An Overview of Fiber Management Tray

Fiber management tray is generally adopted in the data center or server room for protection against the outside plant environment and damage. It serves as an economical approach for routing fiber cable, relieving the cable strain, handling and protecting fiber slack as well as accommodating fiber splice tray. The management tray has been designed to easily retrofit patch panel so as to make efficient cable management. Since the fiber management tray plays an indispensable role in the overall performance and reliability of the fiber optic cable, its importance thus cannot be ignored.

Why Use Fiber Management Tray

Optical transmission equipment nowadays can transmit astonishing amounts of data, video or telephone conversations. In addition, better technology has resulted in densely populated Fiber Optic Terminal (FOT) equipment frames. Both of these two factors make the fibers at the FOT very valuable. However, up to now, the emphasis on managing these fibers has been minimal.

An equipment frame may have only accommodated a few fibers in the past. Now these frames commonly accommodate 20, 40 or even 100 fibers. Consequently, it becomes even harder to quickly find the right fiber to change service than it used to be. If there comes the requirement to search for a fiber in a packed raceway, it is more likely that service on an adjacent fiber is disturbed. Therefore, physical protection is of significant importance for fibers entering and existing the FOT. Besides, higher density and higher bandwidth dictate that complacency is no longer acceptable. Avoiding service outages mean managing and protecting fibers. Which testify the necessity and importance to employ management tray in fiber protection.

The Features of Fiber Management Tray

In this part, we will mainly discuss the features all-front access design tray and modular design tray.

The all-front access trays feature sliding radius limiters, which provide ultimate fiber management by addressing one of the most critical elements of fiber cable management: bend radius protection. When fibers leave the tray, a specially designed bell-shaped exit point provides maximum edge protection.In addition, by controlling the movement of fibers within the tray, error-proof slack loop management is maintained, ensuring 30mm bend radius protection within the tray, which is essential in ensuring no fiber breaks. Sliding adapter packs allow easy access for connecting jumpers and cleaning connectors, ensuring that any fiber can be installed or removed without inducing a macrobend on an adjacent fiber. Moreover, these trays are lockable, further ensuring the integrity of the fibers by reducing the chance of accident greatly.

The modular trays feature a single interface for performing multiple tasks, and the value of which cannot be denied. An one-rack-unit modular tray offers network technicians ready access to terminating, splicing and storing fiber. This one-stop management approach is proved to be time-saving with added value. The following picture shows a typical one-rack-unit modular tray：

The Applications of Fiber Management Tray

A FOT frame may accommodate dozens or even hundreds of fibers. However, to determine an exact jumper length between the FOT and the fiber distribution frame (FDF) is rather difficult, it is thus natural results in slack somewhere in the path.There existing two options to cope with this problem: store the slack at the FDF or store it at the FOT. While most FDFs do not accommodate equipment jumper slack very well. Attempting to store slack at the FDF could congest cable management not intended for storing slack. So this is not a correct option in today’s world where high density is the norm. And because congested cable management prematurely takes up space needed for future fibers, it actually robbing the FDF of its true potential. Then, perhaps the most economical method to store this slack is back at the FOT frame, which occupies only small space for rack mounting. Within it, each fiber is assigned its own tray and is easily accessible for service changes. Besides, it also allows storage for a larger quantity of jumpers.

Conclusion

Fiber management trays can meet the demand of today’s fiber optic networks. As optical transmission speeds and fiber density increase, cable management becomes a crucial component in maintaining network integrity. Excellent cable management practices and products allow service providers to offer highly reliable service, which is key to retaining current business as well as gaining additional business.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/an-overview-of-fiber-management-tray.html

The Four Fundamental Elements of Fiber Cable Management

As the demand for high-bandwidth broadband services accelerates dramatically in recent years, most service providers begin to realize the importance of upgrading their networks to meet this requirement. Consequently the application of fiber optic cable prevails in the field of networking since it is able to meet both bandwidth and cost requirements. However, by simply deploying fiber optic cable is far from enough—the foundation and premise of a successful, well-built network should be a strong and sound fiber cable management system.

Introduction to Fiber Cable Management

To better survive in the fierce competition in the networking market, service providers employ fiber because of its high-bandwidth as well as its ability to deliver new revenue-generating services profitably. Moreover, service providers are pushing fiber closer and closer to the end user, whether that is fiber to the home or to the desk. To take advantage of the enormous merits of fiber optic cable in revenue-producing bandwidth, it is essential to manage fiber cables properly. A sound management system affects how quickly new services can be turned up and how easily the network can be reconfigured. In fact, fiber cable management, the manner in which the fiber cables are connected, terminated, routed, spliced, stored and handled, has a direct and substantial impact on the networks' performance and profitability.

Bend Radius Protection

Basically, there are two types of bends in fiber—microbends and macrobends. The microbend is a small, microscopic bend which may be caused by the cabling process itself and external forces. It typically changes the path that propagating modes take, resulting in loss from increased attenuation as low-order modes become coupled with high-order modes that are naturally lost. A macrobend is a larger cable bend that can be seen with the unaided eye and is often reversible. When it occurs, the radius can become too small and allow light to escape the core and enter the cladding. The best result is insertion loss, and in worse cases, the signal is decreased or completely lost. The following picture shows clearly the microbend and macrobend.

With proper cable handing and routing, however, both microbend and macrobend can be reduced and even prevented. The minimum bend radius varies depending on the specific fiber cable. In general, the minimum bend radius of fiber should not be less than ten times its outer diameter. Although the bend insensitive fiber, as an innovative breakthrough in network, becoming increasingly popular nowadays, service providers must aware that the need for solid fiber cable management cannot be diminished by these new fibers. Instead, with the number of fibers being added to the system increases, bend radius protection becomes more important ever. Furthermore, bend radius protection is also vital to avoid operational problems in the network.

