Copper cable wiring from CAT5 to CAT7

For several years, the standard cable used for home theater systems and computer networking with copper wire continues to be CAT5 wiring. It is now dealing with the purpose of being considered old-fashioned, with a brand new standard emerging of CAT6. Where on earth does that leave CAT7? Basically, it is as leading edge as you can get within the field. From old to new, CAT5 to CAT7. What are the differences and similarities? Let’s take a closer look.

If you’re establishing a home theater system, CAT7 and CAT5 wiring will offer similar benefits. There are obviously a few differences, however–something to be expected because of the newness of CAT7. Either of these two, however, will work for the one who wants good quality sound.

In lots of homes throughout the nation, the old-fashioned TV room continues to be substituted with the house theater. The TV and audio system are set up so the family can have maximum enjoyment from their movies, sports, and favorite Television shows. To properly install your home theater system, you need to understand what it is set up–which means you need to know how to have it correctly wired.

There are a few possibilities for you for wiring you home entertainment system. Because we’re concerned with CAT 5 and CAT7 here, we’ll only discuss those which involve those cables. The benefits for either of these is that they’ll offer optimum system performance, plus you can keep your video source at a long way out of your television, monitor or other output device.

You can use your CAT5 and CAT7 wiring with three types of distribution systems: Ip address (or IP, distributed via a USB port), Rf and Analog. You can use CAT5 and CAT7 coax cables for any of those distribution systems. For the purposes, the real difference between CAT5 and 7 may be the distance that you could run the cable but still achieve optimum results. You can run CAT5 coax cables up to 100 meters from the output device; you are able to run CAT7 as much as 1000 meters away.

Both CAT5 and CAT7 may be used to deliver video for cable TV (sometimes with a CATV amplifier), Internet data and telephone. Many of these are distributed through similar cabinets. CAT5 and CAT7 delivers video for example CATV , telephone, and data. All these is shipped via similar cabinets. There are many advantages for using CAT5 or 7. Price is one of the main ones; the video for either of these standards is affordable and price efficient. That is because the cable eliminates your need for purchasing extra coax cables. It is also simpler to configure the video than it could be should you have had several splitter amplifiers and taps and coaxial combiners. The body will maintain a superior signal quality, because video distribution via CAT5 or CAT7 utilizes active RF video hubs.

When you are deciding how to wire your home video system, just make sure you have carried out your homework in advance, to make sure you are earning the very best choices. You might decide to go with CAT5 wiring or with CAT7. Indeed, you may decide to go with some combination of these two. But regardless, make sure you pick what matches with your needs as well as your budget. There are many web sites to find the information you need to determine what’s going to best help you create the ultimate home entertainment experience.

Fiberstore is experienced on fiber optic and copper networks. We offer and install copper cabling solutions including copper cables, network cables, ethernet cables across the entire performance range. You can purchase these best ethernet cables on our store with your confidence. Learn more about fiber optic products on www.FiberStore.com.

Applications of Fiber Optics in communication systems

The use of fiber optic systems is expanding at a amazing rate. Only in the past Ten years, fiber optic communications systems have replaced just about all coaxial and twisted pair cables particularly in network backbones. This is also true in almost any long distance communication links.

This can be explained simply. Optical fiber cable is easier to set up, lighter than traditional copper cable, and much smaller than its electronic counterpart. The most crucial factor is it has much more bandwidth. Because fiber optic cables are lighter, they are simpler to survive existing ducts and cable raceways. There are other big benefits of fiber optic cables including their immunity to electromagnetic interference, longer repeater distances, lower power requirements, and better flexibility.

All the above pros make fiber optic cables very attractive and most important of all, very economical. The unstoppable trend for fiber optic applications would be the change from the long haul (long distance) to our desk, our house, and our office. The terms include FTTC ( fiber towards the curb), FTTD (fiber towards the desk), FTTH (fiber towards the home) and FTTB( fiber to the building). Fiber optic cables enable our imagine integrating all our phone, Internet and TV services. Fiber’s wide bandwidth makes this possible. It offers more than enough ability to meet all our voice, data and video requirements.

The transformation from copper to fiber is greatly accelerated through the invention of optical fiber amplifier. Optical fiber amplifiers enable optical signal transmission over very long distances without the expensive procedure for conversion to electronic signals, electronic amplification and the conversion to optical signal again as in traditional regenerators.

Today most of the network traffic switching continue to be done by electronic switches such as those from Cisco. But tremendous interest and effort of utilizing all-optical devices for those network switching are accumulating in the industry. The most important sign of all-optical switching lies in its almost unlimited transmission capacity. However, it is still within the prototype stage for controlling light with light, so optical swith circuits continue to be controlled by electronic circuits now. The switching matrix may be optical circuits but the control are still done by electronic circuits.

Optical fiber is nearly the perfect medium for signal transmission available today and in the foreseeable future. The excellent sign of optical fiber is its immunity to electromagnetic interference. Optical circuits can be crossed inside a common space without cross interference among them. But you will find problems which are impeding the rate of all-optical system development. The most obvious and basic reason may be the compatibility requirements with legacy fiber optic systems.

Another huge advantage of optical fiber is based on the opportunity to multiplex its capacity via WDM (wavelength division multiplexer). WDM modulates each of several data streams right into a different part of the light spectrum. WDM is the optical equivalent of FDM (frequency division multiplexer). The use of WDM can increase the capacity of merely one channel fiber optic communication system by countless times.

In additional to optical communication systems, fiber optic technology is also widely used in medicine, illumination, sensing, endoscopy, industry control and more.

About the writer:

Fiberstore is experienced on fiber optic communication technologies and merchandise. Learn more about fiber optic networks on www.FiberStore.com.

Fiber optic network has become the protagonist

The most of today’s telecommunication systems is run on a fiber optic network. This has been largely due to the fact that such networks are perfect for transferring information. The development in fiber optics continues to enhance considerably during the last decade, providing more and more benefits to their users.

It does not take a specialist scientist to know just how the process works. An optical fiber can be used to transmit a pulse of light in one spot to another. An electromagnetic carrier wave will be modulated in order to use the light to transfer the data. A transmitter is thus required to create the signal before is distributed across the said cable. It is important to observe that such networks also counteract any distortions to the signal, which would result in interference. When the signal is received at the other end, it’s converted into an electric signal.

Is transmission of data an issue for you together with your old networking technology? Your company should then consider installing a fiber optic network! Light is passed in the form of light pulses with an optical glass fiber. This beats the traditional way of transmitting information with the help of copper wires, because this approach to using optical fiber is quicker and is therefore a more sensible choice.

All this adds to the price of optical fiber being relatively high. Fiber optic networks are mainly suited in situations where information is transmitted to longer distances. Including several telephone companies too. These fiber optic networks can carry higher levels of data in a nutshell distances too.

The rapid growth and development of the internet in recent years has taken about the requirement for new methods to transfer information. Naturally, the faster this process is performed, the better for everyone. However, the amount of virtual traffic making the rounds the world has also been steadily increasing, so these kinds of networks have become indispensable in transferring data wisely.

Telephone companies have played the most significant part within the increasing reliance on fiber optics. Actually, numerous telecommunication companies realised the future is determined by such cables and optical solutions rather than the old copper wires of that time. The possibility of monopolizing the market drove these companies to take a position a lot in fiber optics.

Not only the larger companies use fiber optics but also the smaller business firms and personnel. Instead of using wireless networks this fiber optic technology can be easily be implemented in the home based computer networks too. These optical fibers are generally made from plastic. Anybody who wants a faster connection may use Ethernet technology at home or in the working environment Due to the low power LED bulbs been used, the constant maintenance cost of fiber optic networks are comparatively low.

In the educational sphere, fiber optic networks are also an instantaneous success. One must understand that nowadays education has become increasingly reliant on technology, so computers are playing a chief role in schools. Universities all around the world employ such networks to transfer educational matter between students and lecturers, in addition to between the students themselves.

There isn’t any doubt that these kinds of networks continues to shape the long run in regards to the change in information. More and more governments, companies and educational institutions are purchasing fiber optic infrastructure as it is clear that right now there isn’t any better alternative in the field.

However, fiber optic networks haven’t been implemented up to now in lots of parts of the country. Another major factor for that less using fiber optics is the labour charges involved with installation. The glass fiber is more sensitive than copper wires, which means that more care needs to be taken in installing and maintaining a fiber optic network. For this reason you will find several layers since the glass fiber in fiber optics.

