The Solution of Fiber Optic Attenuator

by www.fiber-mart.com

Fiber optic attenuator is a device to reduce the power level of an optical signal, either in free space or in an optical fiber.

Things You Should Know About Fiber Optic Attenuators

Why Fiber Optic Attenuators Are Needed?

Most people believe bigger signal power level is better, right? Beginners in fiber optic technology are often confused with why optic attenuators are necessary to reduce light intensity. Aren't we using amplifiers to increase the signal power level?

The truth is that too much light can overload a fiber optic receiver and degrade the bit error ratio (BER). To achieve the best bit error ratio, the light power must be reduced. Or in a multi-wavelength fiber optic system, you need to equalize the optical channel strength so that all the channels have similar power levels. This means to reduce stronger channels' powers to match lower power channels. Fiber optic attenuator is the device who works in above cases perfectly.

Fiber optic attenuators are usually used in two scenarios:
1. Attenuators are permanently installed in a fiber optic communication link to properly match transmitter and receiver optical signal levels.

2. In fiber optic power level testing. Attenuators are used to temporarily add a calibrated amount of signal loss in order to test the power level margins in a fiber optic communication system.

How Does A Fiber Attenuator Work?

The power reduction are done by such means as absorption, reflection, diffusion, scattering, deflection, diffraction, and dispersion, etc. Attenuators usually works by absorbing the light, like sunglasses absorb the extra light energy. Attenuators typically have a working wavelength range in which they absorb the light energy equally. They should not reflect the light since that could cause unwanted back reflection in the fiber system. Or by scattering the light such as an air gap. Another type of attenuator utilizes a length of high-loss optical fiber, that operates upon its input optical signal power level in such a way that its output signal power level is less than the input level.

Types Of  Fiber Optic Attenuators

Optical attenuators can take a number of different forms and are typically classified as fixed or variable attenuators. 

 

Fixed Attenuators  Fixed attenuators have a fixed optical power reduction number, expressed in dB, such as 1dB, 5dB, 10dB, etc. A -3dB attenuator should reduce intensity of the output by 3 dB. Their applications include telecommunication networks, optical fiber test facility, Local Area Network(LAN) and CATV systems.

 

Fixed value attenuators are composed of two big groups: In-line type and connector type (or build out style). In-line type looks like a plain fiber patch cable, it has a fiber cable terminated with two connectors which you can specify types.

 

Connector type attenuator looks like a bulk head fiber connector, with a male connector interface on one end and a female interface connector on the opposite end. The connector style is typically fabricated with either air gap attenuation or doped fiber attenuation. It mates to regular connectors of the same type such as FC, ST, SC and LC. The female to female fixed attenuators work like a regular adapter. But instead of minimizing insertion loss, it purposely adds some attenuation. The male to female fixed attenuators work as fiber connectors, you can just plug in your existing fiber connector to its female side.

 

Variable Attenuators  The attenuation level can be adjusted, such as from 0.5 dB to 20dB, or even 50dB. Some variable attenuators have very fine resolution, such as 0.1dB, or even 0.01dB. This is critical for accurate testing. For precise testing purposes, engineers have also designed instrument type variable attenuators. These instrument type attenuators have high attenuation ranges, such as from 0.5 dB to 70dB. Variable attenuators are general used for testing and measurement, but they also have a wide usage in EDFAs for equalizing the light power among different channels.

 

The female to female variable attenuators are adjustable by turning a nut in the middle. The nut adjusts the air gap in the middle to achieve different attenuation levels. The in-line patch cable type variable attenuators work as regular patch cables, but your can adjust its attenuation level by turning the screw.

Our Fiber Optic Attenuators Solutions:

*SC Fiber Optic Attenuators

*LC Fiber Optic Attenuators

*FC Fiber Optic Attenuators

*ST Fiber Optic Attenuators

*E2000 Fiber Optic Attenuators 

*Variable In-Line Optical Attenuators 

*Handheld Variable Optical Attenuators
 

SC Fiber Optic Attenuators	LC Fiber Optic Attenuators
Work in 1250nm to 1625nm range, with attenuation  range from 1dB to 30dB optional.	Work in 1250 to1625nm range, with optional attenuation value from 1dB to 30dB.

FC Fiber Optic Attenuators

Work in 1250nm to 1625nm range, with attenuation range from 1dB to 30dB optional.

ST Fiber Optic Attenuators	E2000 Fiber Optic Attenuators
Work in 1250nm to 1625nm range, with attenuation range from 1dB to 30dB optional.	Work in 1250nm to 1625nm range, with attenuation range from 1dB to 30dB optional.

The Importance of Cleaning and Maintaining Fiber Optic Cables

by Fiber-MART.COM

Fiber optic cables can be incredibly useful, fast, and efficient.  When you switch to fiber optic cables for your network, it means you’re taking one more step closer towards the future.  High speed and instantaneous success are what run our world; this means that one misstep regarding fiber optic cables could ruin their entire ability to function.  How do you prevent this?  The most important thing to keep in mind is that your cables need to stay clean.  Here’s why it’s so important to clean and maintain your fiber optic cables.