Cable Routing Path

Cable routing path is related closely to bend radius protection since it can result in bending radius violation if cable technician routes the fibers improperly. No matter where cable is used, routing path must be clearly defined and easy to follow, or it will lead to an inconsistently routed, difficult-to-manage fiber network. Well-defined routing paths, therefore, not only reduce the proficiency training time required for technicians, but also increase the uniformity of the work done as it helps ensure and maintain bend radius requirements at all points to improve overall network reliability.

In addition, well-defined routing paths make it easier and quicker to access to individual fiber, thus efficiently reduce the time required for reconfiguration. Moreover, the reduced fiber twists enable much easier fiber tracing and rerouting. Even with the advent of new technologies such as the use of LEDs at both ends of patch cords for easy identification. Well-defined cable routing paths still play an indispensable role in reducing the time required to route and reroute patch cords.

Cable access

As the name indicates, cable access refers to the accessibility of the installed fibers. As the increasing amount of fibers to be added in both the distribution frame and the active equipment, broadband service providers start to attach more importance to cable access. With huge amounts of data moving across those fibers, it is hence essential for technicians to have quick and easy access to fibers. When there are service level agreements in place, particularly for customers with high priority traffic, the last thing any service provider wants is service interruptions caused by mishandling one fiber to gain access to another. Since accessibility is most critical during network reconfiguration operations, proper cable access directly impacts operational costs and network reliability.

Physical Fiber Protection

The last element of fiber cable management system emphasizes the physical protection of the installed fibers. Every fiber throughout the network must be protected against accidental damage by technicians or equipment. Service providers should always keep physical protection in mind when routing cables, such as using raceway systems that protect from outside disturbances. While without proper physical protection, fibers are susceptible to damage that can critically affect network reliability. The fiber cable management system should always include attention to ensure every fiber is protected from physical damage.

Conclusion

An appropriate fiber management can affect the network’s reliability, performance and cost to a large extent. Besides, it can also influence network maintenance, operations, expansion, restoration and the rapid implementation of new services. This article lies emphasis on the four elementary elements of a strong fiber optic cable management system from the perspective of bend radius protection, cable routing paths, cable accessibility and physical protection of the fiber network. Executing these four concepts correctly, then the network can deliver its full competitive advantages.

First published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/the-four-fundamental-elements-of-fiber-cable-management.html

Data Center Cooling Methods

In recent years, as the number of agencies load up on big data and move to the cloud accelerating dramatically, more data centers will come online, and cooling may become one of the biggest problems to overcome. It is thus natural that data center cooling has attracted much more attention ever since. The article focus on describing the current condition of data center cooling performance and also managing to present a variety of cooling methods.

The Current Circumstances of Data Center Cooling

It is never an easy task to keep data center always cool. They contain processors with enough heat energy in each one to fry an egg, pumping it out inside a small space. That may explain why most data centers were wasting money in electricity and cooling costs. Hence, cooling still persists as the biggest drain on energy in most data centers—the biggest one beyond feeding the machines power. This has driven organizations to try some innovative methods that seem to work well, even if some of their techniques are a little extreme. Basically, there are several tips that data centers can follow to help lower cooling costs. Let’s just get an overlook at the most common data center cooling methods.

Cold or Hot Aisle Air Containment

This trend has lasted for at least 5 or 6 years and it is achieved by physically isolating the possibility of the hot or cold air mixing and driving it directly from and to the CRAC unit.

It actually performs pretty well and reduces substantially the issues with “hot spots” and air mixing. However, the downsides are that you still need to control the pressures of your plenums (and everything that goes with it) and that you’ re cooling or heating large areas that you really don’t need to.

In-Rack Heat Extraction

Things begin to get more creative from applying this method. This data center or rack cooling method focus on extracting the heat which is generated inside the rack to prevent it from going into the server room.

There is another similar method that is to put the actual compressors and chillers inside the rack itself, thus to take the heat directly to the exterior of the data center. This may contributes to build a nice and neat server room. However, the demerit is that you still fail to get very high computational density per rack, moreover, the setup is very complex and hard to maintain unless you get much improvement in your Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

Liquid Immersion Cooling

Liquid Immersion Cooling generally using a dielectric coolant fluid to gather the heat from server components, which means that we can put it in direct contact with electrical components. Liquid coolant running through the hot components of a server and taking the heat away to a heat exchanger. This is proved to be hundreds of times more efficient than using massive CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning) devices. By adopting this data center cooling method, you have a greater chance to achieve unprecedented PUE.

Combing the infrastructure

Modeling the infrastructure enables to achieving data center cooling efficiently, which means to find out the hot spots by looking hard at all the cracks and corners. Perhaps adding a curtain or moving a server from one rack to another can result in a much more efficient operation. To reduce costs associated with that type of monitoring and modeling, consider some of the small data sensors that can help track the temperature in the data center.

Conclusion

From what we have discussed above, you may have acquired some basic knowledge about data center cooling. Huge steps can radically enhance cooling, whereas smaller steps might be a good interim solution with a high return on investment. Working efficiently with the tools at hand is always sound advisable. Just move those ideas into the data center and start making a difference.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/data-center-cooling-methods.html

An Overview of Fiber Optic Connector Cleaning

A fiber optic connector works to terminate the end of an optical fiber, as the name indicates, it is generally adopted to join optical fibers where a connect or disconnect capability is required. The connector mechanically couples and aligns the cores of fibers to enable light passing from one fiber to another. Thus it provides much more convenience and flexibility to operators with a connecting speed quicker than fiber splicing. Fiber optic connector is widely employed in the telephone company central office, at installations on customer premises and in outside plant applications to connect equipment and cables. Besides, it also captures an essential position when cross-connect cables are required. As an indispensable component in cable installation that can affect the performance and reliability of the whole system, the cleanliness of fiber optic connector cannot be ignored. This article aims to raise the awareness of connector cleaning and offer some constructive suggestions to clean fiber optic connector.

