Fiber Optic Center Glossary

A small hardware component used to tap into telephone wall cable

The thickness of the applied insulation or jacket.

A network spanning a broad geographical area, providing data communications between computers and peripherals and switching equipment.

Low frequency jitter

A significant variation from the original, true, or plane surface.

Water by percent weight absorbed by a material after a given immersion period.

A method to determine the water absorbed through an insulating material after a given water immersion period.

A cable constructed with no internal voids in order to allow no longitudinal water passage under a given pressure.

The act of water traveling through a breach in the outer jacket(s) of a telecommunications cable, moving along the conductors due to capillary action. A corrosive action as the water reacts with the insulator and/or conductor.

A machine that uses jets of water to wash flux and water soluble mask off printed circuit boards after they have been through a wave solder machine.�

A cable constructed with no internal voids in order to allow no longitudinal water passage under a given pressure .

A cable specially constructed with no internal voids in order to allow no longitudinal water passage under a given pressure .

A unit of electrical power. One watt is equivalent to the power represented by one ampere of current under a pressure of one volt in a D.C. circuit.

A graphical representation of a varying quantity. Usually, time is represented on the horizontal axis, and the current or voltage value is represented on the vertical axis.

A large-scale soldering process where components are soldered to a printed circuit board to form an electronic assembly. The name is derived from the fact that the process uses a tank to hold a quantity of molten solder; the components are inserted into or placed on the board and the loaded board is passed across a wave of solder.�

The most widely used mass soldering process, used primarily for through-hole circuit boards. The board is passed over a wave of solder which laps against the bottom of the board to wet the metal surfaces to be joined.

A graphical representation of a varying quantity. Usually, time is represented on the horizontal axis, and the current or voltage value is represented on the vertical axis.

1) Hollow pipe (round or rectangular) used as transmission line for the propagation of microwaves; 2) An older term for optical fiber; a dielectric material structure able to support and propagate one or more modes.

Dispersion caused by the difference in the speed of light of the core and the cladding in single-mode fibers. Waveguide dispersion also changes with wavelength as the size of the mode field diameters increases with wavelength.

The distance, measured in the direction of propagation, of a repetitive electrical pulse or waveform between two successive points.

The combining of two or more optical signals for transmission over a common optical path, usually a single fiber. WDM devices have a channel wavelength spacing greater than or equal to 50 nm. They typically separate a channel in one conventional transmission window (e.g., 1310 nm) from another (e.g., 1550 nm). Types include wide WDM, coarseWDM, and dense WDM.

Defined in ITU G.671 as an optical splitter that provides the same attenuation regardless of wavelength or direction.

A type of ROADM used in DWDM networks to allow a network operator to change the direction of an added or dropped wavelength through the use of mirrors mounted on microelectrical-mechanical positioners.

See Wavelength Division Multiplexing.

A passive device designed to either (a) optimally combine light of multiple predetermined wavelengths into a single core; or (b) optimally sort and segment those wavelengths and couple them separately into output fiber cores.

Defined by FSAN as a next generation (NG2) network in which each subscriber is assigned their own wavelength.

(1) phenomenon that occurs when an adhesive is ejected from a spray gun as a series of web-like threads, (2) filaments or threads that may form when adhesive transfer surfaces are separated.

In the field of adhesive technology, a tool made from a rigid material, tapering to a thin edge, used to separate adherends by force.

the strength of an adhesive joint determined immediately after removal from a liquid in which it has been immersed under specified conditions of time, temperature, and pressure.

The ability of liquid solder to attach itself to the surfaces being joined through the formation of inter-metallic bonds.

A mixture of colors of visible light that appears white to the eye. In theory, a mixture of three colors is sufficient to produce white light.

The longitudinal flow of a liquid in a wire or cable due to capillary action.

Any physical network technology that spans large geographic distances. WANs usually operate at slower speeds and have higher delays than local area networks (LANs).

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Action of two electrical contacts which come in contact by sliding against each other See Contact Wipe. (MIL-STD) Wiping has the effect of removing small amounts of contamination from the contact surfaces, thereby achieving better conductivity.