 

Simple Mistakes, Big Consequences

 

Even just a little oil from your finger, or a speck of dust can cause a failure of the entire system.  While fiber optic cables produce a great amount of speed and power, they also require care and precision.  A dust particle that isn’t even visible could block the light that travels through the cables.  If it doesn’t cause the entire system to break down, this kind of interruption will, at the very least, lower productivity of the connection.

 

Cleaning Process

 

There are several ways to clean fiber optic cables, from dry cleaning to wet cleaning, and each have their benefits and specific uses.  Each cleaning process follows the same general outline of steps; clean, inspect, clean, inspect, and repeat.  There are a few things to remember, though.  For instance, wet cleaning should not be conducted on bulkheads and receptacles.  Dry cleaning should be your first plan of action.  The connectors of the cables are just as important as the rest of the cable, in terms of transmission.  If your fiber optic network is running slowly, and you’re not sure why, you might want to clean each component thoroughly until you find where the problem is.

 

General Tips

 

Turn off all systems when you’re cleaning.  The laser radiation is dangerous, and you should never look into these beams.  Even if you can’t see any kind of light, the emissions are still  there.  Do not scrub vigorously at the cables; rather, use a lint free swab and gently wipe.  Your swabs should stay clean.  Ideally, use a new one after each use.  Never touch the connectors with your bare fingers, or else you’ll have to clean all over again!

 

For more information about fiber optic cables, follow our blog at fiber-mart.com!

 

fiber-mart.com is ready to work with you to customize your fiber optic network!

 

We focus on custom product manufacturing for fiber optic connectivity.  We will engineer solutions to any customer’s specs and needs, and we create end-to-end solutions so you won’t be left in the dark.  fiber-mart.com strives to provide our customers with the highest quality product above industry standards at a competitive cost.  

 

Do you need a custom fiber optic connectivity solution?  fiber-mart.com specializes in custom design solutions.  We work all over the world to provide solutions from our headquarters in Venice, Florida.  Our goal is to provide you with the perfect solutions, designs, and cabling.

Indoor/Outdoor Multifiber Cables

by Fiber-MART.COM

In the case of building network connectivity between two buildings, within a large building, or connecting networks from the cabinet of the third-party Internet service provider (ISP) to your home, fiber optic cable is used in order to meet the requirements of bandwidth, distance and noise. Outdoor fiber optic cable is good for outdoor cabling but not suitable for indoor applications. At the meantime, ordinary indoor fiber optic cable is not designed for outdoor cabling. Only indoor/outdoor fiber cables can be used both for connecting networks of two buildings, inside the building and in the entrance facilities as well. For a specific indoor/outdoor use, to customize pre-terminated indoor/outdoor multifiber cable is an excellent solution for effective and high quality cabling.

 

What Benefits Can Pre-Terminated Indoor/Outdoor Multifiber Cable Bring?

Pre-terminated indoor/outdoor multifiber cable is designed for both indoor and outdoor cabling. The first benefit it can bring is time-saving, especially in deploying large number of fiber cables. These multifiber cables are precisely terminated with connectors during the manufacturing, so that the time needed for splicing and termination is omitted. In addition, the insertion losses and return losses are controlled in better range to ensure high quality communication. Another feature that contributes to time-saving the pulling eye. It speeds up the process of pulling a bundle of fiber cables in the underground duct.

 

The second benefit is strong protection to the fragile fiber optic cable. For example, the jacket of our indoor/outdoor multifiber cable is PE (Polyethylene). The PE jacket is perfect for withstanding lower temperatures due to the semi-crystalline thermoplastic material in the PE compound. So fiber optic cables with PE jacket can be installed in colder climates. Apart from the good cold- durability, PE jacket also has features of excellent UV (ultraviolet) resistance, moisture-proof and anti-fungus. Our indoor/outdoor multifiber cable has a black PE jacket, which is capable of better UV resistance, and it can be used in both dry areas and slightly damp conduits. But it should not be directly buried underground, immersed in the water or exposed to the sun. Outdoor use only cable is an alternative in these harsh environments. The pulling eye design also protects the connectors of the indoor/outdoor multifiber cable and prevents the cable from twisting during the installation. It ensures that under the tensile strength, the pulling force and the reinforcing part of the optical cable do not act on the core and the optical cable sheath. It allows a tension up to 245N.

 

The last benefit is the flexible selections. Customized indoor/outdoor multifiber cable allows the user to buy only the required length and fiber count for installation and no waste of money or fiber cable. Besides, the breakout legs can be fan-out at same length or staggered at various lengths, meeting diverse needs. The connector types at both ends are also available with LC/ SC/FC/ST options of APC/UPC polish.