Why It Is Critical to Ensure Fiber Connector Cleaning

It is important to know the fact that every fiber optic connector should be inspected and cleaned before mating, because a clean fiber optic connector is a necessary requirement for quality connections between fiber optic equipment. And One of the most basic and important procedures for the maintenance of fiber optic systems is to clean the fiber optic equipment. However, any contamination in the fiber connection can cause failure of the component itself, or even worse, failure of the whole system.

In addition, even microscopic dust particles can cause various problems for optical connections. A particle that blocks the core, either partially or completely, could generate strong back reflections, which can cause instability in the laser system. Dust particles trapped between two fiber faces can scratch the glass surfaces. Even if a particle is only situated on the cladding or the edge of the endface, it can cause an air gap or misalignment between the fiber cores which significantly degrades the optical signal. Besides dust, there still exists other kinds of contamination such as oil, human touch, film residues, vapors in the air and so on, which are proved to be more difficult to remove than dust particles. If not removed properly, they may also result in great damage to equipment.

Contaminated fiber optic connectors can often lead to degraded performance and costly, but preventable failures. So, to ensure proper performance and reliability, care must be taken with the installation and maintenance of fiber connectors. Cabling industry best practices recommend that both field and pre-terminated connections should be inspected and cleaned prior to mating to other connectors or equipment.

Common Contamination Conditions of Fiber Connector

In this part, this article intends to show several common contamination conditions of fiber connector through the following picture:

Figure 1 shows a clean single mode ceramic endface.

Figure 1

Figure 2 shows a connector with dust particles spread across the surface of the endface that needs cleaning.

Figure 2

Figure 3 shows a connector with liquid contamination that needs cleaning.

Figure 3

Figure 4 shows a connector with alcohol residue that needs cleaning.

Figure 4

Figure 5 shows a connector with a dry residue that needs cleaning.

Figure 5

Figure 6 shows a connector with an oil residue that needs cleaning.

Figure 6

The Methods of Fiber Connector Cleaning

Based on the cleaning method, generally there are four types of fiber optic cleaning kit on the market nowadays:

Dry cleaning: Optic cleaning without the use of any solvent.
Wet cleaning: Optic cleaning with a solvent. Typically IPA (isopropyl alcohol). Non-Abrasive cleaning: Cleaning without abrasive material touching the fiber optic connector end face. Examples are air dusters or pressured solvent jet used in automated in-situ connector cleaners.
Abrasive cleaning: The popular lint free wipes, reel based fiber connector cleaners and optic cleaning swabs such as the sticks are all abrasive cleaning types.

The Process of Fiber Connector Cleaning

In this part, let’s move to describe the connector cleaning process. For general fiber optic connector cleaning, it is necessary for you to complete the following steps:

• Step 1: Clean the fiber optic connectors with a dry cleaning technique.
• Step 2: Inspect the connector.
• Step 3: If the connector is dirty, repeat the dry cleaning technique and inspect the connector again.
• Step 4: Clean the connector with a wet cleaning technique if it’s still dirty.
• Step 5: Inspect the connector again.
• Step 6: Repeat these steps until the connector is clean.

If you are using resealable containers, you should store the end caps in separate containers and store all of the cleaning tools as well. The inside of the containers should be clean and the lid should be kept tight to avoid contamination. Do not allow the cleaning alcohol to evaporate slowly. This may leave a residue on the cladding or fiber core. It is often difficult to clean and can be more difficult to remove than the original contaminant.

Conclusion

As the demand for increased bandwidth, more data and better quality audio/video grows rapidly, the use of fiber optics around the globe has increased greatly. That need for more and better data means more fiber optic cable and more high density, reliable optical connectors. It is thus nature that cleaning consideration is the number one issue in fiber optic cable technology today, with the proper method and process implemented in connector cleaning, the fiber optic connector will perform flawlessly for years in your fiber cable infrastructure. FS.COM provides cost-efficient and high-quality fiber optic cleaners that ensure you high-performed fiber connector cleaning. Supported by large quantities of products in stock, you can enjoy really fast delivery in FS.COM. For more detailed information, please visit www.fs.com or contact sales@fs.com.

First Published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/an-overview-of-fiber-optic-connector-cleaning.html

How to Achieve Proper Patch Cord Management

Patch cords are usually adopted to cross connect installed cables and connect communications equipment to the cable plant, which serves as an ideal and desirable option in a network. However, it also can become the weakest link in fiber network infrastructure as well. As a result, to achieve a well-performed and reliable network, the significance of proper patch cord management cannot be underestimated.

The Importance of the Patch Cord

As we take a brief look at a glossy brochure or participate in a trade show display, patch panels that presented to us are always tidy and well-dressed. While in the telecommunication closet, however, things are totally different: the patch panels in reality sometimes more closely resemble a "rat's nest"-a term that is frequently used to describe messy cables.

In addition, patch cord systems are the lifelines of IT operations, which means that any mishandling or excessive stress on these critical connection paths can have catastrophic results. Moreover, Improper patch cord management can result in cable damage and failure. This can lead to data transmission errors and performance issues as well as system downtime.

In the past decades, the demand for high-speed enterprise networks accelerates rapidly, so does the need for high-density modular patch panels and patch cords that populate them. Since the space available in wiring closets and equipment rooms are always limited, and cable administrators often pay little attention to this most disorganized part of any cabling infrastructure: the patch cord management system, the importance of patch cord management is greater still.