About the author:

Fiberstore is experienced on fiber optic network products. Learn a little more about Cisco SFP and wire stripper on www.FiberStore.com.

Six common materials in fiber optic cable construction

There are mainly six common materials in fiber optic cable construction. Before you buy fiber optic cable, you should think about this. Here are the fiber optic cable materials with the introduction of their features and applications.

1. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

Features:

1) Good resistance to environmental effects. Some formulations are rated for -55 to +55.

2) Good flame retardant properties. Can be used for both outdoor and indoor fiber optic cables.

3) PVC is less flexible than PE (Polyethylene) .

2. PE (Polyethylene)

Features:

1) Popular cable jacket material for outdoor fiber cables

2) Very good moisture and weather resistance properties

3) Very good insulator

4) Can be very stiff in colder temperatures

5) If treated with proper chemicals, PE can be flame retardant.

3. Fluoropolymers

Features:

1) Good flame-resistance properties

2) Low smoke properties

3) Good flexibility

4) Most often used for indoor fiber cables

4. Kevlar (Aramid Yarn)

Aramid yarn is the yellow fiber type material found inside cable jacket surrounding the fibers. It can also be used as central strength members.

Features:

1) Aramid yarn is very strong and is used in bundle to protect the fibers.

2) Kevlar is a brand of aramid yarn. Kevlar is often used as the central strength member on fiber cables which must withstand high pulling tension during installation.

3) When Kevlar is placed surrounding the entire cable interior, it provides additional protection for the fibers from the environment.

5. Steel Armor

Steel armor jacket is often used on direct burial outdoor cables and it provides excellent crush resistance and is truly rodent-proof. Since steel is a conductor, steel armored cables have to be properly grounded and loss fiber optic cable’s dielectric advantage.

Applications:

1) Outdoor direct burial cables

2) Fiber cables used for industrial environment where cables are installed without conduits or cable tray protection

Features:

1) Provides excellent crush resistance for outdoor direct burial cables

2) Protects cables from rodent biting

3) Decreases water ingress into the fiber which prolongs the fiber cable’s life expectancy

6. Central Strength Member

For large fiber count cables, a central strength member is often used. The central strength member provides strength and support to the cable. During fiber optic cable installation, pulling eyes should always be attached to the central strength member and never to the fibers. On fiber splice enclosure and patch panel installations, the cable central strength member should be attached to the strength member anchor on the enclosure or patch panel.

About the author:

Fiberstore is an expert on fiber optic technologies and products. Learn even more about plastic optical fiber and fiber optic pigtail on www.FiberStore.com.

SFP Optical Transceiver Modules

SFP package – hot little package module, the highest rate of up to 10G, is mostly used with LC interfaces. SFP is abbreviation of Small Form Pluggable, which can be simply considered as an upgraded version of GBIC. SFP module has half volume of GBIC, only the size of a thumb. It can be configured on the same panel, more than double the number of ports. SFP module has the same other basic functions as GBIC. Some switch vendors said the SFP module is mini GBIC.

SFP modules through the CDR and electronic dispersion compensation on the outside of the module, while the more reduced the size and power consumption. They are used for telecommunications and data communications applications in optical communication. SFP connected network devices such as switches, routers and other equipment motherboards and optical fiber or UTP cables. SFP is also a kind of industry specifications which some fiber optic device providers support. SFP modules support SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel as well as some other communication standards. This standard extends to SFP+, which can support 10.0 Gbit/s transfer rate, including 8 gigabit Fiber Channel and 10GbE. The introduction of fiber optic and copper versions of the SFP+ module versions, and the module’s XENPAK, X2 or XFP version comparison, SFP+ module will remain in the part of the circuit board to achieve, rather than the module implementation.

SFP transceivers have many different types of transmission and reception, the user can select the appropriate link for each transceiver to provide based on available fiber types (such as multi-mode fiber or single-mode fiber) can reach the optical performance. Available optical SFP modules are generally divided into the following categories: 850nm / 550m distance MMF (SX), 1310nm wavelength / 10 kilometers from the SMF (LX), 1550nm / 40 km distance XD, 80 miles from the ZX, 120 yards from the EX or EZX, and DWDM. SFP transceivers are also available copper interfaces, making the design primarily for fiber optic communication devices are also able to host UTP network cable communication. There are also CWDM SFP and single-fiber “two-way” SFP.

SFP optical module configuration are: lasers (including transmitter TOSA with the receiver ROSA) and board composition IC and external accessories and external accessories, there are housing, base, PCBA, pull ring, clasps, unlock, rubber stopper composition, In order to facilitate the identification generally pull ring color discrimination module parameter type.

In accordance with the rate divided 155M/622M/1.25G/2.125G/4.25G/8G/10G, 155M and 1.25G market is used more, 10G technology is maturing, demand is rising attitude to development. In accordance with the wavelength divided 850nm/1310nm/1550nm/1490nm/1530nm/1610nm, the SFP 850nm wavelength multimode transmission distance 2KM below 1310/1550nm wavelengths for single mode, the transmission distance 2KM above, relatively speaking, this three wavelengths price is cheaper than the other three.

Many people do not know the difference between SFP and SFP+. This sometimes caused unnecessary trouble. 10G module has gone from 300Pin, XENPAK, X2, XFP development, and ultimately with the same size and SFP 10G transmission signal, which is the SFP+. SFP with its compact low cost advantages to meet the equipment needs of high-density optical modules, implemented from 2002 standard to 2010 has replaced 10G XFP and become the mainstream of market.

SFP+ optical modules have these following advantages. First, SFP+ package has the more compact dimensions than than XFP X2 (with the same size as SFP). Second, SFP+ optical modules can be direct connected with XFP, X2 and XENPAK modules which have the same types. Third, the cost ratio is lower than XFP, X2 and XENPAK products.

FiberStore offers cost-effective standards-based compatible Cisco SFP Transceivers. As a 3rd party OEM manufacturer, our Cisco SFP transceiver is delivered to worldwide from our factory directly.

Source: FiberStore

Optical Active Devices Categories Introduction

In fiber optic networks, optical active devices are key components. It can convert electrical signals and optical signals to each other, the optical transmission system of the heart. Optical active devices are divided into the following three categories.

A. Light Source

The device that converts electrical signal into optical signal is called light source. The main light sources are light emitting diodes (LED) and laser diodes (LD).

B. Optical Detector

The device that converts optical signal into electrical signal is called optical detector. The main optical detectors are photodiode and avalanche photodiode.

The optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber reaches the receiving end, the receiving end has a light receiving element signal. But since we know of light has not yet reached the level of awareness of the electricity, so we can not direct the optical signal obtained by reducing the original signal. Between them, there are still one of the optical signals into electrical signals, and then by the electronic circuit to amplify the process, and finally restore the original signal. The reception switching element is called the light detector, or photodetector, short detector, also known as photo-detector or a photodiode. Common optical detector comprising PN photodiodes, PIN photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes (APD). Optical fiber communication systems require optical detector to be high sensitivity, fast response, low noise, stable and reliable.

C. Optical Amplifier

Optical fiber amplifier has become active devices rookie. Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) has currently a large number of applications , while optical fiber Raman amplifier (FRA) is very promising.

Fiber amplifiers can not only amplify the optical signal directly, but also have real-time, high gain, broadband, online, low-noise, low-loss optical zoom function. They are essential key components in the new generation of fiber optic communication systems.

Since this technology not only solved the attenuation of optical network transmission speed and distance limitations, more importantly, it created a 1550nm band WDM, which can enable ultra high-speed, large-capacity, ultra-long haul wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), optical transmission, optical soliton transmission becomes a reality. It is epoch-making milestone in the history of optical fiber optic communication development.

In practical optical fiber amplifiers, there are mainly EDFA, semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and FRA, of which the EDFA amplifier with its superior performance is now widely used in long-distance , large capacity, high-speed optical fiber communication systems, access networks, optical fiber CATV networks, military systems in areas such as power amplifiers, repeater amplifiers and preamplifiers. Optical Fiber Amplifier is generally constituted of the gain medium optical fiber amplifier, the pump light input-output coupling structure.

Source: FiberStore

Optical Passive Categories Introduction

Optical passive devices is an important part of the communication device, but also the other optical components indispensable application areas. There are mainly four categories of Optical Passive.