 

Applications of Indoor/Outdoor Multifiber Cable

As has mentioned before, the indoor/outdoor multifiber cable is ideal for building the network connectivity between two buildings, connecting from the ISP to our home through the use of underground conduit and indoor high bandwidth wiring.

 

For long-distance connections between two buildings, the single-mode indoor/outdoor multifiber cable can provide 2 to 24 fibers that support high speed traffic of 10G/40G/100G between the core network and the branch network. And the speed could be doubled/tripled when using link aggregation via multiple fiber links. The pre-terminated solution allows easy plugging into the devices without the need to do splicing. When laying the conduit, remember to prevent the ingress of water, dirt, sand, and other foreign materials into the conduit prior to, during and after construction.

 

Multimode indoor/outdoor multifiber cable is perfect for indoor short-distance connections. It simplifies the laying part of the connectivity between many nodes to only one cable. Together with the pulling eye, it prevents messing up different cables and connectors that could happen in using many cables.

 

Indoor/outdoor multifiber cables are particularly used in both indoor and outdoor fiber optic cabling. And the pre-terminated design, durable jacket and pulling eye are combined to provide better protection to the cable and easier installation during the construction. Though it is not designed to be directly buried as more expensive outdoor only cables, it is cost-effective and excellent indoor/outdoor cable for its own purposes.

Fiber Optic Patch Cable & Its Production Process

Introduction of Fiber Optic Patch Cable

Fiber optic patch cable, also called fiber optic patch cord or fiber patch cord, is one of the most basic and important parts in optical communication. Fiber optic patch cable is generally used for linking the equipment and components in the fiber optic network, eg. linking between the fiber optic converter and termination box. At the ends of fiber optic patch cable, there are fiber optic connectors. In general, the fiber optic patch cable types are classified by the fiber optic connector types. The commonly used fiber optic patch cable types include SC fiber patch cord, ST fiber optic patch cord, LC fiber optic patch cord, FC fiber optic patch cord etc. In addition, if fiber optic patch cable has the same type of connector on both ends, we call it the same connector type fiber patch cable, otherwise, it is called hybrid fiber optic patch cables. According to its fiber cable mode or fiber cable structure, fiber optic patch cable can be divided into singlemode fiber optic patch cable and multimode fiber optic patch cable or simplex fiber optic patch cable and duplex fiber optic patch cable.

 

 

Production Process of Fiber Optic Patch Cable

The traditional production process of fiber optic patch cable can be divided into three parts: assembly of fiber optic cable andconnectors, end face polishing, inspection & testing. As we know, when the optical signal transmitted through the end face of the fibers, due to back reflection or other reasons, it will have a part of loss. A good polishing end face is very necessary for fiber optic transmission. Thus, among the three parts of fiber optic patch cable production process, the latter two parts are very important for producing a high quality fiber optic patch cable. And this is why many manufactures attach great importance to introduce the advanced equipment and technology to achieve good performance in this operation.

 

In order to achieve best results, a good fiber optic patch cord production includes the following 8 elements:

 

Correct tools and assembly procedures is necessary

Using high quality fiber optic connector parts

Stable polishing machines is very important

>High quality polishing sandpaper

Correct operating procedures

Accurate and reliable test equipment

Responsible and experienced operators

Clean and dust-free working environment

 

Fiber Optic Patch Cable Using Tips

 

When using fiber optic patch cable, we need to pay attention to some details. The following tips will give you some help to more understand the fiber optic patch cables during its application.

 

Choose the right cable with right connectors and lengths according to your requirement.

An unused or spare fiber optic patch cable should be protected with the dust caps. Because contamination, such as dust and grease will damage the fiber optic connectors on the ends of the fiber patch cable.

When you plan to use fiber optic patch cables, be sure what type of cable mode would you need. In general, singlemode fiber optic patch cable is yellow while its connectors and protective cover is blue. singlemode fiber optic patch cable is usually for long distance transmission. Multimode fiber is generally orange or grey, with a cream or black connector that is used for shorter distance transmission.

Don’t excessively bent the fiber optic patch cable when using that will increase the attenuation of optical signal in transmission.

When using with the fiber optic transceiver module, you should ensure that the fiber optic transceiver modules in both ends of the fiber patch cable should be the same wavelength. There is a simple method to judge: ensure the color of the modules must be consistent.

 

Fiber Optic Patch Cable Solution

fiber-mart provides a full set of fiber optic patch cable solution cover from the production processes, product series introduction, description, application and using guide to after-sale maintenance that can satisfy our customers with a full range of services. In addition, fiber-mart can also offer the custom service for your special requirements. We will keep on improving to achieve offering the high quality fiber optic patch cables for your projects.

Fiber Optic Tool Kits From fiber-mart.com

The fiber-mart’s Basic fiber optic tool kits provide you with dozens of basic tools that are essential for fiber optic termination, construction, splicing, polishing and testing. The kit includes strippers, cable slitters and other precision hand tools, consumable products, and much more. All of the contents are packed in a durable case, keeping the items you need within easy reach. For example, the fiber optic termination tool kit provided by fiber-mart.