The Criteria of a Proper Patch Cord

To apply appropriate patch cord management, the very first step is selecting the right patch cord to ensure excellent performance of the network. Because patch cable is inexpensive, it is easy to be taken for granted so as to be tested improperly and treated badly. When choosing the proper patch cable, one must take these three criteria into consideration:

1. Patch cord type must match the type of fiber in the cable plant. For multimode cable, use only 50/125 patch cords with 50/125 fibers in cables and 62.5/125 patch cords with 62.5/125 fibers in cables. However, since there are several types of each size fibers, it is unnecessary to match the fiber type exactly. For example, you can use OM3 patch cords on OM2 or OM4 cable plants.

2. Choose patch cords with proper cable jacket color codes. This can be very helpful to avoid mismatching fibers.

3. Choose patch cords with the correct matching connectors. Choose connector types that match the connectors on patch panels and equipment. As many cable plants use one type of connector and the equipment another, one may need to stock hybrid patch cables with different connectors on each end to make the connection.

The Benefits of Patch Cord Management

After discussing the criteria of selecting the right patch cord, let’s take a glimpse at the potential benefits brought by effective patch cord management. It is known to all that proper management of data and power cabling within an IT enclosure will deliver a number of merits that will enhance the system availability and improve the bottom line.

Reduced signal interference —the elimination of crosstalk and interference between cables will enhance system performance.

Improved maintenance and service ability—easier access to internal rack components reduces maintenance time and improve safety.

Enhanced cooling performance—cooling efficiency within the rack is enhanced due to proper positioning of cables to avoid air flow blockage.

A roadmap for growth—effective patch cable management solutions provide the ability to scale and adapt to changes in the IT infrastructurewhile minimizing service time.

Tips for Proper Patch Cord Management

In this part, the article would focus on providing some constructive and realistic suggestions that contribute to efficient patch cord management.

Start with proper planning

After you have decided on the number of cabling and connections needed, it’s time for you to consider where the cables should be routed within the cabinet. And the next step is to choose the proper cable management components required to guarantee all the wiring and connections performing well. It is of great importance to make sure that enough space is offered to all the patch cords applied within your rack. Once the patch cords and connections are established accurately, the possibility of a successful installation is enhanced greatly.

Keep growth in mind

As the demand for high-density network increases dramatically in recent years, it is hence inevitable for growth in the data center environment. Even you are just installing the first phase of your racks, you’d better consider planning ahead for installing additional cabinets, servers and network components, which in turn will be beneficial as you integrate additional racks and components in the future. Accommodating growth and building flexibility is a vital challenge to data center operators. So, appropriate planning for the future will help avoid cabling issues down the line.

Change is inevitable

Your rack installations may change configurations numerous times during their life cycles. Properly installed patch cords will help facilitate change-outs and other component additions and movement within the rack environment. This can also minimize the risk of technicians unplugging components in accident that must not be taken off-line such as switches or critical servers.

Follow industry standards

One should always follow industry guidelines such as ANSI/TIA and ISO/IEC, as well as any federal, state or local regulations regarding cabling. Which cannot only assure code compliance but promises a safe, failure-free installation that will decrease system downtime and data errors to the minimum. Moreover, those industry standards also serve as a written foundation for establishing a sound infrastructure and guidelines for maintaining a high level of cable performance. A standards-based cabling system will provide the best combination of reliability today and the ability to change and reconfigure in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to achieve a well-performed and sound patch cord management, one should always keep these four suggestions in mind: an appropriate plan for cabling, the demand for growth, the inevitable change and the industry standard guidelines as well. Furthermore, we should raise our awareness of the importance towards efficient patch cord management which could be beneficial in the long run.

First Published: http://www.fiber-patch-cords.com/blog/a/127/How-to-Achieve-Proper-Patch-Cord-Management

A Guidance to Fiber Optic Cable Selection

With the advances of the information age, a great amount of people specialized in the field of network communication begins to attach great importance to the selection of fiber optic cables. From data and voice to security and videoconferencing, plenty of contemporary cable infrastructure services depend heavily on fiber optics to transmit information of farther distance at a higher speed, which makes fiber optics a standard component in daily communication nowadays. Fiber optics are considered to be a desirable cable medium because of its immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) , not to mention its bandwidth that helps to meet the increased capacity demand, and its reliable reputation to ensure worry-free maintenance. This article is going to focus primarily on some essential component in fiber optic installation and provide some insight into selecting the right fiber optic cable.

The Necessities of Selecting the Right Type of Fiber

Fiber optic cable basically can be used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from small office LANs, data centers to inter-continental communication links. Moreover, its ability to transport signals for significant distances also contributes to its popularity in most networks, whether they are local, wide area or metropolitan. In fact, fiber optic cable is now running down many residential streets and brought directly to the house. Thus, choosing the appropriate fiber optic cable is extremely important for any installation.

It is known to all that the selection concerning the right type of fiber should be based on the immediate application since it varies in different circumstances. Besides, installers should also consider upcoming applications and capacity needs. Future bandwidth demands, transmission distances, applications, and network architecture influence fiber selection just as much as current needs. Therefore, a careful assessment of potential network usage will help avoid the costs of preventable upgrades.

Single-mode Fiber Optic Cable vs. Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

First and foremost, on selecting the right type of fiber, one should decide the mode of fiber needed. The mode of a fiber cable describes how light beams travel on the inside of the fiber cables themselves. Since the two modes aren't compatible with each other and you can't substitute one for the other, it is important to make the right choice.