(A) Active Fiber Optic Cable Connector

Fiber optic cable connector is connected to two active optical fiber to form a continuous optical path and can be repeated assembly and disassembly of passive components; also has the fiber optic cable with active devices, fiber optic cable and other passive components, fiber optic cables and systems and instrumentation carry out activities connections. Active connector along with the development of optical communication development, has now formed a complete range, a wide variety of systems products, fiber applications are indispensable, the most widely used component of the foundation.

Their function can be divided into the following sections: Connector plugs, fiber jumpers, converters, inverters, etc. These components may be used alone as the device, a component can be used together. In fact, an active connector is used to refer two connector plug plus a converter.

(B) Optical Attenuator

Optical attenuator is a certain amount of optical power can attenuation device. Optical attenuator can be broadly divided into fixed and variable types. Fixed attenuator and variable attenuator of the main indicators of its attenuation accuracy, precision, and stability or repeatability, as well as applicable wavelength region.

A fixed optical attenuator fixed amount of attenuation of the optical path of the light energy is mainly used for its excellent temperature characteristics. Debugging the system, commonly used in analog optical signals through a fiber attenuation and the corresponding relay station or decrease in the optical power of the room to prevent the optical receiver saturation; also be calibrated for an optical measuring instrument calibration.

For different line interface, you can use different fixed attenuator; if the interface is a pigtail type available pigtail type optical attenuator welded to the optical path between the two sections of fiber; If you are debugging the system connector interface converter or inverter-type fixed attenuator. In practical applications often require attenuation amount of the optical attenuator can be changed with the user needs. Therefore, the variable attenuator wider range of applications. For example, EDFA, CATV optical system design margin of the actual system is not exactly the same, the optical power margin of the system BER assessment, to prevent the receiver is saturated, it must be inserted in the system variable optical attenuator, another , fiber optics (such as a power meter or OTDR) measurement, calibration will also use the variable attenuator. From the perspective of market demand, on the one hand, the optical attenuator development toward miniaturization, serialization, low price direction. On the other hand, due to the common type optical attenuator, optical attenuator is development direction toward high-performance, intelligent optical attenuator, high return loss optical attenuator.

(C) Optical Switch

Optical switch is an optical path control device, the optical path switching plays a role in the optical fiber transmission network and a variety of optical switching systems, computer control can be achieved spectral exchange, to achieve between the terminals, between the center terminal and the distribution of information and exchange intelligence; in the ordinary optical transmission system, an optical path for the active and standby switching can be used in optical fiber, optical devices and optical fiber sensor network test, the optical fiber transmission systems, measuring instruments or the sensing system is stable and reliable easy to use.

CATV optical network in order to ensure uninterrupted operation of cable systems, should be equipped with a backup optical transmitter, an optical transmitter is working when a failure, the use of optical switch can be in a very short time (less than 1ms) to Backup optical transmitter access system to ensure it is working properly.

According to its operating principle, the optical switch can be divided into mechanical and non-mechanical two categories. Mechanical optical switch optical fiber or optical components by moving the optical path changes, currently on the market are generally mechanical optical switch, the advantage of low insertion loss, typically less than 1.5dB; high isolation, typically greater than 45dB, and without polarization wavelength effects. Non-mechanical optical switch is to rely on electro-optic effect, magneto-optical effect, sound and light effects and thermo-optic effect to change the refractive index of the waveguide, the optical path is changed, which is a new technology, the advantages of this type of switch: switch time is short, Small size, easy integration of optical or electro-optical integration; deficiencies are large insertion loss, isolation is low.

(D) WDM Multiplexer and Demultiplexer

Optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology in an optical fiber multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously transmitted carrier signal, and each optical carrier by FDM or TDM mode, each carrying multiple analog or digital signals. The basic principle is the sending side optical signals of different wavelengths are combined (multiplexed), and is coupled to the same fiber optical cable for transmission, the receiving end turn these combined signals at different wavelengths separated ( demultiplexing), and further processed to recover the original signal into a different terminal. Therefore, this technology called optical wavelength division multiplexing, short wavelength division multiplexing technologies.

Source: FiberStore

Optical Attenuator Types and Applications

Optical attenuator is a very important fiber optic passive components. It’s an indispensable device for fiber CATV. So far the market has formed four series that are fixed-step, variable, continuously variable and intelligent optical attenuator.

Types of Optical Attenuators

A. Displacement Optical Attenuator

As we all know, when the two sections of optical fiber connection, must meet a really high accuracy, in order to make the optical signal a smaller loss transmission previously. Conversely, when the fiber to help make the appropriate alterations in the precision, you can control the amount of attenuation. Displacement-type optical attenuator is based on this principle, the intention of the fiber within the butt, the appearance of certain dislocation. The sunshine energy loss, in order to achieve the purpose of a controlled amount of attenuation, the displacement-type optical attenuator is divided into two types: the lateral displacement type optical attenuator, the axial displacement of the optical attenuator. The lateral displacement from the optical attenuator is a classical method, due to the magnitude from the lateral displacement parameters in the micron level, so generally do not have to produce a variable attenuator is used only for producing fixed attenuator, and the use of welding or stick connection, there is still a sizable market, the benefit of high return loss, generally more than 60 dB. Axial displacement type optical attenuator by mechanical means as long as the process design of two optical fibers a certain distance with the objective, is possible attenuation. This principle is mainly employed for producing fixed optical attenuator and some small variable optical attenuator.

B. Thin-film Optical Attenuator

This attenuator is created while using principle of sunshine in the reflected light concentration of the top of metal thin film film thickness. When the thickness from the metal thin film deposited around the glass substrate is bound, made of a set optical attenuator. Different attenuation can be obtained if inside a different thickness of a disk-shaped metallic thin wax glass substrate, metallic thin film, so that inserted within the optical road to different thicknesses so that you can alter the intensity of the reflected light within the optical fiber inserted obliquely deposited Cover made of the variable attenuator.

C. Attenuation-sheet Optical Attenuator

Attenuation the chip type optical attenuator directly fixed attenuator through an absorption characteristic in the end surface of the optical fiber or even the optical path to attain the reason for the attenuation from the optical signal, this process can not simply be used to produce a fixed optical attenuator can also be used to produce the variable optical attenuator.

Applications of Optical attenuators

A set optical attenuator fixed amount of attenuation of the optical road to the sunshine energy is principally used for its excellent temperature characteristics. Within the commissioning from the system, widely used in analog optical signal through the corresponding period of optical fiber attenuation or reduce the margin from the optical power the relay station may also be used to prevent saturation from the optical receiver; optical test instrument calibration scaling. For different line interface, you can use different fixed attenuator; if the interface is really a pigtail type available pigtail type optical attenuator welded towards the optical path between the two sections of fiber; If you are debugging the machine connector interface converter or inverter-type fixed attenuator.

In practical applications often require attenuation quantity of the optical attenuator could be changed using the user needs. Therefore, a wider range of applying the variable attenuator. For instance, EDFA, CATV optical system design margin of the particular product is not quite the same, the optical power margin of the system BER assessment, to prevent the receiver is saturated, it should be inserted within the system variable optical attenuator, another , fiber optics (such as a power meter or OTDR) measurement, calibration will also make use of the variable attenuator. From the perspective of market demand, on the one hand, the optical attenuator development toward miniaturization, serialization, low price direction. However, due to the common type optical attenuator, optical attenuator is development direction toward high-performance, intelligent optical attenuator, high return loss optical attenuator.

Source: FiberStore

Industrialization of PLC splitter chip technology

Fiber optic communication network has become the cornerstone of today’s world of information transfer. With the further development of the network and market demand for communication bandwidth increases, the entire communication network to the part between the user’s last ten km and last km, the network part is also being optical fiber. FTTH becomes an important direction of the development of fiber optic communication network.

FTTH mainly uses PON network technology, which requires a large number of low-cost optical splitters and other optical passive. Optical splitter device is an integral part of FTTH, and with the promotion of FTTH, there would be a great market demand. The traditional preparation of optical splitter technology is fiber fused biconical taper (FBT) technology. Its characteristics are mature and simple technology. The disadvantage is that the assigned ones too large, and the device size is too large, which causedthe decrease in yield and the rising cost of single channel, shunt reactive stars uniformity will deteriorate. FBT technology based fiber optic splitter preparation techniques have been unable to adapt to the market demand.

