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Is Bi-Directional Testing the Silver Bullet to Cut All Your Optical Testing Time in Half?

Is Bi-Directional testing the silver bullet to cut all your optical testing time in half?  The simple answer is…no. However, there certainly are areas where it will help.

It’s fair to say most assembly houses test the optical loss of a single mated pair using a launch cable connected to the DUT with the far end of the DUT plugged directly into the power meter via the adapter cap. To complete the test, the DUT is flipped and the second connector is then tested. Here is where people envision the time savings. Won’t it be great to run the test in both direction and not have to swap the cable and run the test again? Well yes, but here’s the rub: you have one side attached without a launch. Bi-Directional test requires the use of a launch AND a receive cable, so when it light it shot in one direction there is a launch and when it’s shot in the opposite direction there is also a launch.

So if you aren’t already using the launch and receive cable method of testing you’ll have to change your test method to fully utilize the Bi-Directional feature. The launch and receive jumper method for optical loss give the loss of the entire jumper in one direction.

One more key point to consider is the testing of dissimilar connector styles, i.e. SC to LC. During referencing the launch and receive cables need to be connected and if they aren’t the same they can’t be connected using a standard adapter. There are hybrid adapters, but these don’t provide the best mating and can introduce high losses during the referencing which can inflated, or maybe it’s more appropriate to say they deflate (watch out Patriot’s fans) the measured readings. In other words, when you artificially increase the amount of loss during reference, you get artificially better and inaccurate test results.

So when does Bi-Directional make sense? If you can use the launch and receive test method and your jumps have the same connectors on each end. Some good product types for this are MTP to MTP jumps and large multi-channel cable reels where moving the cables is cumbersome. There certainly are other, but please give us a call and we can recommend the best test configuration for your application.

About the Author
Chris Rollinson Chris Rollinson, Business Development, Test, Technical Sales Chris began his career at Fiber Optic Center in 2013 with 40 years of experience in test and measurement. Chris handles Business Development for Test and Measurement with a specialty area in the MAP passive component tester. Chris has nearly 20 years in fiber optics, mostly as application engineer and later product line manager in instrumentation at JDSU, where, in the fiber boom, he designed and installed several complex optical measurement systems. Further back he was involved with shock , vibration and sound measurements with the Danish company Bruel & Kjaer. Chris Graduated from the University of Leeds (UK) with a BSc. in Physics. He Lives in Ottawa, Canada with his Wife, Dog, several old cars and a motorcycle.
About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

For further information contact:
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., 23 Centre Street, New Bedford, MA 02740-6322
Toll Free in US: 800-IS-FIBER or 800-473-4237 . Direct 508-992-6464. Email: sales@focenter.com or fiberopticcenter@focenter.com

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Kathleen Skelton, Director of Strategic Marketing, C: 617-803-3014 . E: kskelton@focenter.com