Single-mode fiber optic cable uses a single strand of glass fiber for a single ray of light transmission, which can accommodate further distances and offer virtually unlimited bandwidth. Single-mode has the capacity to carry a signal for miles, making it an ideal option for telephone and cable television providers. And it is also usually employed in campus and metropolitan networks. Single-mode fiber requires laser technology for sending and receiving data, and the high-powered lasers transmit data at greater distances than the light used with multimode fiber.

Multimode fiber optic fiber, as the name indicates, allows the signal to travel in multiple modes, or pathways, along the inside of the glass strand or core. Multimode fiber optic cable is generally adopted in applications involving shorter distances like data center connections. Multimode fiber optic cable transmits Gigabit Ethernet up to 550 m, although it can't compete with single-mode fiber optic cable in terms of transmission distance, multimode fiber cable is still proved to be a cost-efficient and economical solution.

Making the Connection

Connections play an essential role in keeping the information flowing from cable to cable or cable to device. There are lots of connector styles on the market including LC, FC, MT-RJ, ST and SC. There are also MPO/MTP style connectors that will accommodate up to 12 strands of fiber and take up far less space than other connectors. Among them, manufacturers and distributors are more likely to have equipment to accommodate ST and SC style connectors than any other connector style. Especially the SC connectors, with better performance against loss, more efficient installation and easier maintenance, has earned its place in today’s networking applications. As for those data center managers who attach more importance to space-saving, the LC connector is a more ideal option. These connectors offer even lower loss in a smaller form factor and provide higher performance and greater fiber density.

Evaluating Interface Options

In addition to fiber type and connector selection, another vital issue for the technician is to evaluate the interface option which determines the network performance. The selection of interface is relevant to the fiber type, cable distance and speed of the connection as well. Installers can rely on modular Gigabit fiber-optic interfaces, called gigabit interface converters (GBICs) for most interface converters. These flexible interfaces come in several form factors, including XENPAK and SFP+, and can accommodate a variety of device applications. The picture below shows a typical gigabit fiber optic converter.

While choosing the right interfaces, installers need to take their light sources into consideration. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) work only with multimode fiber and operate at the 850nm window; laser works only with single-mode fiber and operates at the 1550nm window; and vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) works with both types of fiber and operates at the 1310nm window.

Conclusion

In summary, to build a well-performed fiber optic system, realizing the applications and capacity expectations should be put into first place. As you can see, selecting the appropriate cable design for your application should require a thorough review of the entire pathway for the cable, including the type of fiber, optical connectors as well as interface options. The decision of selection can affect the fiber protection and performance, ease of the installation, splicing or termination, service lifetime, and, most importantly, cost.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/a-guidance-to-fiber-optic-cable-selection.html

An Overview of Fiber Optic Splicing

It is generally accepted that splicing is often required to create a continuous optical path for optical pulses from one fiber length to another. Thus, relevant skills and knowledge of fiber optic splicing methods have become increasingly essential to any company or fiber optic technician specialized in telecommunication or LAN and networking projects. Under some circumstances, fiber optic cables may need to be spliced together to ensure better performance, such as to achieve a connection of a certain length, or just to repair a broken cable. For example, the maximum lengths of a fiber optic cable is up to about 5 km, then two fiber optic cable need to be spliced together to achieve 10km lengths of data transmission. This article aims to describe some basic elements related to optical fiber splicing thus to provide useful information about it.

What Is Fiber Optic Splicing

Just as the name indicates, fiber optic splicing serves as a method to join two optical fiber together due to some necessary reasons. Fiber optic splicing typically lead to lower light loss and back reflection than termination, making it a relatively preferred method when the transmission distances are too long for a single length of fiber or when one have to joint two different types of cable together, such as a 48-fiber cable to four 12-fiber cables. Besides, splicing is also used to restore or repair fiber optic cables when a buried cable is accidentally broken or damaged.

The Types of Fiber Optic Splicing

Basically, there exist two fiber interconnection methods: one is fusion splicing and the other is mechanical splicing. If you are just beginning to splice fiber, you might need to look at your long-term goals in this field in order to choose which technique best fits your economic and performance expectations.

Fusion splicing remains to be one of the most widely adopted permanent technique to joint optical fibers, which contains the process of fusing or welding two fibers together usually by an electric arc. The popularity of this kind of splicing method is resulted from the lowest loss and least reflection it offers. Moreover, it also provides the strongest and most reliable joint between two fibers. Fusion splicing can be achieved by a specialized equipment called fusion splicer that generally involves two functions: aligning the fibers and then melting them together.

Mechanical splicing, on the other hand, is simply aligned and designed to hold in place by a self-contained assembly. Two fibers are not permanently joined, just precisely held together to enable light to pass from one fiber into the other. Mechanical splicing are especially popular for fast, temporary restoration or for splicing multimode fibers in a premises installation. Meanwhile, they are also used as temporary splices for testing bare fibers with OTDRs or OLTSs.

Mechanical splices generally have higher loss and greater reflection than fusion splices, but they do not need an expensive machine to fulfill the splicing tasks. All needed are just a simple cleaver and some cable preparation tools. Sometimes, a visual fault locator(VFL) may help to optimize some types of splices.

The Procedures of Fiber Optic Splicing
Both of fusion splicing and mechanical splicing consist of four basic steps, and for the first two steps, these two splicing methods are relatively the same. They only differ from each other in the last two steps.

Four basic steps to achieve a proper fusion splicing:

Step 1: Preparing the fiber- Striping the protective coatings, jackets, tubes, strength members, etc. leaving only the bare fiber and keeping it clean.

Step 2: Cleaving the fiber-Using a good fiber cleaver is essential to ensure a successful fusion splice. The cleaved end must be mirror-smooth and perpendicular to the fiber axis to obtain a proper splice.

