "When we ship the product and they receive it, all the customer has to do is plug it in." With the new division, Fibertronics has positioned itself to be a full-service firm. The company has made a significant investment in new machinery to build the enclosures and be able to offer a customized solution for its customers. "The customer can call one company - Fibertronics - and we're able to provide them with a whole solution. This new division fits perfectly with our core product and our market niche," Doug Larson said.

Brevard Business News

You've used the internet, most of us have and in developed countries using it is just a part of peoples every day lives, with everything from searches to reading a friends latest social media posts.

Some countries such as Finland, Greece and France have gone so far as to ensure that broadly available internet access is written into their countries laws . Facebook, Twitter and other hugely popular internet services are such as Google are available across the globe but have you ever given some thought as to how it is all possible? Undersea Cable!

How it Works

Rarely do we sit back a truly appreciate the tremendous effort that has been made in order to achieve what seems so simple on the surface. As we flick though the latest fashion posts on our tablets, read email reports on our laptops at the local coffee shop, we really don’t give much though to how that information got there and the daily challenges faced by many to bring us this convenience. Let’s dive in shall we?

Undersea or submarine cable is essentially the backbone of the internet and what allows countries and continents to share information between one another. While satellite communications are highly effective it is simply more reliable and cost effective to make use of fiber optic undersea cables. This is not to say that undersea cable is cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

Submarine cable is placed on the sea bed between land based stations in order to convey signals across the ocean. With the first communication cables being laid as early as the 1850’s for use in telegraphy. Later on these cables would advance in order to make use of modern fiber optic and carry digital data including telephony and the internet.

Typical modern undersea cables are far larger than fiber cable used in everyday land use. They are usually around 25 mm (0.98 in) in diameter and have a tremendous weight of around 1.4 kg per meter (0.4 lb/ft), although much larger and heavier ones are in use around shallower areas and nearer to shore.

How is it Laid? 

The cables are laid gently on the ocean floor by specifically designed ships and in most cases remain submerged due to their weight. They are designed with an average life-span of 25 years, this however does not mean they are immune to breakages prior to this. There are a number of reasons a cable can fail including anything from simple degradation to shifts in the ocean floor. This of course means that repairs will be required and this in turn requires specialized equipment and specially trained personnel to carry out the work.

Repairing Undersea Cable

Should there be an issue with a submarine cable it must be raised to the water surface and worked on from there. It is a fairly complex operation in which a cable repair ship will be dispatched to the location and the deploy a marker buoy near the break. Once there the cable will be grappled off the ocean floor and raised in order to begin repairs, various types of grapples are used depending primarily on the conditions of the ocean floor. Cable repair can be both a lengthy and dangerous for all involved with work crews having to often postpone repairs due to inclement weather conditions, regardless of the state of repair they where currently in. Once splicing of the cable has taken place the repaired cable will be returned to the seabed , the repaired cable will be longer than the original, so the excess is deliberately laid in a ‘U’ shape on the ocean floor. This is done in the hopes of preventing future damage to the cable.

Final Thoughts

Connecting the world is far from simple and very, very expensive, so next time your cruising the internet super highway give some thought to the technologies that enable you to send that email, share that photo of your lunch or pay for that designer dress in Milan.

Fusion Splicing is simply joining two optical fibers together by making use of heat. The two optical fibers should be fused in such as way as to allow light to be passed through them without scattering or reflecting light back at the point of the splice.

The heat used to fuse the two fibers together is usually in the form of an electric arc, however it can also be achieved using a laser or even gas flame, but these methods are considered dated and inferior . This very simple Fusion Splicing guide should help to explain the process without getting too technical.

What You'll Need

1. Fiber Strippers
2. Kevlar Cutter
3. Splice Sleeves
4. Alcohol Wipes
5. Fiber Optic Cleaver
6. Microscope (Not mandatory, but very useful for checking fiber ends)
7. Fusion Splicer

Step 1: Stripping the Fibers 

It sounds simple enough right? Unfortunately this is not quite as simple as stripping the simple coating of your average house-hold copper cable. In this case you will first be removing the polymer coating by making use of Fiber Strippers, which are specially designed for stripping the coating off the fiber. Ideally 1 and half inches (40 mm) should be removed from each end of the fiber you are joining. This should be done incrementally and gently while ensuring the stripper is held at a slight angle during the process.

With the coating stripped from the fibers it is now time to simply clip away any excess, exposed Kevlar with your Kevlar cutter. Once completed slide one of your Splice Sleeves onto one of your fiber, you may not be able to do this once you have spliced the two fibers together so it is best to do it now.