The traditional Erpoxy and Polish Connector Termination Tool Kit:

This type of kit sometimes is also called universal connectorization epoxy tool kit. They include all the tools necessary for hand-polishing termination of epoxy optic connectors such as FC, SC, ST, LC, etc. The following list shows all essentials tools that should be included.

a. Fiber cable jacket stripper to remove outer jacket from optical cables;

b. Fiber stripper to remove fiber coatings (900um tight buffer or 250um UV coating layer) to expose the bare fiber cladding;

c. Kevlar scissors to cut the yellow strength member inside fiber jacket;

d. Fiber connector crimp tool for FC, SC, ST, LC;

e. Fiber scribe tool to scribe the bare fiber;

f. Epoxy for fixing the fiber inside the connector, empty syringes for epoxy dispensing into the connector;

g. Glass polish plate so you can place rubber polish pad on top of it;

h. Rubber polish pad so you can place the lapping films on top of it;

i. Lapping films (several grits included, typically 12um, 3um, 1um and 0.5um);

j. Connector hand polish pucks for FC, SC, ST, LC;

k. Inspection microscope so you can inspect the quality of your work;

l. Heat cure oven to cure the epoxy (either 220V or 110V);

m. Other misc. items for cleaning such as Kimwipes, Isopropyl alcohol, etc.

Quick Termination Connector Tool Kit

90 percent of quick termination connectors don’t require polishing. They have a factory pre-polished fiber stub inside the connector body, all you need to do is strip your fiber, clean, cleave the fiber and then insert the cleaved fiber into the connector body, with or without assembly tool assistance, then finally crimp the connector with specialized tool.

There is no universal quick termination connector tool kit, since each connector is designed differently by their manufacturers and requires proprietary assembly tool.

The fiber optic tools come in a range of colours, designs and features — from subtle to spunky. For the ones who like to keep it simple, there are designs, such as a portable and practical crimping tool. For someone who like it sophisticated, there are designs, such as the Multi-Function F-Type, RJ-12 and RJ-45 Cable Tester. With affordable pricing, these tools do meet the expectations of as many customers as possible.

Fiber Optic Termination Kits provide field engineers with a low cost and highly portable solution. fiber-mart has provided four different options for the consumer. The basic Fiber Optic Termination Kit includes adhesives and primers, a fiber scraps bin, polishing pads, pre-saturated IPA wipes, lint free wipes, syringes and needles, a cleave tool, and a polishing puck. The other three models contain the tools of the basic kit and options such as light meter and fiber microscope, maximizing the functionality and flexibility of the Kits. And the Fiber Connector Termination Tool Kit contains all of the latest popular fiber optic tools and consumable material necessary for epoxy and polish connector terminations(SC/ST/FC and LC connectors).

Fiber Optic Cable are usually used in two scenarios

Fiber Optic Cable are used in applications where the optical signal is too strong and needs to be reduced. For example, in a multi-wavelength fiber optic system, you need to equalize the optical channel strength so that all the channels have similar power levels. This means to reduce stronger channels’ powers to match lower power channels.

The attenuation level is fixed at 5 dB, which means it reduces the optical power by 5dB. This attenuator has a short piece of fiber with metal ion doping that provides the specified attenuation.

There are many different mechanisms to reduce the optical power, this picture shows another mechanism used in one type of variable attenuator. Here variable means the attenuation level can be adjusted, for example, it could be from 1 dB up to 20dB.

Fiber Optic Cable are usually used in two scenarios.

The first case is in fiber optic power level testing. Cable are used to temporarily add a calibrated amount of signal loss in order to test the power level margins in a fiber optic communication system.

In the second case, Cable are permanently installed in a fiber optic communication link to properly match transmitter and receiver optical signal levels.

Simplex OM1 62.5/125 Multimode Fiber Optic Patch Cable

Optical Cable are typically classified as fixed or variable Cable.

Fixed Cable have a fixed optical power reduction number, such as 1dB, 5dB, 10dB, etc.

Variable Cable’ attenuation level can be adjusted, such as from 0.5 dB to 20dB, or even 50dB. Some variable Cable have very fine resolution, such as 0.1dB, or even 0.01dB.

This slide shows many different optical attenuator designs.

The female to female fixed Cable work like a regular adapter. But instead of minimizing insertion loss, it purposely adds some attenuation.

The female to female variable Cable are adjustable by turning a nut in the middle. The nut adjusts the air gap in the middle to achieve different attenuation levels.

The male to female fixed Cable work as fiber connectors, you can just plug in your existing fiber connector to its female side.

The in-line patch cable type variable Cable work as regular patch cables, but your can adjust its attenuation level by turning the screw.

For precise testing purposes, engineers have also designed instrument type variable Cable. These instrument type Cable have high attenuation ranges, such as from 0.5 dB to 70dB. They also have very fine resolution, such as 0.01dB. This is critical for accurate testing.