Step 3: Fusing the fiber-Two steps involves in this step: alignment and heating. Alignment can be manual or automatic depending on what equipment you have. Once properly aligned the fusion splicer unit then uses an electrical arc to melt the fibers, permanently welding the two fiber ends together.

Step 4: Protecting the fiber-Protecting the fiber from bending and tensile forces will ensure the splice not break during normal handling. A typical fusion splice has a tensile strength between 0.5 and 1.5 lbs and will not break during normal handling but it still requires protection from excessive bending and pulling forces. Using heat shrink tubing, silicone gel and/or mechanical crimp protectors will protect the splice from outside elements and breakage.

Four basic steps to complete a mechanical splicing:

Step 1: Preparing the fiber -Striping the protective coatings, jackets, tubes, strength members, etc. leaving only the bare fiber and keeping it clean.

Step 2: Cleaving the fiber-The process is identical to the cleaving for fusion splicing but the cleave precision is not as critical.

Step 3: Mechanically join the fibers-No heat is needed in this method. Simply position the fiber ends together inside the mechanical splice unit. The index matching gel inside the mechanical splice apparatus will help couple the light from one fiber end to the other. Older apparatus will have an epoxy rather than the index matching gel holding the cores together.

Step 4: Protecting the fiber-The completed mechanical splice provides its own protection for the splice.

Conclusion

From what discussed above, we can figure out that these two types of fiber optic splicing methods obtain their advantages and drawbacks. Whether to fusion splicing or mechanical splicing in fact depend greatly on several elements, such as transmission distance, signal loss and reflection requirements. For most telecommunication and CATV companies, they incline to invest in fusion splicing for their long haul single-mode network. While in terms of shorter, local cable runs, they still prefer mechanical splicing. However, since signal loss and reflection are minor concerns for most LAN applications, either of these two methods can be equally employed in the LAN industry.

First published:http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/an-overview-of-fiber-optic-splicing.html

An Introduction of Armored Fiber Patch Cables

Armored fiber patch cable, just as the name indicates, is made with robust connectors and a stainless steel armored flexible tube inside the outer jacket, which acts as an effective protection against rodent, moisture and other issues that may cause the damage.

The Structure of Armored Fiber Patch Cables

The outer sleeve of armored patch cable is usually made of plastics like polyethylene to protect it against solvents and abrasions. The layer between sleeve and inner jacket is an armored layer made of materials that are quite difficult to cut, chew and burn. Besides, this kind of material is able to prevent the fiber patch cable from being stretched during cable installation. Ripcords are usually provided directly under the armored and the inner sleeve to aid in stripping the layer for splicing the cable to connectors or terminators. And the inner jacket is a protective and flame retardant material to support the inner fiber cable bundle. The inner fiber cable bundle often includes structures to support the fibers inside, like fillers and strength members. Among them, there is usually a central strength member to support the whole fiber cable.

The Features of Armored Fiber Patch Cables

Armored fiber patch cable serves as a member of the patch cable family, thus it retains all the features of standard patch cables. However, comparing with those common patch cables, armored fiber patch cables are much stronger and tougher. For example, once stepped by an adult, standard patch cables may get damaged easily and fail to work normally. But things are totally different with armored patch cables which can withstand the strength and perform well. Besides, armored patch cables are rodent-resistant, that means as long as armored patch cables are employed in applications or systems, you don’t need to worry about rats biting the cables any longer.

Basically, armored fiber patch cable offers the benefits and features of a traditional patch cable, but with the production and durability of armor. Armored fiber patch cable features light-weighted that allows high flexibility without causing damage, which proves to be helpful especially in limited space. Moreover, it offers an ideal option for harsh environments without adding extra protection. Apparently, armored fiber patch cable provides an efficient solution for all fiber cable problems such as twist, pressure and rodent damage.

The Types of Armored Fiber Patch Cables

There exist two types of armored fiber patch cable, namely, indoor armored fiber patch cable and outdoor armored fiber patch cable.

Armored fiber patch cable used for indoor applications often consists of tight-buffered or loose-buffered optical fibers, strengths members and an inner jacket. The inner jacket is commonly surrounded by a spirally wrapped interlocking metal tap armor. As the fiber optic communication technology develops rapidly with the trend of FTTX, there is a fast growing demand for installing indoor fiber optic cables between and inside buildings. Indoor fiber patch cable experiences less temperature and mechanical stress. Besides, it can retard fire effectively, which means it only emits a low level of smoke in the face of fire. This type of armored cable is rugged and crush resistance.

Outdoor Armored Fiber Cable is made to ensure operation safety of the fiber in complicated outdoor environment. Most Outdoor Armored fiber patch cables are loose buffer design, with the strengthen member in the middle of the whole cable, loose tubes surround the central strength member. Inside the loose tube there is waterproof gel filled, the whole cable materials and gels inside cable between the different components (not only inside loose tube) help make the whole cable resist water. The combination of the outer jacket and the armor protects the fibers from gnawing animals and damages that occur during direct burial installations.

The Application of Armored Fiber Patch Cables

Armored patch cable is generally adapted in direct buried outside plant applications where a rugged cable is needed and for rodent resistance. Armored cable withstands crush loads well. Cable installed by direct burial in areas where rodents are a problem usually has metal armor between two jackets to prevent rodent penetration. Another application of armored patch cable is in data centers, where cables are installed under the floor and the fiber cable is easily being crushed. Single or double armor fiber patch cable is typically used underwater near shore and shoals. Armored patch cords are used in customer premises, central offices and in indoor harsh environments. The patch cords provide flexible interconnection to active equipment, passive optical devices and cross-connects.

