In addition to failures due to the light loss, there is the possibility of equipment failure and the nightmare of unexpected costs for troubleshooting, replacing and fixing damages.
Fiber Installation Cleanliness Resources:
- Cisco had this information under their Inspection and Cleaning are Critical section (http://bit.ly/1JHMGuo) that illustrates the delicacy of the situation: "A 1-micrometer dust particle on a single-mode core can block up to 1% of the light (a 0.05dB loss). A 9-micrometer speck is still too small to see without a microscope, but it can completely block the fiber core. These contaminants can be more difficult to remove than dust particles. By comparison, a typical human hair is 50 to 75 micrometers in diameter, as much as eight times larger. So, even though dust might not be visible, it is still present in the air and can deposit onto the connector."
- The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created Standard 61300-3-35, which provides guidelines about the size and amount of dirt and contamination for single and multi-fiber end-faces and also specifies both the pass/fail requirements for endface quality and a process to verify the connector meets these requirements.
READ THE BLOG: Ensuring Clean Fiber Connections
Additional resources from the FOC team include:
- Category Resource:
- View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
- Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com
Have questions about this FOC Tip?
Contact FOC with questions at: (800) 473-4237 / 508-992-6464 or email: FiberOpticCenter@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP.
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