FBT Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box

FBT Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box

by Fiber-MART.COM

FBT Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box

FM SKU#:SKU00241I
Model#:FM-MM-112ABSD

As one of the key components for GPON FTTx networks, optical splitters can be placed in the Central Office or in one of the distribution points (outdoor or indoor) because the FBT splitters are highly stable for multiport optical signal splitting with low insertion loss. FBT couplers are designed for power splitting and tapping in telecommunication equipment, CATV network, and test equipment

Fiber-Mart Fused Biconic Tapered (FBT) splitters are available with 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x5, 1x6, 1x8, 1x12, 1x16, 1x18, 1x20 and 1x24, 2x2, 2x4, 3x3 configurations with single mode or multimode fiber and we offer all type connectors of pre-connectorized like SC, FC, ST, LC and E2000 etc.
The 1x12 Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box can splitter the optical signals into 12 parts, and the coupling ratio can be customized

Key Features

• Low insertion loss
• Low polarization dependent loss
• High Return Loss
• Optional Split Ratio 20/80, 40/60...(50/50 as default.)
• Compact for small application areas like in closure or splice trays
• Wide Operating Temperature and Wavelength
• Excellent Environmental & Mechanical Stability
• Qualified Under Telcordia GR-1221 and GR-1209
• High Quality Plastic ABS Box
• Multimode Type: 62.5um/125 as default
• Wavelength of Dual Window: 850nm/1310nm as default

Applications

• FTTX (FTTP, FTTH, FTTN, FTTC)
• Passive Optical Networks (PON)
• Local Area Networks (LAN)
• CATV Systems
• Amplifying, Monitoring System
• Test Equipments

Order Information

For FBT Splitters, Fiber-Mart provides a whole series of this kind customized for specific applications:
a. Different coupling ratio can be customized according to your requirement.
b. Two out of the 1310nm, 1490nm and 1550nm operating wavelength can be selected.
c.1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x5, 1x6, 1x8, 1x12, 1x16, 1x18, 1x20, 1x24, 2x2, 2x4, 3x3 configurations of splitters are available.
d. 2. 0mm or 3.0mm LSZH fiber cables can be selected.
e. The length of input or output fibers can be also customized; 1m length as default.
Welcome to contact us for customized solutions.

Mechanical Drawing

Fiber-Mart offers cost-effective standards-based 1x12 FBT Splitter Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box. As a 3rd party OEM manufacturer, our 1x12 FBT Splitter Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box is delivered to worldwide from our factory directly, and they are all based on thin film filter technology and metal bonding micro optics packaging. What's more, our 1x12 FBT Splitter Multimode Dual Window Fiber Splitter with ABS Box are tested in-house prior to shipment to guarantee that they will arrive in perfect physical and working condition. Please contact us at sales@fiber-mart.com if you want to know more details.

OperatingWavelength(nm)	850nm/1310nm
Directivity(dB)	>55dB
OperatingTemperature	-20°C~+85°C
StorageTemperature	-40°C~+85°C
FiberType	CorningMultimodeSMF-28
FiberPigtailLength(m)	1morCustomonRequest

Requirements and Challenges for 100G Metro Network

Requirements and Challenges for 100G Metro Network

by Fiber-MART.COM

Requirements and Challenges for 100G Metro Network

 

With the rapid increase of data traffic by about 40% each year, the dominant 10Gb/s optical networks were soon saturated. 40G was also complemented in existing WDM networks with cost-effective 40G equipment. Yet 40G isn’t enough. Several providers have deployed 100G in long-haul (LH) backbone applications in recent years by using novel fibers and advanced optical components, but overlaying 100G in metro network is still facing many challenges. This post will discuss the requirements for 100G metro network and the challenges faced during this change.

Requirements for 100G Metro Network

 

Similar to 10G metro, 100G networks begin with the use of 100G transceivers and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) multiplexers/de-multiplexers. For some applications, optical amplifiers and dispersion compensation modules are needed.

 

The metro segment covers a broad range of distances. It can generally be divided to three subcategories: metro access (40 to 100 km), metro core (100 to 500 km) and metro regional (500 to 1000 km). The metro core and the metro regional typically include a large number of reconfigurable-optical-add/drop-multiplexer (ROADM) nodes. The metro access links are generally point-to-point connections.

 

Although DWDM metro distances are shorter than long-haul links, the transmission requirements for 100G metro are quite challenging with a large number of ROADMs and the fact that the metro fiber is often older and can include many interconnected parts that cause higher loss. In addition, it is likely that 100G metro wavelengths will coexist with existing 10G wavelengths. The coexistence of brownfield and greenfield deployments requires the support of links with and without in-line dispersion compensation. It is essential to use the available fiber bandwidth since installation of new fiber is high cost in a metro environment. Since metro is two or three times larger in size, it is more cost-sensitive and has higher requirements on the space for line-card density than LH networks in achieving the same capacity.