Conclusion

In summary, When transmitting data or conducting power in harsh environments, protecting your cables is crucial to safe and reliable operation. This is where armored fiber patch cables come into play. Armored cables are used in applications where cables will be exposed to mechanical or environmental damage under normal operating conditions. These applications include power circuits in industrial plants, commercial buildings, processing plants and central and substation utility applications. Moreover, armored cables may be installed in trays, racks, hangers to eliminate the need for conduit.

First Published: www.fiber-patch-cords.com/blog/a/126/An-Introduction-of-Armored-Fiber-Patch-Cables

Introduction to Single Strand Fiber Solution

For a rather long period that the majority of optical networks demand a pair of fibers to achieve full duplex operation, as one for transmitting and other for receiving. However, the extensive growth in metro Ethernet networks has increased the range of metro WDM product offerings. One prominent feature is the availability of single strand fiber products. Single strand fiber allows the user to simultaneously send and receive data on one strand of fiber. It provides full duplex operation without the cost of a secondary fiber cable. Single strand fiber allows a full duplex transmission over a single (bi-direction) fiber, which provides an alternative for network managers with limited fiber capacity and limited budgets. Moreover, it becomes increasingly popular for new installations. This article is supposed to give a brief introduction to single strand fiber.

An Overview of Single Strand Fiber Transmission

Single strand fiber transmission uses a single strand of glass (optical fiber) to send data in both directions, also known as bidirectional (BiDi) transmission. In recent years, mainstream single strand fiber transmission technology is based on two wavelengths traveling in opposite directions (also called TW BiDi transmission). This technology is achieved via wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) couplers, also known as diplexers, which combine and separate data transmitted over a single fiber based on the wavelengths of the light. Generally, this WDM coupler is integrated into a standard interface optical transceiver module.

In addition to the two wavelengths for BiDi transmission, the single wavelength (SW) BiDi solution was popular when the fiber resource was rare and 1550nm DFB laser was expensive. It is based on single wavelength directional coupler technologies which allow the same wavelength (e.g. 1310 nm for up to 50 km or 1550 nm for longer distances) travels in Tx and Rx direction—two signals are coupled into a single fiber strand with a directional coupler (splitter-combiner). Then the coupler identifies the direction of the two signals (ingress or egress) and separates or combines them. This solution is normally rather reliable and cost effective for gigabit applications since they need to deploy only one kind of transceivers at 1550nm (or 1310nm). However, SW BiDi implementation is unable to support high bit rate because of the reflection noise.

Benefits of Single Strand Fiber Solution

With its benefits and recognized potential, single strand fiber solution is becoming widely used in communication systems of optical transport networks, access networks, wireless backhaul networks and private transmission network as well. Because it caters to the customers’ demands and makes every effort to save in the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX). The benefits of single strand fiber solution are indicated as follows.

Increases Network Capacity—working with single strand fiber, the capacity of the fiber can be  doubled by simultaneously operating at more than one wavelength, transmitting and receiving on a single strand. For instance, if you have a six-strand cable, then you are able to gain all six lines for communication. But you could only gain half of lines for communication if you use the traditional method of transmitting and receiving on separate fibers.

Increases Reliability—single strand fiber solution is less susceptible to connection errors because there are fewer connections or end points in the network. In addition, customer can also choose to use a single fiber to decrease redundancy in the network.

Overall Cost Saving—costs including fiber optic cabling, labor and material involved in terminating the endpoints can be reduced by working with single fiber solution. Decreasing the total amount of fiber results in a reduction of overall labor costs. Construction costs are avoided since you are increasing the capacity of existing fiber versus installing additional fiber. Additionally, reducing the number of terminated fiber strands by half means fewer patch cords and patch panel ports, which result in a significant cost reduction.

However, as the old saying goes, every coin consists of two sides. There are some limitation of single strand fiber solution as well. We can’t get the same range/distance out single fiber as dual fiber. At present, types of transceiver optics available for single fiber are limited and more expensive. Which explains why as single fiber transmission can be beneficial, it still fails to replace dual fiber transmission in deployment. Consequentially, one should be aware of the limitation of single strand fiber solution before deploying it.

Common Components Used in Single Strand Fiber Transmission

To achieve single strand fiber transmission, various single strand fiber optics are required to ensure users to send and receive data simultaneously on one strand fiber. In the next part, we would like to introduce several types of single strand components that are widely employed.

BiDi Transceivers (WDM Transceivers)

BiDi transceiver, also known as WDM transceiver, is a type of optical transceiver module based on WDM bi-directional transmission technology. Unlike the conventional optical modules, it has only one optical port which uses an integral WDM coupler to transmit and receive signals over a single strand fiber. In general, it is used in pairs. For example, if you use a BiDi transceiver which has a receiving wavelength of 1550 nm and a transmit wavelength of 1310 nm, you should use its matching module which has a receiving wavelength of 1310 nm and a transmit wavelength of 1550 nm. At present, the BiDi SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) optics are common. But BiDi 10Gbase SFP+ (Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable) optics and 40Gbase QSFP (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable) optics are only supplies by several vendors.

Simplex Fiber Patch Cables

Simplex fiber patch cables are used to accomplish connectivity between two BiDi transceivers. It is usually designed with single-mode fiber and pre-terminated with LC connectors to fit the optical interface of the BiDi SFP/ SFP+ optics and operating wavelength.

Single Strand Fiber to Ethernet Converter

Single strand fiber to Ethernet converter makes connections of UTP (Unshielded Twisted pair) copper-based Ethernet equipment over a single strand fiber optic link ideal for fiber to subscribe service providers, enterprise LAN networks, or any applications where there are limits on the available fiber. By adapting the converter, network administrators are able to make good use of the additional savings from material and labor, and meanwhile double fiber capacity without installing new cables.