As you can see from the perspective of development of optical devices, PLC technology has become a mainstream technology for large-scale preparation of high-performance and low-cost optical splitter. It is the use of PLC technology, to produce the optical splitter chip, coupled with the optical fiber array package, complete the preparation of the optical splitter. Its features are: small size of the device, the cost is relatively low, splitter good uniformity, at the same time, the technical threshold is relatively high, especially for production of more than large ones optical splitter, suitable for mass production. It can ensure that the light emitting device miniaturization, low cost and high performance. Analysis of PLC technology, you can see that the glass-based PLC technology has great advantages in terms of equipment investment, production costs, the optimal choice of production required for fiber-to-the-home, low-cost optical devices such as optical splitter.

International, PLC technology has been widely used in the miniaturization, high-performance optical device fabrication and production, in particular, the optical splitter chip. In China, however, the reality is that we have become a PLC encapsulation big country, but is limited to the optical splitter and optical device fabrication device coupled packaging and downstream industry chain, no one PLC chip Health line, PLC core device chip entirely dependent on imports. Which there is a problem that the core preparation technique of the PLC device lies in the outward, this has resulted in major cost control of the device is limited in the chip at the same time, which also led to the lack of technical support further to the high-end integrated chip development, severe hinder the development of our country in the PLC application.

PLC splitter chip manufacturing process PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) and FHD (flame hydrolysis deposition) and ion exchange. The former two with the substrate material is a silicon-based silica, and the latter with the substrate material is glass. AWG (arrayed waveguide grating) chip production, Silica optical waveguide splitter chips can be produced on silica on silicon waveguide or glass waveguide. Production by ion exchange glass waveguide PLC chip domestic number of colleges and universities have been conducting research and development, technical appraisal sample has been reached the international advanced level of similar products. The breakthrough of the results from the glass material, preparation equipment, process conditions designed to chip a full range of core technology to master the the buried low loss and low polarization characteristics PLC chip core preparation techniques.

Characteristics of the technology investment, equipment operation and low maintenance costs, simple process conditions, the production of optical passive low transmission loss and polarization characteristics with matching coupling of the fiber loss, environmental stability, and manufacturing costs low, very suitable in need of the PLC production line, can be used for producing low-cost fiber-to-the-home integrated optical splitter chip. Further pilot research and development, to solve adapted to the production of core technology, will be able to achieve your PLC splitter chip mass production.

In fact, in addition to the production of optical splitter chip, glass-based PLC technology R & D production environment with a wide range of other potential applications, for example, can be applied to detect the required light sensor.

All-optical switch introductionComments

The all-optical switch is the main element in the optical communication network. As the key to realize all optical network, it has a low pumping power, high switch efficiency, fast response time characteristics, so much attention in recent years has been paid.

From the late 1980s to the present, many research groups have conducted in-depth research of all kinds of all-optical switch. All-optical switch is a very important technology, it can be applied to the field of optical communications, optical computers, optical information processing and optical data processing. Optical switch as the key components of a new generation of all-optical network, mainly used to achieve light level routing, wavelength selection, optical add-drop multiplexing and optical cross-connect and self-healing protection. Therefore, the response speed optical switch, crosstalk, insertion loss performance will directly affect the quality of optical communication. The optical networking implementation depends on the light switches, optical filter, a new generation amplifier, dense wavelength division multiplexing technology devices and technological progress.

Optical switches applications in all-optical networks in addition should have a fast response speed, low insertion loss, low channel crosstalk and polarization insensitive, should also have integration and scalability and low-cost, low-power, good thermal stability and other characteristics. All-optical switch is expected to reflect its huge potential in the following applications.

(1) The calculation speed of computer depends on the increased speed of the switching elements and chip size reduction, in which regard has encountered a bottleneck. The development of optical computer is a possible way out. Optical computers may be fast photonic switching chip and chip the outside optical interconnects constitutes. Accordingly, the optical switch is the key to the development of optical computers.

(2) Electronic communication is gradually optical fiber communication replaced in order to meet the growing demand for communication capacity. Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing technology, optical fiber communication signal transmission to achieve all optical signal exchange also rely on electronics, limiting the improvement of optical communication rate. Therefore, all-optical communication is the key to all-optical switch.

(3) Fiber optic communication systems in the long-haul network, metropolitan area network, the access network between the optical switch required by the optical cross-connects to complete; optical switch network between users rely on the OADM. The optical cross-connect and add-drop multiplexer is constituted by an optical switch array Thus, the optical switch is the basis for all-optical switching.

From the 1970s began to study the optical bistability has more than 30 years of history. However, the study of all-optical switching is also faced with many practical problems, mainly due to three reasons.

(1) All-optical switch is based on the third-order nonlinear effect. The desired optical power of switch is too high, which often takes more than the light intensity of the signal light more than five orders of magnitude. Not like the low-power electronic switch, it can’t achieve low-power light control.

(2) Due to the strong input light caused by the strong thermal effect, particularly in the dielectric absorption peak at a wavelength switching device, the heat absorption so that the device is very unstable and difficult to achieve a cascading operation of the device.

(3) The laser beam propagation in the medium microns, the power density is not high, but the nonlinear effect limited distance required to produce nonlinear power is too difficult to compress to the transverse dimension of the beam.

Therefore, reducing the switching power is the study of all-optical switch is an important task. Subject the light through the fiber waveguide or a planar integrated optical waveguide having a wavelength order of magnitude transverse dimension, can obtain a higher light power density and a longer interaction length, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of generating nonlinear optical effects, and may lower optical power to achieve all-optical switch. Waveguide-type optical switch become the main object of study. Silicon waveguides (including optical fiber) in the communication band absorption is small, but non-linear too weak, the accumulation of available ring cavity nonlinear.

Source: FiberStore

Advantages of Plastic Optical Fibers

What is plastic optical fiber? Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) is definitely an optical fiber which is made out of plastic. Because the late 1990s however, much higher-performance POF based on per fluorinated polymers has begun to appear available on the market. Plastic optical fibers are popular Nowadays.

Fiber technology is constantly on the become more flexible and less expensive. Plastic fiber optic cables are made from just one acrylic monofilament and are most efficient when used with visible red status indicator light sources. Plastic fibers are generally more cost effective than glass fiber optic cables and therefore are well suited for applications that need continuous flexing of the fiber. A wide range of fiber optic tips can be found.

In contrast, plastic optical fibers use harmless green or red light that is easily visible towards the eye. They may be safely installed in a house without risk to inquisitive children. A second advantage is their toughness. Plastic optical fibers tend to be thicker than glass optical fibers, a millimeter or more, and could be handled without special tools or techniques. You don’t have to be trained to handle and do the installation. You simply work with scissors, hook it up and it works.

In large-diameter optical fibers, 96% from the cross section is the core that enables the transmission of sunshine. Much like traditional glass optical fiber, POF transmits light with the core of the fiber. The core size POF is in some cases 100 times bigger than glass optical fiber.



plastic optical fiber optic cable

POF has been called the consumer optical fiber since the fiber and associated optical links, connectors, and installation are all inexpensive. The per fluorinated polymer fibers are generally employed for much higher-speed applications for example data center wiring and building LAN wiring. POF, using its large core, continues to be likely to function as the office and residential network media. Its large core permits the utilization of cheap injection-molded plastic connectors which can significantly lower the total link cost. But POF features its own problems. The most crucial obstacle is its high signal loss (attenuation). PMMA has been used because the light guiding core for commercially accessible step-index POF and PMMA’s attenuation is about 100 dB/km. This high attenuation significantly limits POF’s applications in data communication applying a lot more than 100m.

Here is the good news though. Developers have discovered that PF amorphous polymer based gradient-index plastic optical fibers get rid of the attenuation problem with PMMA based plastic fiber. They’ve developed PF-polymer based Gradient-Index (GI) POF with attenuation level of only 10 dB/km. According to theoretical calculation, PF-polymer based GI POF can achieve similar degree of attenuation as silica-based glass fiber of 0.3dB/km.

Having a optimized refractive-index profile within the PF-polymer based GI POF, a lot more than 10Gb/s data transmission speed can be achieved over 1km. This is the metrics of PF-polymer’s low intrinsic loss and low material dispersion. Coupled with this theoretically possible high bandwidth and occasional total link cost, PF-Polymer based gradient-index plastic optical fiber includes a huge potential in fiber optic data communication applications.

With really small diameter, the POF cable is simple to run along skirting boards, under carpets and around tight corners. It offers additional durability for uses in data communications, as well as decoration, illumination and industrial application. FiberStore can supply both simplex and duplex plastic optical fibers. Our standard color is black. Other colors are available upon request.

Source: FiberStore

Mode Conditioning Patch Cord utilized in Gigabit Ethernet Applications

Fiber optic patch cord is used to link different equipment components in a network, typically switch to switch connections, where fast efficient communication is needed. It may be terminated having a a few different connectors depending of the equipment requirements.