 

Challenges in Deploying 100G Metro

 

In long-haul networks, coherent transceivers are successfully used. But the size, power consumption and cost of today’s coherent transceivers are not suitable for metro networks where port-density is important. Designing a performance-, size- and cost-optimized single-wavelength coherent 100G metro transceiver is very desirable but quite challenging. To achieve this, C-form factor pluggable (CFP) coherent modules are taking into consideration. CFP coherent modules supporting 10 x 10G and 4 x 25G, and smaller size CFP2 and CFP4 coherent modules supporting 4 x 25G are considered good choices for 100G metro. Another choice is the nonpluggable 4 x 5-inch multisource agreement (MSA) module based on Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) standards.

 

Though the 100G metro schemes with coherent modules seem to be clear, there are still questions about pluggable modules. Pluggable slot is generally designed as “universal slot” that could be flexibly used for client- or network-slide optics, but as the client side is moving from CFP to CFP2/CFP4, the ability of such universal slot will be lost unless the coherent modules keep pace.

 

As mentioned before, unlike LH links, metro consists of a lot of ROADMs. To achieve 100G performance, the metro needs to handle the increased loss created by growing number of ROADMs. Also it has to deal with the higher loss in old fiber to ensure desired transmission quality.

 

Also there are many challenges in satisfying requirements for low power consumption, high port density, low latency, and standardized data-rate and modulation formats for 100G metro network.

 

Conclusion

 

There is still a long way to go for the implementation of cost-effective and high-performance 100G metro network. However, the challenges in network and optical areas will finally turn to reasons for the achievements in metro network development. The cost will be driven down and the applications of 100G metro will be prevalent. fiber-mart.com provides major brands compatible QSFP28, CFP and CFP2 modules and generic CFP4 modules for your upgrading to 100G infrastructures. If you are in need of other fiber optic modules, you can also visit our web site for more information.

A brief introduction of fiber optic splitter?

A brief introduction of fiber optic splitter?

by Fiber-MART.COM

The fiber optic splitter is also referred to as beam splitter, which is an integrated waveguide optical power distribution device. It plays an important role in passive optical network by allowing a single PON interface to be shared among many subscribers. To achieve this, it is designed to split an incident light beam into two or more light beams and couple the light beams to the branch distribution as an optical fiber tandem device, which has the function to maximize the performance of network circuits.

 

The Characteristics of Fiber Optic Splitter

The fiber optic splitter can be terminated with different forms of connectors, and the primary package could be box type or stainless tube type. The first package is usually used with 2mm or 3mm outer diameter cable, the other is normally used in combination with 0.9mm outer diameter cables. Besides, it has variously different split configurations, such as 1×2, 1×8, 2×32, etc. With the development of the splitter manufacturing technology, the fiber optic market can support the high-technical splitter used in the network where the split configurations are 2×64 or larger at present.

 

According to the different transmission medium, there are single-mode fiber optic splitter and multimode fiber optic splitter. For multimode ones, the phrase implies that the fiber is optimized for 850nm and 1310nm operation. For single-mode ones, the phrase means that the fiber is optimized for 1310nm and 1550nm operation. Meanwhile, based on working wavelength difference, there are single window and dual window fiber optic splitters. The single window fiber optic splitter is to use one working wavelength, while the dual window fiber optic splitter is with two working wavelengths.

 

In general, a fiber optic splitter has many input and output terminals to attain the branch of the light beams and maximize the functionality of optical network circuits, which plays an important role in passive optical network (EPON, GPON, BPON, FTTX, FTTH and so on).

 

How Does the Fiber Optic Splitter Work?

 

The fiber optical splitter is a passive optical device that can split, or separate, an incident light beam into several light beams at a certain ratio. As a simple example, Figure 1 shows how splitter with 1×4 split configurations can separate an incident light beam from a single input fiber cable into four light beams and transmit them through four individual output fiber cables. For instance, if the input fiber optic cable carries 1000 Mbps bandwidth, each user in the end of output fiber cables can use the network with 250 Mbps bandwidth.

 

As for the fiber optic splitter with 2×64 split configurations, it is more complicated than the splitter with 1×4 split configurations. There are two input terminals and sixty-four output terminals in the fiber optic splitter with 2×64 split configurations. Its function is to split two incident light beams from two individual input fiber cables into sixty-four light beams and transmit them through sixty-four light individual output fiber cables.

 

What should be noted is that the ejected light beams may or may not have the same optical power as the incident light beam. The designer would better to take it into consideration when designing the passive optical networks.

 

Two Types of Fiber Optic Splitters Classified by Manufacturing Technique

 

On the basis of different manufacturing technique, the fiber optic splitter can be divided into two types, which are popularly used nowadays. One is the traditional fused type optical splitter, fused biconic tapered (FBT) splitter, which features competitive prices; and the other is planar lightwave circuit (PLC) splitter, which has compact size and suits for high-density applications. Both of them have the advantages and can be used in different applications.