(1) A single piece of slender, flexible metal ranging in approximate size from a piece that is difficult to bend by hand to a fine three a d ; (2) Several wires (as in 1) twisted together; (3) Wires (as in 1 or 2) that are insulated.

Identification marking of wire and cable.

Tying tapes, lacing cords, and flexible sleevings which are used for wire and cable bundling, harnessing, and holding. Other devices include plastic ties or clamps, spiral-cut plastic tubing, and plastic U-shaped trays or ducts.

Tools for cutting range from plier type cutters to semiautomatic or fully automatic machines integrated with other wire processing operations such as stripping, forming, and terminating.

A system of numerical designations of wire sizes. See American Wire Gauge (AWG)

See: cable harness. Also known as Wiring Assembly and Wiring Loom.

A closed end splice that is screwed on instead of crimped.

A numerical designation for a conductor, usually expressed in terms of American Wire Gage (AWG) based on the approximate circular mil area of the conductor.

A solderless connection made by wrapping bare wire around a square or rectangular terminal with a power or hand tool. Also called "Solderless Wrapped Connection" or "Wrap Post Connection".

Portable electric tools and automatic stationary machines used to make solderless wrapped connections of wires to terminals.

Using the radio-frequency spectrum for transmitting and receiving voice, data and video signals for communications.

Local area network that communicates using radio technology.

Wireless systems that can be used to replace copper to connect telephones and other communications devices with the public-switched telephone network.

A network which supports the transfer of data and has the ability to share resources, such as printers, without the need to physically connect each node or computer with wires.

A communication system that adds wireless capability to an in-building or campus communications network.

A test performed in the suite of ANSI/EIA/TIA-B.2 requirements that determines the pinout configuration of the wiring pairs. This is the first test a Category 5 tester runs and it looks for opens, shorts, reversals, split pairs and any other miswiring. TIA/EIA 568-B.2 specifies that all four pairs are terminated for Category 5 UTP. Each respective protocol has different pinouts as shown by the WIREMAP test results. Ethernet uses pins 1,2 and 3,6 and Token Ring uses 3,6 and 4,5. (also see LINEMAP)

A molded plastic block that is designed in various pair configurations to terminate cable pairs and establish pair location on 110 Connector Systems.

An enclosed space for housing telecommunications equipment, cable terminations, and cross-connect cabling. The closet is the recognized location of the cross-connect between the backbone and horizontal facilities.

1) The force needed to either engage or separate pins and socket contacts when they are in and out of connector inserts. Values are generally established for maximum and minimum forces. Performance acceptance levels vary by specification and/or customer requirements.��2) Force needed to either engage or separate mating contacts. (MIL-STD) Also called Contact Engaging and Separating Force

The number of bits transmitted in parallel on a data bus.

A building space where the occupants may interact withtelecommunications terminal equipment (computers, faxes, phones, etc.). A media or telecommunications outlet would be used here for duplex fiber terminations or, in the case of multiple users, a MUTOA outlet.

A cable connecting the telecommunications outlet to the terminal equipment.

The part of a distribution system that includes the equipment and extension cords from the information outlet to the terminal device.

A graph which plots the pull-out force, indent force and relative conductivity of a crimp joint as a function of various depths of crimping. (MIL-STD)

The period of time during which an adhesive, after mixing with catalyst, solvent, or other compounding ingredients, remains suitable for use.

The difference (in dB) between the power budget and the loss budget (i.e. the excess power margin).

(1) The highest voltage that can be continuously applied to a wire in conformance with the standard or specification; ( 2) The system voltage printed on the wire or cable.

A solderless connection made by wrapping bare wire around a square or rectangular terminal with a power or hand tool. Also called "Solderless Wrapped Connection" or "Wire Wrapped Connection".

A solderless connection made by wrapping bare wire around a square or rectangular terminal with a power or hand tool. Also called "Solderless Wrapped Connection" or "Wire Wrapped Connection".

A solderless connection made by wrapping bare wire around a square or rectangular terminal with a power or hand tool. Also called "Solderless Wrapped Connection" or "Wire Wrapped Connection".

An insulating barrier applied as a sheet or tape wrapped around a coil periphery.