Fiber patch cords are occasionally called fiber jumpers and therefore are basically a length of fiber optic cable terminated with a suitable connector for the required installation. As previously described, fiber patch cables are commonly fitted with ST, SC, LC or MTRJ connectors. There are lots of types of fiber patch cords for different use. This article is about Mode Conditioning Patch Cord.

Mode Conditioning Patch Cords, also referred to as conditioned launch fiber cables, are utilized specifically in Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-LX/LH applications where the objective is deploying new high-speed 1000Base-LX routers, switches, or optical transceivers within existing multimode system backbones. Mode conditioning patch cables are used in the 1300nm or 1310nm optical wavelength window, and cannot be utilized for 850nm short wavelength window such as 1000Base-SX. Also, any attempt to connect 1000Base-LX/LH equipment over short distances of multimode fiber without the use of mode conditioning fiber can lead to a higher bit error rate, and finally damage to the unit. Mode conditioning patch cord is made for Gigabit Ethernet multi-mode applications at 1300nm wavelength; the applying standard is IEEE 802.3z. All mode conditioning fiber optic patch cords are made with duplex cable; with a single mode to multi-mode offset fiber connection part in one of the two legs.



Mode Conditioning Patch Cord

Why do we need to use mode conditioning patch cable? The Gigabit Ethernet application standard requires the use of fiber optic light to offer the specified data transmitting rates. Usually people use long wave transceiver modules for Gigabit Ethernet. These modules have to operate both single mode and multi mode fibers. And as we all know, multi-mode fiber manufacturing techniques create index of refraction anomalies along the centerline of the multi-mode fiber core. When a highly concentrated single mode fiber optic light is sent into the center of the multi-mode fiberglass, the modes that propagate through the index of refraction anomalies disseminate over time causing modal dispersion. This effect is called differential mode delay. Differential mode delay results in reduced bandwidth over distance. By permitting the only mode laser launch to become offset from the center of the multi-mode fiber, the mode conditioning patch cord cuts down on the effect of such differential mode delay.

From the above descriptions we learn how to use such mode conditioning cables. When we use such mode conditioning fiber optic patch cords, we have to connect the yellow leg the colour of single mode to connect the transmit side from the equipment (single mode Gigabit transceiver) while we connect the orange leg the colour of multimode to the receive side (multimode Gigabit cable plant) .

Mode conditioning cables are usually utilized in pairs. This means that you will need a mode conditioning patch cable at each end to connect the gear towards the cable plant. So then these cables are usually ordered in even numbers. The typical reason someone may order one cable is so they may keep it as a spare. In case your gigabit LX switch comes with SC or LC connectors, make sure to connect the yellow leg (singlemode) from the cable towards the transmit side, and also the orange leg (multimode) towards the receive side of the equipment. It’s imperative this configuration be maintained on both ends. The swap of transmit and receive only works in the cable plant side. Mode conditioning fiber optic patch cord are utilized typically when you wish to run Gigabit Ethernet (LX) over some multi-mode fiber optic plant.

In FiberStore, mode conditioning cables are compliant with IEEE 802.3Z standard. FiberStore supplies mode conditioning patch cables with SC, ST, LC, MTRJ fiber optic connectors.

Source: FiberStore

Buy Fiber Patch Cables on line

Quality and significance of the fiber patch cable can be analyzed effortlessly if you are planning to figure out its characteristics thorough. You should make sure that you’re going to obtain such cords for your network which could provide benefits on long term basis and you should not get yourself stuck inside a series of complications.

Poor selection or selection of patch cables can be very problematic and you’ve got to go through odd consequences due to poor selection. Therefore, the significance of best quality can’t be neglected and for this purpose make sure that you will improvise a very good method in order to attain perfect cabling for the networks.

There are numerous cables which can be included in your considerations though when it comes to the very best cable you might not be able to find something better still than OM3 cable. If you are not interested in high speed networking you’ll be able to either get OM1 or OM2 but if your requirements of networking are very high then it continues to be recommended that you should be getting OM3. There are many benefits which may be attained with ease if you are going to get this particular cable. One of the leading advantages of this cabling is your data transmission rate can jump as much as 10GB and there won’t be any complications for you regarding reliability and performance. All you need to do would be to just look for a very good and reliable provider which could surely help you get this cabling setup effortlessly as well as your complete satisfaction continues to be guaranteed without any issues.

Compared to the single mode patch cable, OM1 and OM2 multi-mode fiber patch cables were considered to be very fine because of better capability to handle speed in addition to good stability of performance. However, as time is progressing the requirements of networking continues to be increased a lot and one may have to have more data transfer rate with this network which is not possible if you are using these cables. Therefore, something and vital is required in order to avoid numerous complications and one of the best methods which may be improvised for this function is to look upon internet.

There are many providers which are making themselves available through web and you may even but their products and add these to your shopping cart without going anywhere. This method can be really handy if you are looking for a very good cable having superb qualities and benefits. You will see just no issues to get superb results if you are going to get a excellent provider which could help you get the latest OM3 cables having Duplex Multi-mode ability. There are lots of those who are looking for long term benefits though they are not able to have them because of availability issues but if you are going to get cables from web providers then there won’t be any issues for you regarding availability. All you need to do would be to just look for a top notch provider which could allow you to get best cables effortlessly. You can have a look at their online galleries and discover the cable according to your preference as well as.

Once you are capable of finding one then your next thing would be to place your order and you can simply add the item in your shopping cart. Various good providers (for instance, FiberStore)are also offering shipping services so you’ll be capable of getting your product or service at the doorstep. There won’t be any complications for you to get everything based on your requirements, perceptions and expectations if you are planning to place your order from the very reliable and authenticated source. This requires special knowledge and guidance though you can improvise a depth search for it and you’ll surely find the best provider with ease.



Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

What Exactly Are Fiber Patch Cables

In this modern world, fiber optics are gaining more and more popularity among the communication networks. They’re trusted in every kind of communication nowadays this special kind of cables are the back bone of each and every known network whether it’s telecommunication or live broadcasting Television channels. When bulk data transfer is needed then top end fiber communication is considered as the best choice. Nowadays of fiber data is transferred in the form of light pulses. It was small introduction, now we come towards fiber optic patch cables.



Fiber optic patch cable is a two-fiber cable that uses exactly the same connector type and optical fiber type because the optical fiber cabling that it is connected to. Sometimes we aslo refer to it as a fiber optic jumper. The terms fiber optic patch cable and fiber optic jumper are often interchanged but as it happens they are different. An area cable is really a two-fiber cable, however the term fiber optic jumper is usually used to describe a single-fiber cable.

Fiber jumper is defined in IEEE 802.3 as an optical jumper cable assembly used for bidirectional transmission and reception of information. A fiber jumper can be a single-fiber cable or a multi-fiber cable. The jumper cable attached to the source of light is known as the transmitter jumper. The fiber jumper cable attached to the fiber optic power meter is known as the receiver jumper. But you may also see these test fiber jumpers referred to as a reference jumper. However they are named, fiber jumpers are a critical a part of your fiber optic test equipment setup.

Fiber patch cables are like joints, these are used to join 2 kinds of optic cables in order to make a third connection out. The first thing that is most important, while choosing the patch cable is the compatibility of those patch cables with the original cable. When you purchase the wrong cable then, it won’t work. Second thing may be the rate of information transfer. Different types of these cables have different data transfer rate and when you need to join them through patch cables then you need to make sure that the information rate of patch cables should match the information rate of original cable if this doesn’t match then, you will see a lag in communication which could cause a delay or total loss of information.

There are some other advantages too. For instance they offer a very high-speed of information transfer. Fiber optic cables are made to possess a little more speed than usual fiber cables to complement what’s needed when they are adjusted towards the network. Another factor that is higher in such cables is band width. These offer a high bandwidth than normal fiber optic cables. Last but not the least is the security factor. These patches are made very secure to operate at any level which is nearly impossible to interrupt into them.

These are the best answer for your home communication needs. Whether you’ll need a high speed internet connection or else you wish to connect your TV with a satellite antenna. These patch cables would be best since you just need to bring them and fasten them with any place in the fiber network and they’ll fulfill all your needs. So I we do hope you will consider fiber patch cables for your home communication needs after reading a lot of advantages and also because I have installed them inside my own home. They’re little expensive but that comes with quality.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

What Exactly Are Fiber Optic Attenuators

A fiber optic attenuator, also called an optical attenuator, simulates losing the could be caused by a long period of fiber. Typically, this device performs receiver testing. While an optical attenuator can simulate the optical loss of an extended period of fiber, it can’t accurately simulate the dispersion that would be caused by a long length of fiber.