 

Fused Biconic Tapered (FBT) Splitters

 

The FBT splitter (See Figure 2) is fabricated by the traditional technology with over 20 years history. Its manufacturing technique is relatively mature and the manufacturing cost is lower than PLC splitter, so that the FBT splitter can be deployed in a cost-effective manner in today’s fiber optic market.

 

In the manufacturing process of FBT splitter, there are two or more fibers placed closely together, typically twisted around each other and fused together by applying heat while the assembly is being elongated and tapered. The fused fibers are protected by a glass substrate and then protected by a stainless steel tube. Meanwhile, there is a signal source controls the desired coupling ratio to meet the requirements in applications.

 

Nowadays, FBT splitters are widely used in passive optical networks, especially in the network where the split configuration is not larger than 1×4. In fact, there is a slight drawback of FBT splitter, the split configuration. Detailedly, if more than four splits are required, multiple FBT splitters can be spliced together in concatenation to multiply the amount of splits available, like a tree splitter. By using this design, the package size increases due to multiple FBT splitters and the insertion loss also increases with the additional splitters. Therefore, if high split counts are needed, small package size and low insertion loss are also required, you are suggested to choose a PLC splitter, instead of the FBT splitter.

 

Conclusion

 

With the fast development of optical network, more and more experts attach great importance to the fiber optic splitter, and try to optimize its function as much as possible. As a result, the fiber optic splitters becomes diversiform with different design aims, which can be used in different applications. fiber-mart.com provides a variety of fiber optic splitters which suit for many applications, all of them are tested in-house prior to shipping to guarantee that they will arrive in perfect physical and working condition. We also guarantee the fiber optic splitters to work in your system with a lifetime advance replacement warranty. Your choice is our motivation. Welcome to fiber-mart.com.

The Features of Fiber Optic Cleaver

The Features of Fiber Optic Cleaver

by Fiber-MART.COM

Fiber optic cleaver is used to cut the fiberglass to make a good end face, as we know the quality of the bare fiber end face will determine the quality of the joint of the fibers in the fiber optic fusion process, and the joint point quality means higher or lower attenuation of the fiber connection line.

An optical fiber is cleaved by applying a sufficient high tensile stress in the vicinity of a sufficiently large surface crack, which then rapidly expands across the cross section at the sonic velocity.This idea has many different practical implementations in a variety of commercial cleaving equipment. Some cleavers apply a tensile stress to the fiber while scratching the its surface with a very hard scribing tool, usually a diamond edge.

 

Fiber optic cleavers are used in fusion splicing to make the ready to use optical fiber before putting them into the fusion splicer to melt them together. Some cleavers scratch the surface first, and then apply tensile stress, and some apply a tensile stress that is uniform across the cross section while others bend the fiber through a tight radius, producing high tensile stresses on the outside of the bend.

 

Commercial instruments for simultaneously cleaving all the fibers in a ribbon are also widely available. These ribbon cleavers operate on the same principles as single fiber cleavers. The average cleave quality of a ribbon cleaver is somewhat interior to that of a single fiber cleaver. Scribe-and-break cleaving can be done by hand or by tools that range from relatively inexpensive hand tools to elaborate automated bench tools. Any technique or tools is capable of good cleaves; the trick is consistent finishes time and time again.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF FOUR KINDS OF SFP BI-DIRECTIONAL TRANSCEIVER

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF FOUR KINDS OF SFP BI-DIRECTIONAL TRANSCEIVER

by Fiber-MART.COM

Firstly, let’s get know something about the SFP, which is short for Small Form-factor Pluggable.The (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. The form factor and electrical interface are specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA). It interfaces a network device mother board (for a switch,router, media converter or similar device) to a fiber optic or copper networking cable. It is a popular industry format jointly developed and supported by many network component vendors. SFP transceivers are designed to support SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and other communications standards. Due to its smaller size, SFP obsoletes the formerly ubiquitous gigabit interface converter (GBIC); the SFP is sometimes referred to as a Mini-GBIC although no device with this name has ever been defined in the MSA.

 

Then, what we need to know is four different kinds of the SFP BiDi transceiver.

 

GLC FE 100BX U is Cisco SFP fiber transceiver with single LC port, the GLC FE 100BX U SFP is with 1310TX and 1550RX, GLC FE 100BX U typical working distance is up to 10km. GLC FE 100BX U work on single mode optical fiber, it is fully compatible with IEEE standards for 100Base network, GLC FE 100BX U is used to connect the relevant SFP ports to the fiber optic networks via the single LC fiber connector interface.

 

GLC FE 100BX D is Cisco SFP fiber transceiver module used in 100Base network, GLC FE 100BX D operate via single mode optical fiber with 1550TX and 1310RX, GLC FE 100BX D max working distance is 10km. GLC FE 100BX D use a single LC connector to link the fiber optic network while the other end of the transceiver will fit into the SFP slot or ports on switches or routers.