Step 2: Clean, Cleave and Clean Again 

Keeping the fibers clean is of the utmost importance when it comes to fusion splicing. It cannot be repeated enough, ensure that the fibers you are working with are cleaned after every major interaction with them. You do this by gently wiping them down with Alcohol Wipes.

Once clean it is time to cleave the fibers. The fiber should ideally be cleaved using what is know as the score-and -break method, this is done to ensure that the end face is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the axis of the fiber. This is best done by making use of a quality Fiber Optic Cleaver. The closer the cleave angle is to 90 degrees on both fibers the better, this will result in less optical loss from the splice. After cleaving both fibers it is time to once again clean the ends with the Alcohol Wipes.

Step 3: Fusion Splicing 

It is now time to make use of your Fusion Splicer, begin by placing each fiber into the guides on the Fusion Splicer and clamp them into places securely. Close the lid of the splicer and be sure to select the correct settings on the monitor and program in the correct fiber types into the Fusion Splicer. The fiber ends will be automatically moved into position, at this point a profuse cycle will begin and any remaining dirt on the fiber ends will be removed as preheating begins. Next the fusion splicer will attempt to align the two fibers by inspecting the cleaves, bad cleaves will result in misalignment and will be rejected. If the cleaves are good the fibers will be fused by an automatic arc cycle that heats the ends and feeds the fibers together at a controlled rate.

Once fusion has been completed the Fusion Splicer will inspect the splice and estimate the total optical loss of the splice. Should it need to be remade it will inform you. If all goes according to plan it is now time to remove the fibers from the guides and move the splice protector over the splice and shrink it to fit (Most splicing machines have a heating device for heat shrinking protective sleeves).

As previously mentioned, this is a very simple guide. There are many variables that must be taken into account when you are splicing different types of fiber. So while it is difficult to get down to specifics hopefully this guide should give you a good idea of the process as a whole and get you started. Just remember to take your time while splicing in order ensure a good clean splice, it will save time in the long run.

Need a Fusion Splicer? Check out the FS-8993 Core Alignment Fusion Splicer Kit.

You're about to begin a brand new fiber optic installation, or perhaps you're working on an existing one? You'll need a a good idea of what type of connectors will work best.

This simple guide should help you in understanding the various fiber optic connectors on the market and get you up and running in no time. Please note that there are many, many types of connectors and variants available, we will only be covering the most commonly used ones here.

LC Connector 

LC connectors are licensed by Lucent Technologies, now known as Alcatel-Lucent. These connectors are ideal for use in high-density applications due to their small size and feature a pull-proof design. They are available in both simplex and duplex versions with a 1.25mm zirconia ferrule. Additionally LC connectors also make use of an specialized latch mechanism in order to provide stability within rack mounts.

SC Connector 

SC connectors, also known as Subscriber Connectors, Square Connectors or Standard Connectors are non-optical disconnect connectors with a 2.5mm pre-radius-ed zirconia ferrule. They are ideal for quick patching of cables into rack or wall mounts due to their push-pull design. Available in simplex and duplex with a reusable duplex holding clip to allow for duplex connections.

FC Connector 

FC connectors are known as both Ferrule Connectors and Fiber Channel Connectors. They feature a durable threaded coupling and are best suited for use within telecoms applications and make use of non-optical disconnect.

ST Connector 

ST connectors or Straight Tip connectors make use of a semi-unique bayonet connection with a 2.5mm ferrule. ST’s are great fiber optic connectors for field installation due to their reliability and durability. They are available in both simplex and and duplex

MTP / MPO Connector 

MTP Fiber Connector or Multiple-Fiber Termination Push-On/Pull-off is a brand name for a connector developed by US CONEC® and is an improved high performance version of an MPO Connector. MTP connectors are compatible with MPO connectors. The most common MTP connectors contain 12 fibers but can go up to 24 fibers in newer designs.

MTP is specifically designed for multi-fiber ribbon cables and the typical insertion loss is 0.25db, which is inline with standard SC and ST connectors. The UPC design makes use of a flat surface and the APC variant has an 8° angle in order to minimize back reflection. The connectors are available in Male (Pins) and Female (No Pins) versions.

MT-RJ Connector 

MT-RJ Connector stands for Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack or Media Termination – Recommended Jack. MT-RJ connectors are designed to snap into Ethernet ports of various devices such as computers and routers in order to supply networks with fiber optic data transfer speeds.They are typically designed for multimode optic fibers but are available for single-mode as well. They are 2.45mm x 4.4mm in size.

With some luck, this guide has helped clear up a few things. However if you’re still not sure which fiber optic connectors are right for you, or perhaps you’d like some more information you can always get in touch with Fibertronics either by phone (877) 320 3143 or email sales@fibertronics.com.