Put it simply, for a fiber optic receiver, too much light can overload it and degrade the bit error ratio. In order to achieve the best bit error ratio (BER), the light power should be reduced. Fiber optic attenuators fit the requirement perfectly. This could happen when the transmitter delivers too much power for example once the transmitter is simply too near to the receiver.

How Does a Fiber Attenuator Work?

Attenuators are like your sunglasses, which absorbs the extra light energy and protect your eyes from being dazzled. Attenuators normally have a working wavelength range in which they absorb the sunshine energy equally.

An essential characteristic of a good fiber attenuator is that they should not reflect the light, instead, they should absorb the extra light without being damaged. Because the light power used in fiber optic communications are fairly low, they usually could be absorbed without noticeable damage to the attenuator itself.

Types of Optical Attenuators

Two types of fiber optic attenuators exist: fixed value attenuators and variable optical attenuators.

Fixed value attenuators have fixed values that are specified by decibels. Their applications include telecommunication networks, optical fiber test facility, Lan(LAN) and CATV systems. For instance, a -3dB attenuator should reduce concentration of the output by 3 dB(50%). Fixed value attenuator’s attenuation value can’t be varied. The attenuation is expressed in dB. The operating wavelength for optical attenuators ought to be specified for that rated attenuation, because optical attenuation of a material varies with wavelength. Fixed value attenuators are comprised of two big groups: In-line type and connector type. In-line type appears like an ordinary fiber patch cable; it has a fiber cable terminated with two connectors which you’ll specify types. Connector type attenuator looks like a bulk head fiber connector, it has a male end and a female end. It mates to regular connectors of the identical type for example FC, ST, SC and LC.

Variable optical attenuators come with a variety of designs. They’re general used for testing and measurement, but they also possess a wide usage in EDFAs for equalizing the sunshine power among different channels. One type of variable optical attenuator is made on the D-shaped fiber as a type of evanescent field device. If your bulk external material, whose refractive index is larger compared to mode effective index, replaces a part of the evanescent field reachable cladding, the mode can become leaky plus some from the optical power could be radiated. If the index from the external material could be changed with a controllable mean, with the effects for example thermo-optic, electro-optic, or acoustic-optic, a device with controllable attenuation is achievable.

Other types of variable optical attenuators include air gap, clip-on, 3-step and more.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

Applications of fiber optic cables and fiber patch cords

There many uses for fiber optic cables and fiber patch cords so if you’re in an industry which makes use of fraxel treatments you with thankful to know there are lots of places online where one can visit get these cables at affordable prices. Searching on the internet you’ll find the thing you need and get plenty of cables and accessories that can make simpler and fulfill your primary objective.

Fiber optic cables and fiber optic patch cords represent an evolution of technology allowing people to accomplish stuff that they would not have access to been able to before technology was invented making readily available for a variety of projects. Here’s some useful information on fiber optic cables and fiber optic patch cords as well as their application.

Practical Applications

When it comes to the practical application, fiber optic cables and fiber optic patch cords have many different uses and therefore are reliable in several situations. This is in fact a really versatile technology and many great uses have been devised which have greatly benefited human civilization all over the world. Thanks to fraxel treatments that we are able to continually move ahead like a civilization and individuals.

One of the many applications of this technology is internal illumination during dentistry. This will make it a lot easier for that dentist and it is assistants to obtain the job finished having a greater degree of accuracy as well as in less time. Lots of people have benefited from this with no one can deny how useful this technology has been for dentists all over the world.

Fiber-optic technology has been important for image transfer devices such as in the case of televisions and other similar forms of technology. This has transformed the way people live by providing them with fast and accurate use of information via a very large number of mediums.

Fiber Optic Communications

The arrival of fiber optic communications thanks to fiber optic cables and fiber optic patch cords makes life much easier around the world in several ways. We can’t underestimate the significance of this technology and just how it’s played a job within the ever-increasing growth of civilization and technological progress.

In fact NASA even used fiber optic cables in the camcorders they sent the moon. This unique feat means lots of people to witness this historic event in history and marvel at use of human ingenuity in a practical application.

Telecommunication and Computer Networking

Fiber optic cables and fiber optic patch cords have been essential in the advent of telecommunication and computer networking. Thanks the fact that they are highly flexible and can be bundled as cables it has allowed the technology to advance to the level it’s achieved today and approaches true potential.

It is also useful for saving space in confined areas for example offices. It’s because the truth that they seem to fiber optic cable can carry much more data an electric cable. Because of this factor fiber optic cables have really contributed heavily to internetwork communications and efficient system relays allowing a larger degree of accuracy and efficiency.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

Why we need a Fiber Optic Amplifier

The fiber optic amplifier plays a significant and key role within the enhancing the capacity for a communication system to deliver information. The light signals can be transmitted by the use of optical transmitters, optical receivers and optical fiber.

The optical amplifier is a device amplifying an optical signal directly, without the need to first convert it to an electrical signal. The most popular parameter of gain from it is bandwidth and noise performance. It’s compensation for the wakening of knowledge throughout the transmission, due to fiber optic attenuation. The wavelength and also the power of the input fiber signal are decided through the fans.

Fiber optic amplifier has industry’s highest color resolution and simple amplifier, and sensor setup will lead to enhanced stability for previously difficult detection applications. What is more, it can offer you very high-output powers with diffraction-limited beam quality when utilizing it. Its saturation characteristics have the ability to prevent any intersymbol interference so that it is vital for optical fiber communications. That fiber amplifiers are often operated in the strongly saturated regime enables the highest output power. The amplified spontaneous emission will affect its gain achievable. It’s important to safeguard a high-gain amplifier from the parasitic reflections, for the parasitic laser oscillation or perhaps to fiber will be damaged by these.

Optical amplifiers could be transferred in the forward direction, in the backward direction, or bidirectional. However, its direction from the pump wave won’t modify the small-signal gain, the ability efficiency of the saturated amplifier as well as the noise characteristics. Furthermore, the amplification of a weak signal-impulse in a monocentrics nonlinear medium could be allowed because of it. Along with the advancement of we’ve got the technology, the caliber of it’s been improved greatly that it is well-liked by many companies. Besides, there are all sorts of products on the market so the people might have more opportunities to pick one that’s ideal for their needs.

However, when it comes to choice for the fiber optic amplifier, the best solution is to figure out the best providers that focus on this type of products. Because the components of this kind of products are complex, and you’re simply unfamiliar with the related details about it. The professional providers can use their professional knowledge and lots of years of experiences to provide you with wise advice, which can help you make a right decision. Of course, some providers provides you with certain warranty so that you can take it to their company for repair when it reduces.

CATV EDFA is a type of fiber optic amplifier. It is used to increase the output power of the transmitter and prolong the signal transmission distance. It’s widely requested TV signals, video, telephone, and data long haul transmission. FiberStore provides high output power and low noise EDFA CATV Amplifiers with selection of output power from 14dBm to 27dBm to meet the requirements of a high-density solution for the large-scale distribution of broadband CATV video and knowledge signals to video overlay receivers in a FTTH/FTTP or PON system.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

A new type of Optical Switch using a quantum dot

An optical switch developed at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) spurs the mark integration of photonics and electronics.

What, isn’t electronics adequate? Well, nothing travels faster than light, as well as in your time and effort to hurry in the processing andtransmission of knowledge, the combined use of photons along with electrons is desirable for developing a workable opto-electronic protocol. The JQI switch can steer a beam of light from one direction toanother in only 120 picoseconds, requiring hardly any power, no more than 90 atto joules. At the wavelength used, in the near infrared,this amounts to about 140 photons. This is actually the setup of a waveguide made from a photonic crystal, a great device put into the fiber optic transmission area.

A quantum dot is placed inside a tiny zone free from holes. Light is distributed into and from the waveguide via endcaps. If properly timed, a pump laser pulse allows probe pulse to exit the side. When the probe and pump beams are not aligned, the probe beam will exit the farend of the waveguide. The center piece of most electronic gear is the transistor, a solid-state component where a gate signal is used to a nearby tiny conducting pathway, thus switching on and off the passage of the information signal.

