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IL @ 1550 Higher Than 1310

IL @ 1550 higher than 1310

A connector, or an entire product design, showing a significantly higher Insertion Loss at 1550 than at 1310 indicates the likely presence of a stress point on the fiber somewhere in the cable assembly—most likely a fiber bend that exceeds operating bend radius, or a fiber "pinch" or microbend somewhere within the product. The higher the stress (larger the bend), the higher the Insertion Loss @ 1550 compared to 1310.   But whereas a core-offset problem mentioned above are often normal results of raw-material selection, any excess stress directly on a fiber represents a serious risk to product reliability, and thus IL values @ 1550 are particularly important to monitor and troubleshoot.

Even with advent of "reduced bend radius" fiber, it is excellent practice to test all products at 1550. Doing so may identify a serious product flaw, particularly in products which have fiber routed within an enclosure (such as within a cassette or a cabinet or a ribbon fan-out transition). If your product Insertion Loss @ 1550 is significantly higher than @1310, you very likely have a product with fiber under stress, and you need to understand the cause.

 

READ THE BLOG: Insertion Loss Troubleshooting Tip: Singlemode 1310 vs. 1550

 

Additional resources from the FOC team include:

 

 

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.

About the Author
FOC Tips Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.
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

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