Simplex BiDi WDM Mux/DeMux

Simplex BiDi WDM Mux/DeMux (multiplexer/de-multiplexer) is used to combine and separate wavelengths as the conventional WDM Mux/DeMux. But it is designed for single strand fiber transmission. Generally, they are used in pairs, and the Mux/DeMux ports for specific wavelengths should be opposite. According to the system types, it can be divided into CWDM (Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing) BiDi Mux/DeMux and DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) BiDi Mux/DeMux.

What we mentioned above only contains a small part of components that associated with single strand fiber solution. Besides, there are still many other components such as simplex PLC (Planar Lightwave Circuit) splitters, OADM (Optical Add Drop Multiplexer) and various simplex fiber products.

Conclusion

In summary, we have taken an overview of the single strand fiber transmission technology by explaining its advantages and existing limitations, and several commonly used components that employed in single strand fiber transmission system as well. There is no doubt that the merits of single strand fiber overweight those of other transmission methods, since it saves much more cost and enhances the network capacity at the same time. However, due to its limitation, single strand fiber currently can neither replace dual fiber nor can it be widely adopted as dual fiber. Moreover, when deploying single strand fiber solution, you must have to take various single strand fiber optic components into consideration.

From:http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/introduction-to-single-strand-fiber-solution.html

What Is Fiber Optic Loss?

Fiber optic transmission has become the backbone of networking in the majority of companies nowadays. Serving as the trend of data transmission in this information age, it does obtain some advantages when comparing with other transmission medium like copper. With lighter weight, smaller size and more flexibility, fiber optic enables data to transmit at a higher speed and over longer distances, which in turn helps to enhance the work efficiency greatly. However, there exist some elements that could affect the performance of fiber optic. So, in order to achieve stable and excellent performance of the fiber, we should take these factors into consideration. Among which fiber optic loss is easy to be neglected sometimes, but it is of significant importance for engineers when selecting and dealing with fiber optics. This article aims to provide some useful information about fiber optic loss in detail.

It is universally known that Fiber optic cable transmits data as pulses of light go through tiny tubes of glass. During the process the light travels through the core of fiber optic, and the strength of it surely becomes lower. Naturally, the signal strength becomes weaker. This loss of light power is generally called fiber optic loss or attenuation. While in power lever, this decrease is described in dB. Something happened during the transmission of data and caused fiber optic loss. Therefore, to transmit optical signals smoothly and safely, it is essential to decrease fiber optic loss. So, firstly we should try to figure out where the loss comes from. The fiber optic loss falls into two aspects: internal reasons and external causes, which are also known as intrinsic fiber core attenuation and extrinsic fiber attenuation.   

Intrinsic Fiber Core Attenuation

Internal reasons of fiber optic loss are caused by the fiber optic itself, which is also known as intrinsic attenuation. Basically, there are two main causes of intrinsic attenuation: light absorption and scattering.

Light absorption is the major cause of fiber optic loss during optical transmission, which means the light is absorbed in the fiber by the materials of fiber optic. Thus light absorption is also known as material absorption. Actually the light power is absorbed and transferred into other forms of energy like heat because of molecular resonance and wavelength impurities. Besides, atomic structure in any pure material may absorb selective wavelengths of radiation. Since it is impossible to manufacture materials that are totally pure, fiber optic manufacturers choose to doping germanium and other materials with pure silica to optimize the fiber optic core performance.

Scattering is another main cause of fiber optic loss. It refers to the scattering of light caused by molecular level irregularities in the glass structure. When the scattering happens, the light energy is scattered in all directions. Some of them keep traveling in the forward direction, but the light that doesn’t scatter in the forward direction could be lost in the fiber optic link as shown in the following picture. Thus, to reduce fiber optic loss caused by scattering, the imperfections of the fiber optic core should be removed, and the fiber optic coating and extrusion should be carefully controlled.

Extrinsic Fiber Attenuation

What we have mentioned above just serves as one aspect that causes fiber optic loss, the other one which is extrinsic fiber attenuation also plays an essential role in the loss of fiber optic. Extrinsic fiber attenuation is usually caused by improper handling of fiber optic. Thus, there are two main types of extrinsic fiber attenuation: bend loss and splicing loss.

Bend loss is a common problem generated by improper fiber optic handling that causes fiber optic loss. Literally, it is caused by fiber optic bend. There are two basic types of bend loss: one is micro bending, the other is macro bending (shown in the following picture). Macro bending refers to a large bend in the fiber (with more than 2mm radius). To reduce fiber optic loss, the following causes of bend loss should be noted:

• Fiber core deviate from the axis;
• Defects of manufacturing;
• Mechanical constraints during the fiber laying process;
• Environmental variations like the change of temperature, humidity or pressure.

Fiber optic splicing can also result in extrinsic fiber attenuation. As it is inevitable to connect one fiber optic to another in a fiber optic network, the fiber optic loss caused by splicing cannot be avoided. However, it can be reduced to minimum with proper handling. Using fiber optic connectors of high quality and fusion splicing can help to reduce the fiber optic loss effectively.

Conclusion

The picture above shows the main causes of loss in fiber optic of different types. Since efficient transmission of light at the operational wavelengths is the primary function of fiber optics needed for a range of applications, the fiber optic loss and the potential for its minimization are of great importance in the efficient and economic use of fiber optics. For the purpose of reducing the intrinsic fiber core attenuation, it is necessary to select the proper fiber optic and suitable optical components for the applications, while for reduction of extrinsic fiber attenuation, it would be better to handle the fiber optic properly and splice it with cautious.

From: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/what-is-fiber-optic-loss.html