The analogous process in photonics would be a solid-state component which provides a gate, enabling or disabling the passage of light through a nearby waveguide, or as a router,for switching beams in different directions. Within the JQI experiment, prepared and conducted in the University of Maryland and at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) by Edo Waks and his colleagues, an all-optical switch has been created utilizing a quantum dot placed in the resonant cavity. The dot, consisting of a nm-sized sandwich of the elements indium and arsenic, is so tiny that electrons moving inside can emit light at only discrete wavelengths, as though the dot were an atom. The quantum dot sits inside a photonic crystal, a material that has been tired of many tiny holes.

The holes preclude the passage of sunshine with the crystal except for a narrow wavelength range. Actually, the dot sits in the small hole-free arcade which acts just like a resonant cavity. When light travels on the nearby waveguide a lot of it gets into the cavity, where it interacts using the quantum dot. And it is this interaction which could transform the waveguide’s transmission properties. Although 140 photons are needed in the waveguide to create switching action,only about 6 photons actually are required to bring about modulationof the quantum dot, thus throwing the switch.

Previous optical switches happen to be able to work only by utilizing bulky nonlinear-crystals and high input power. The JQI switch, by comparison, achieves high-nonlinear interactions using a single quantum dot and very low power input. Switching required only 90 atto joules of power, some five times less than the very best previous reported device made at labs in Japan, which itself used 100 times less power than other all-optical switches. Japan switch, however, has the advantage of operating at room temperature, as the JQI switch needs a temperature close to 40 K.

Continuing our analogy with electronics: light traveling on the waveguide by means of an information-carrying beam could be switched from one direction to another using the presence of asecond pulse, a control beam. To steer the probe beam the side from the device, the slightly detuned pump beam needs toarrive simultaneously with the probe beam, that is on resonance with the dot. The dot lies just off the middle tabs on the waveguide, inside the cavity. The temperature from the quantum dot is tuned to become resonant using the cavity, leading to strong coupling. If the pump beam doesn’t reach the same time as the probe, the probe beam will exit in another direction.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

What you need to know before you purchase Fiber Optic Attenuators

So why do We Need a Fiber Optic Attenuator?
Bigger is much better, right? Or so many people believe. Beginners in fiber optic technology are often confused with why optic attenuators should reduce light intensity. Aren’t we using amplifiers to improve the signal electricity? The fact is that too much light can overload a fiber optic receiver. Optical fiber attenuators are needed when a transmitter delivers too much light, such as when a transmitter is very close to the receiver.
So how exactly does a Fiber Attenuator Work?
Attenuators usually works by absorbing the sunshine, such as a neutral density thin film filter. Or by scattering the sunshine such as an air gap. They should not reflect the light since that could cause unwanted back reflection within the fiber system. Another type of attenuator utilizes a length of high-loss optical fiber, that operates upon its input optical signal power level in such a way that it is output signal power level is less than the input level. The power reduction are done by such means as absorption, reflection, diffusion, scattering, deflection, diffraction, and dispersion, etc.
What’s the Most Important Feature Should a Fiber Attenuator Have?
The most crucial spec of an attenuator is its attenuation versus wavelength curve. Attenuators should have the same impact on all wavelengths used in the fiber system or at least as flat as possible. For instance, a 3dB attenuator at 1500nm should also lessen the concentration of light at 1550nm by 3dB or as close as possible, this is also true inside a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) system.
Different Types of Attenuators
There are two functional kinds of fiber attenuators: plug style (including bulkhead) and in-line. A plug style attenuator is utilized like a male-female connector where attenuation occurs inside the device, that’s, on the light path from one ferrule to another. Included in this are FC fiber optic attenuator, LC attenuator, SC attenuator, ST attenuator and much more. An in-line attenuator is connected to a transmission fiber by splicing its two pigtails.
The key of operation of attenuators are markedly different simply because they use various phenomena to lower the power of the propagating light. The easiest means would be to bend a fiber. Coil an area cable several times around a pencil while measuring the attenuation with a power meter, then tape this coil. Then you definitely got a primitive but working attenuator.
Most attenuators have fixed values which are specified by decibels (dB). They’re called fiber optic fixed attenuator. For instance, a -3dB attenuator should reduce intensity of the output by 3dB. Manufacturers use various light-absorbing material to attain well-controlled and stable attenuation. For instance, a fiber doped with a transition metal that absorbs light in a predictable way and disperses absorbed energy as a heat.
Variable optical attenuator is also available, but it is usually a precision instrument utilized in making measurements. From FiberStore, you can get the best Variable Attenuators Instrument.
Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

What is Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer

In the fiber optic network which uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) is used to remotely add, block, pass or redirect modulated light emissions-infrared and visible-within a range of wavelengths.

With ROADM devices, signal switching doesn’t need optical-to-electric and electric-to-optical conversions. Instead, outgoing light beams can be generated, incoming beams could be terminated or beams could be passed through the device unmodified. This is achieved through wavelength-selective switch (WSS) components within the device.

A ROADM allows remote configuration and reconfiguration of emissions; bandwidth could be assigned when needed and without interrupting concurrent traffic, and power balancing is automatic. Most ROADM devices use technologies according to first-generation, wavelength blocking (WB) or second generation, planar light-wave circuit (PLC) technology. Whenever a wavelength change is required inside a specific channel, these technologies filter light emissions, extract data and impress data onto another emission. This method is more streamlined using PLC technology.

The different switching technologies in ROADM devices include microelectronic mirrors, live view screen, thermo-optic and beam-steering switches in planar waveguide circuits, and tunable optical filters.

ROADM devices were initially used in long-haul DWDM equipment. By 2005, metropolitan networks began using ROADMs in reaction to increased interest in Ethernet, as well as high-speed data, audio and video services. Within the ensuing years, ROADM devices have brought bandwidth flexibility and operational efficiency to networks. ROADM-based networks are enabling an automated optical layer with dynamic multipoint connectivity, independent wavelength add-drop, remote bandwidth allocation that has been enhanced power management capabilities.

Combined with the benefits of ROADM comes the inevitable need for fiber optic testing that safeguards function and helps to make sure performance. Here are common testing-related challenges to consider in ROADM-based networks.

1. Increases both in insertion loss per node and insertion loss per channel

2. The need to measure optical loss per channel for multiple ROADM configurations

3. The necessity to measure optical signal-to-noise ratios utilizing a precise and repeatable method

4. The impact of possible bandwidth thinning, other changes to bandwidth, and dispersion, that is of particular concern in multiple cascaded devices and 40 Gbit/s systems

5. Compliance using the optical transport network (OTN) standard-ITU-T G.709 standard

Unlike the optical add-drop multiplexer, Capabilities of ROADM test equipment should encompass optical spectrum analysis (OSA), and OTN performance qualifiers for newly commissioned links, along with the transport layer and all ROADM-supported interfaces. Major manufacturers of OSA and related electronic test equipment include, FiberStore, Anritsu, Digital Lightwave, Exfo and JDSU Test.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

Higher Data Throughput From Multimode Fiber Patch Cables

Information available at our fingertips in form of digital data today has swelled up to levels which had never been before. At the same time, real time communication has exponentially increased to extremely high levels. A whole class of applications have emerged that demand for transmission of high-speed data.

Necessity may be the mother of invention – optical fiber networks have been invented and deployed to solve the problem of high volume data exchange. And multimode fiber patch cables have grown to be the very first choice one of the different connectors of the wired carriers with endpoint devices.

What are the speed-hungry and volume-hungry data centric applications that have created this entire demand? Some examples of those applications are the Internet, the local area multi-computer networks, the phone networks and the ATM networks. There are many more applications with intense hunger for fast communication resources. For those practical purposes, these communication channels need a high-speed network that can carry enormous volumes of data with minimal attenuation and extreme accuracy. The modern fiber optic cable technology provides exactly this sort of communication.

The multimode patch cables are used to connect this data transmitted over the network towards the devices that they target to cater. These patches may also be used to connect the two loose ends of two fiber optic cables. The patch cables have to be multimode when the requirement is to support multimode optical fibers.

What is a multimode cable poor fiber optics? A multimode is one in which multiple packets of data can be simultaneously carried across the wire. The result is that the network can carry numerous data packets at a instant of time. The multimode mainline network cables are usually short long since the target with these cables is to support high speed and high power multiuser systems in a localized sense. The patches are compatible with the network cables to enable the machine remain aligned with the network objectives. Consequently the multimode patches support multiple user applications transferring data simultaneously, as well as retain the qualities of standard single mode patches like the high network speed, low network hindrances and occasional external interferences.

