LC Connector Introduction

Fiber optic connectors are used to the mechanical and optical means for cross connecting fibers. Fiber optic connectors can also be used to join fiber cables to transmitters or receivers. There have been many types of connectors developed for fiber cable. Single mode networks have used FC or SC connectors in about the same proportion as ST and SC in multimode installations. But LC connector with smaller size and higher performance has become popular and the connector choice for optical transceivers for systems operating at gigabit speeds. The following text gives a detailed introduction of LC connector.

History of LC Connector

LC stands for Lucent Connector, as the LC connector was developed by Lucent Technologies as a response to the need by their primary customers, the telcos, for a small, low insertion loss connector. Then the LC design was standardized in EIA/TIA-604-10 and is offered by other manufacturers.

SC connector and LC connector

Advantages of LC Connector

There are solid reasons that the LC is the preferred connector for high-performance network. From the appearance, LC connect is like a mini size of SC connector. LC connector borrows split-sleeve construction and a cylindrical ferrule (usually ceramic) from SC connector. LC connector has a push-and-latch design providing pull-proof stability in system rack mounts. The picture on the right shows the appearance of SC connector and LC connector.

The ferrule size of LC connector is 1.25 mm which is half the size of SC connector ferrule—2.5 mm. LC connector is rated for 500 mating cycles and its typical insertion loss is 0.25 dB. An interesting feature of the LC is that, in some designs, the ferrule can be “tuned” or rotated with a special tool after it has been assembled. This offers a considerable performance advantage. The design and performance of LC connector address the need for high density and low insertion loss.

Application of LC Connector

LC connector can be found in many places for termination and connection, especially SFP transceivers for gigabit transmission. For example, the optic interfaces of Cisco SFP transceivers are all LC connectors. Some other applications are as following:

Simplex and duplex LC connectors

Telecommunication networks

Local area networks

Data processing networks

Cable television

Fiber-to-the-home

Premises distribution

LC Connector Selection Guide

To meet the needs of market, there are various types of LC connectors provided now. During the selection of LC connector, transmission media should be the first factor to consider. LC connector favors single mode fiber optic cable. But it can also be used with multimode fiber optic cable. Signals sometimes are transferred over simplex fiber optic cable and sometime duplex fiber optic cable. Thus, LC connector has both simplex and duplex design. The picture above shows an APC simplex LC connector on the left and a UPC duplex LC connector on the right. Some other factors like polishing style (APC or UPC), hole size and cable diameter should not be ignored. For more details about LC connectors, you can visit fiber-mart which provides various LC connectors with high performance and low price.

Why choose fiber optic cleaning products?

All the clean freaks out there, we know what goes through your head when something does not seem clean even when you wipe it spotless. Little fragments of dust seem to be present throughout. In fact dust, dirt, oil and other particles can block signals of your fiber optic network by accumulating on the optic connectors. That is why fiber optic cleaning is the future; it is efficient in its own way and does a lot of work for its money to reduce downtime of any network.

There are different types of cleaner available in the market but let us discuss one here that is commonly used and it is fiber optic cleaning fluid.

There is no alcohol present. While some people argue that alcohol helps germs and dust particles to come off completely. The alcohol doesn’t mix well with the fiber optics and instead causes it to block the signals on its connectors. While alcohol removes germs, it can also attract new forms of dust on products.

It is environmentally safer. Due to its double filtration and alcohol free formulas, it poses no threat to the environment. These fiber cables are non toxic and non flammable so they carry no risks of potential danger anyways.

You can take it on travel anywhere and everywhere, its non hazardous nature is approved by travel authorities and it is very convenient as it is properly sealed and it is not pressurized. It is extremely economical as well. Any average person can buy this and make it worth their money with unlimited shelf life.

In this day and age, fiber optics have become a fundamental part of our lives and maintaining it that way is very important task that we need to fulfill. Repeated connection and disconnection leaves debris in the bulkheads of the different compartments, which if not attended to, can cause a major problem.

There are different types of cleaning involved in fiber optic cleaning.

• There is dry cleaning, meaning without the use of any sort of solvent

• There is wet cleaning that involves a solvent

• Non-abrasive cleaning, which involves the material not touching the fiber optic connectors and are merely air dusted.

• Then there is abrasive which is basically the opposite of non abrasive and involves wiping on the surfaces of the fiber optic.

Overall, this is the best product you can get for your money as it includes the necessary qualities to properly clean and get the job done.

Optical Solutions for HP 5820 Switch Series

HP 5820 switch series, namely HP FlexFabric 5820 switch series, is designed to support 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networks. The extensible embedded application capabilities enable these switches to integrate services into the network, consolidating devices and appliances to simplify deployment and reduce power consumption and rack space. Also, using the right optical components will facilitate the high performance of the switches. And this article will provide the optical solutions such as fiber optic transceivers and direct attach cables that are supported by HP 5820 switch series.

Overview of HP 5820 Switch Series

 

The HP 5820 switch series provides a versatile, high-performance and 1/10GbE top-of-rack (ToR) data center switch architecture with deployment flexibility. It supports advanced features by delivering a unique combination of unmatched 10 GbE, high-availability architecture, full layer 2/3 dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 and line-rate, low-latency performance on all ports. HP 5820 switches can be used in high-performance and high-density building or department cores as a part of a consolidated network, or be used in campus and data center networks for the high-performance layer 3, 10 GbE aggregation. The total switching capacity of HP 5820 switch series can reach up to 488 Gbps supporting as much as 363mpps throughput. The models offer 14 or 24 ports for high-performance applications with RJ45, SFP+ server connectivity and expansion slot.

 

Models of HP 5820 Switch Series

 

There are three models of HP 5820 switch series including HP 5820-14XG-SFP+ switch (JC106B), HP 5820-24XG-SFP+ switch (JC102B) and HP 5820AF-24XG switch (JG219B). These switch models are hot-swappable and support cut-through switching for very low latency. The biggest difference is their disposition of I/O ports.

 

Optical Solutions for HP 5820 Switch Series

HP 5820 switch series is available with 1 GbE and 10 GbE data links. The following tables provide the optical solutions of SFP transceivers, SFP+ transceivers, 10G SFP+ to SFP+ direct attach copper cables and 40G QSFP+ to 4x10G SFP+ direct attach copper breakout cables supported by the switch series.

 

Conclusion

The flexible and high-performance HPH 5820 switch series is a good option for 1 GbE and 10 GbE networks over buildings, campus and data centers. The optics listed in the tables are all provided by FIBER-MART.COM with 100% compatibility. If you want to purchase these high-quality fiber optic transceivers and direct attach cables at a reasonable price, FIBER-MART.COM is the right place to go.