 

Cisco GLC BX U SFP is single mode transceiver with 1310 TX and 1490 RX, it is compliant to 1000Base BX standards, this transceiver work in pair with GLC BX D. GLC BX U is with LC duplex connectors and its max working span is 10km over SMF. It is hot swappable to plug into the SFP slot or ports, linking these ports to the fiber optic network.

 

Cisco GLC BX D SFP transceiver is a BIDI transceiver work with single mode fiber, it is 1490nm TX and 1310nm RX, typical working span of the GLC BX D is 10km over SMF. GLC BX D is dual LC optical port and small form -pluggable package. We supply Cisco GLC BX D equivalent transceivers that are compliant to 1000Base BX standards.

 

Just a brief introduction about the SFP Bi-directional transceiver, if you want to know more about that, please pay more attention to our blog!

Use CWDM Or DWDM to Multiplex Your Fiber?

Use CWDM Or DWDM to Multiplex Your Fiber?

by Fiber-MART.COM

CWDM vs DWDM

 

CWDM scales to 18 distinct channels. While, DWDM scales up to 80 channels (or more), allows vastly more expansion. The main advantage of CWDM is the cost of the optics which is typically 1/3rd of the cost of the equivalent DWDM optic. CWDM products are popular in less precision optics and lower cost, less power consumption, un-cooled lasers with lower maintenance requirements. This difference in economic scale, the limited budget that many customers face, and typical initial requirements not to exceed 8 wavelengths, means that CWDM is a more popular entry point for many customers.

Buying CWDM or DWDM is driven by the number of wavelengths needed and the future growth projections. If you only need a handful of waves and use 1Gbps optics, CWDM is the way to go. If you need dozens of waves, 10Gbps speeds, DWDM is the only option.

 

Using a WDM(Wavelength Division Multiplexing) for expanding the capacity of the fiber to carry multiple client interfaces is a highly advisable way as the physical fiber optic cabling is not cheap. As WDM widely used you must not unfamiliar with it, it is a technology that combines several streams of data/storage/video or voice protocols on the same physical fiber-optic cable, by using several wavelengths (frequencies) of light with each frequency carrying a different type of data.

Ultimately, the choice to use CWDM or DWDM is a difficult decision, first we should understand the difference between them clearly.

 

Two types of WDM architecture available: Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM). CWDM/DWDM multiplexer and demultiplexer and OADM (Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) are common fit in with Passive. With the use of optical amplifiers and the development of the OTN (Optical Transport Network) layer equipped with FEC (Forward Error Correction), the distance of the fiber optical communication can reach thousands of Kilometers without the need for regeneration sites.

 

CWDM, each CWDM wavelength typically supports up to 2.5Gbps and can be expanded to 10Gbps support. The CWDM is limited to 16 wavelengths and is typically deployed at networks up to 80Km since optical amplifiers cannot be used due to the large spacing between channels. CWDM uses a wide spectrum and accommodates eight channels. This wide spacing of channels allows for the use of moderately priced optics, but limits capacity. CWDM is typically used for lower-cost, lower-capacity, shorter-distance applications where cost is the paramount decision criteria.

 

The CWDM Mux/Demux (or CWDM multiplexer/demultiplexer) is often a flexible plug-and-play network solution, which helps insurers and enterprise companies to affordably implement denote point or ring based WDM optical networks. CWDM Mux/demux is perfectly created for transport PDH, SDH / SONET, ETHERNET services over WDM, CWDM and DWDM in optical metro edge and access networks. CWDM Multiplexer Modules can be found in 4, 8 and 16 channel configurations. These modules passively multiplex the optical signal outputs from 4 too much electronic products, send on them someone optical fiber and after that de-multiplex the signals into separate, distinct signals for input into gadgets across the opposite end for your fiber optic link.

 

Typically CWDM solutions provide 8 wavelengths capability enabling the transport of 8 client interfaces over the same fiber. However, the relatively large separation between the CWDM wavelengths allows expansion of the CWDM network with an additional 44 wavelengths with 100GHz spacing utilizing DWDM technology, thus expanding the existing infrastructure capability and utilizing the same equipment as part of the integrated solution.

 

DWDM is a technology allowing high throughput capacity over longer distances commonly ranging between 44-88 channels/wavelengths and transferring data rates from 100Mbps up to 100Gbps per wavelength.

 

DWDM systems pack 16 or more channels into a narrow spectrum window very near the 1550nm local attenuation minimum. Decreasing channel spacing requires the use of more precise and costly optics, but allows for significantly more scalability. Typical DWDM systems provide 1-44 channels of capacity, with some new systems, offering up to 80-160 channels. DWDM is typically used where high capacity is needed over a limited fiber resource or where it is cost prohibitive to deploy more fiber.

 

The DWDM multiplexer/demultiplexer Modules are made to multiplex multiple DWDM channels into one or two fibers. Based on type CWDM Mux/Demux unit, with optional expansion, can transmit and receive as much as 4, 8, 16 or 32 connections of various standards, data rates or protocols over one single fiber optic link without disturbing one another.