It’s also interesting to note that the end point devices these patch cables connect can be heterogeneous in nature. The aperture the end point device requires and types of applications supported may be diverse. There exist several different kinds of multimode fiber patch cables you can use based upon the requirements. And depending upon the exact reason why you have to install the patch on your fiber optic network, you shall need to select your patch and go ahead with the required installation.

Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/

Fiber Optic Transmission

Optical fiber may be the medium of choice for high capacity digital transmission systems and speed local area network. Besides these applications, optical fiber is also used to transmit microwave signals for cable tv, cellular radio, WLAN and microwave antenna remoting. To deliver microwave over optical fiber, the microwave signal is converted into optical form in the input from the fiber and at the creation of the fiber, it’s converted back to electrical signal. The benefit of fiber transmission of microwave is reduced losses in accordance with metallic media (e.g. copper coaxial cable). This leads to longer transmission distance without signal amplification or utilization of repeaters.

There are two approaches to optical signal modulation and recovery. The very first type is IMDD (Intensity Modulation Direct Detection) and also the second type is Coherent Detection. In IMDD, the optical source intensity is modulated through the microwave signal and also the resulting intensity modulated signal passes through the optical fiber to a photodiode where the modulation microwave signal is converted to electrical domain. In Coherent Detection, the optical source is modulated in intensity, frequency or phase by the microwave signal. The modulated signal goes through the optical fiber towards the receiver where it is mixed with the creation of a local oscillator (LO) laser. The combined signal is converted to electrical domain using a photodiode. This produces an electric signal dedicated to the main difference frequency between the optical source and the LO laser (i.e. intermediate frequency). This signal is further processed to recuperate the analog microwave signal.

RFoG (Radio Frequency over Glass) is the cable operators’ implementation of microwave transmission over optical fiber where the coax portion of the HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) is substituted with a single fiber, passive optical network architecture (PON). RFoG allows cable operators to deploy fiber connectivity to customer premises (FTTP) while keeping its existing HFC and DOCSIS infrastructure. Such as the HFC architecture, video controllers and knowledge networking services are fed through a CMTS/edge router.

These electrical signals are then converted to optical and transported via a 1550 nm wavelength via a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) and a passive optical splitter to a R-ONU (RFoG Optical Network Unit) located at the customer premises. R-ONUs terminate the fiber connection and convert the traffic to RF for delivery over the in-home network. Video traffic could be fed over coax to a set-top box, while voice and knowledge traffic could be delivered to an embedded multimedia terminal adapter (eMTA), The return path for voice, data, and video visitors are on the 1310 nm or 1590 nm wavelength to some return path receiver, which converts the optical signal to RF and feeds it back into the CMTS and video controller.

The benefit of radio-over-fiber technologies are that it centralizes the majority of the transceiver functionality by transmitting the microwave signals within their modulated format over fiber. This reduces the number of access suggests antennas with amplifiers and frequency converters. In-building passive picocell for GSM or UMTS is implemented using radio-over-fiber. Wireless base stations are located in a central communications room as well as their outputs/inputs fed through RF multiplexers to lasers/photodiodes contained within the optical transceiver hub. The modulated optical signals are linked to/from the remote antenna units (AUs) within the building using single-mode optical fiber. The bottom station utilizes a combined detector/optical modulator, that is directly coupled to the antenna, to ensure that no electrical amplification or any other processing is needed.

Development and Application of Plastic Optical Fiber

The plastic optical fiber (POF) constituts that the optical fiber core and cladding are made of plastic material. Compared with large core diameter 50/125um and 62.5/125um quartz glass multimode fiber, plastic optical fiber core diameter is up to 200-1000um, while continuing to use without the optical fiber positioning sleeve cheap injection-molded plastic connector, even The fiber splice SMIC alignment generated the 30um deviation does not affect the coupling loss. It is plastic optical fiber structure gives the quick construction, connecting and low cost. In addition, the core diameter of 100um or larger and it is possible to eliminate noise in the the mold presence of the multimode fiber of quartz glass.
In recent years, Europe and Japan and other countries made important progress in the development of POF fiber. The development of plastic optical fiber, optical loss rate has dropped from 25 to 9 dB/km. Its wavelength has been extended to 870 microns (near infrared light), close to the practical level of the quartz glass fiber. United States developed a the PFX plastic series fiber has excellent anti-radiation performance. In addition, Boston, Massachusetts, fiber developed the Opti-Giga plastic optical fiber is compelling, it is not only lighter than glass, flexible better, lower cost, and data transmission speed of 3 megabits per second in the 100 meters . Such a fiber can also use the refraction of light or optical fibers within the jump way to achieve a higher transmission speed. Now the United States and Europe has plastic optical fiber used for short-distance transmission, such as automotive, medical equipment, copiers.
Japan attaches great importance to the application of plastic optical fiber, several years ago, NEC, Fujitsu, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Inc. 45 optical communications, multimedia products manufacturers jointly announced, will work together to achieve the plastic optical fiber have been successfully developed in Japan practical use. Plastic optical fiber production, Japan is also the worlds largest producers of plastic optical fiber, however, in Europe to promote the development of new applications of plastic optical fiber and fiber inspection standards. The second half of 2001, the European plastic optical fiber industrial development stage, this time to establish a new approach to development of the European plastic optical fiber test and measurement. The worlds first dedicated Plastic Optical Fiber Application Center (POFAC) in Nuremberg, Germany completed. Germany using plastic optical fiber has been developed multimedia bus system MOST (24Mbit/s), and several car manufacturers, the system has been incorporated into their products. BMW has created a record 100m plastic optical fiber in the new 7 series. Europe 2001 plastic fiber Symposium and European Fiber Communication Conference held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. German automotive industry not only to promote the application of plastic optical fiber, but also contributed to the establishment of the plastic optical fiber test and measurement standards.
Japan has also established a plastic optical fiber standards, but these standards to the European Community is invalid. Japanese Industrial Standards is given only for the standard of a new type of plastic optical fiber, a numerical aperture of 0.5, and only the 650nm wavelength. The standard does not mention the different excitation light conditions in the plastic optical fiber, there is no provision must be formed in the plastic optical fiber equilibrium mode distribution.
Plastic optical fiber, compared with the glass fiber, although the light-transmitting differential, light loss is large, the initial ships of 300 dB/km, the transmission optical narrow band (limited to the visible region), is that it is difficult to adapt to the needs of the multimedia communication network, but it has light and soft, flexural, impact strength, cheap, anti-radiation, easy to process and can be made (1 to 3 mm in diameter, in order to increase the light-angle, expand the scope of) a series of advantages, so favored. In addition, the light passes through the central portion of the plastic optical fiber diameter of about 1 mm, about 100 times larger than the glass fiber, and the connection between the fiber connection and personal computer terminal apparatus is very easy. Plastic optical fiber installation costs low, very simple installation can align the connector plug, this plug can be used existing technology to produce.
The plastic optical fiber as the ideal short-range communication network transmission medium, in the future family of intelligent, office automation, industrial control network. Car airborne communications network, has an important position in military communication network and multimedia equipment in the data transmission.
Using plastic optical fibers, we can realize the smart appliances (home PC, HDTV, phone, digital imaging equipment, home security equipment, air conditioning, refrigerator, sound system, kitchen appliances, etc.) networking, to reach home automation and remote control and management, improve quality of life; through plastic optical fiber, we can achieve office equipment, networking, computer networking can achieve parallel processing computer, high-speed transmission of data between office equipment can greatly improve the work efficiency, remote office?
Low-speed LAN 100Mbps data rate is less than the transmission within 100 meters of with SI index plastic optical fiber to achieve; within 150Mbps50 meters transmission used a small numerical aperture of POF achieve.
POF cable is available a wide range of applications in the manufacturing industry. Converter, POF connector with RS232, RS422, 100Mbps Ethernet, Token Ring and other standard protocols, resulting in harsh industrial manufacturing environments to provide a stable, reliable communication lines. Capable of high-speed transmission of industrial control signals and instructions, to avoid electromagnetic interference by using a metal cable lines lead to the risk of interruption of communication transmission.
With the development of science and technology, more and more fields of application of plastic optical fiber, the development of the market will be more and more broad. Abroad on the application and development of plastic optical fiber has been achieved greater results, and continue to increase applied research investment, South Korea, China and Taiwan manufacturers have begun to develop production, the industry should be on the plastic optical fiber of research and development to be closely watched.
Source: http://www.fiberstore.com/