Need to perform fiber optic testing? Read this!

Fiber optics have revolutionized our ways of life in a manner, no one thought possible until just a few years ago. Deep seeded in the mainframe of every major business franchise and educational institute’s network, these tiny flexible grass fibers have increased the speed of data transfer manifold in comparison to the old school modem cables and other modes of data transfer. This is because of the astronomical level of bandwidth offered by fiber optics.

Quality check and continuation of smooth and efficient functionality is the key to the fruition of this revolutionary product. There are many components used for the same. If you are a trained professional, you can carry on with the testing. Just make sure you have the right equipment and skill set for the job along with a decent understanding of how to go about it.

Apart from that, there also the option of hiring a trained team of professionals for the task!

Your choice of equipment for Fiber Optic testing depends on what you require to perform.

An Optical Fiber identifier is used while installation and maintenance to find the strength of the signal that is being transmitted.

An Optical power meter is used to evaluate on the intensity of light of the signal and also to calculate the energy loss in transmission.

A VFL or a Visual fault locator is used to check the continuity of the optics by finding breaks, bad connectors and other such faults and also to cross check polarity flashing modes and polarity.

A LTS or a Loss Test Set is used for gradually decreasing the intensity and power throughput measurements.

There are other components of a fiber optics tool kit such as power meters, coupling meters etc.

Read the Manuel guide cautiously before continuing with the actual testing. See to it that each unit is working properly to avoid any accidents and mishaps. DO NOT perform the testing yourself until and unless you are fully trained to do so.

Apart from the testing of fiber optics, their cleaning is also important and plays a vital role in the longevity and efficiency of the product. For this there is a wide range of tools available. The two basic types of fiber optic cleaning processes are:

Dry Method- By using the dry method of cleaning fiber optics, Impurities and moisture is removed from the ends of the cable by using compressed air.

Wet Method- By using the wet method of cleaning fiber optics, stains of water, oil or any such commodity are removed from the tips of the fiber cables by the use of different kind of solvents.

Our choice of tools used for Fiber optics testing will greatly affect the longevity and smooth functioning of your fiber optics network.

Ensure smooth functioning of fibers with cleaning

The communication industry has been seen the revolutionary change with the invention of today’s fast communication medium, optical fibers. Due to its high-speed data transfers, many institutions, school campuses, universities, government or private sectors use this fast channel as a backbone of their communication networks.

Fiber optic cables are a group or bundle of thread like structures made of flexible glass or plastic. Light signals are used as a carrier to transfer data from source location to destination location without any loss. That means light signals must be travel in a straight line for secure data delivery.

But the downside of optical fibres is that easily get contaminated with dirt particles, oils from hands, spotting after wet cleaning. As a result, chips, scratches, pits will occur on the surface of the cable. These deposits not only create obstacles in the direct motion of data signals but, gradually, decrease the performance of the network. If these issues are not resolved timely, such contaminations can halt the entire network.

In order to meet the advantages of fiber cables, like fast data transfers, stronger light signals over remote communications, secure data transfers etc., appropriate cleaning techniques need to be executed. Although there is a never-ending list of advantages of fibre cables, yet an essential factor that holds an importance is inspection and cleaning of optical fibres.

Cleaning of fiber optic is essential to maintain the smooth functioning of the medium and is carried out to remove the dust or other deposits over the connecting surfaces of the connectors and cables.

The cleaning of fiber cables actually involves the cleaning of end-face of the connectors called ferrule. It is a ring or cap like element attached to the connector that creates a connection, between optical fibre and another cable or transmitter or receiver, and keeps the fiber properly aligned. A single dust particle on the ferrule can be a cause of uncover-able loss.

Several cleaning methods are executed to ensure the dust free surfaces of fiber cables and connectors. To carry out the successful cleaning process, wipes, swabs, alcohol, and laser techniques are used.

Depending upon the type and the shape of the connecting device, professionals make use of the right cleaning tool. For example, on the wide open surfaces the use of dry or wet wipes is advisable. On the other hand, the areas that are difficult to access directly, the use of cleaning swabs (thin sticks of metal or plastic having cotton enrolled on its one end) will give you with wonderful cleaning results. Most importantly, follow cleaning instructions properly to get the desired results.

Finally, cleaning of fiber optic on regular time intervals ensure that your network performance will be flawless and give your business with good productivity results.

What is general inspection and cleaning procedure for fiber optic cables?

Cleaning of fiber cables is essentially important in order to remove the contaminations like oil and dust particle. If not done so, it can decrease the performance of network area.

Series of tools that are required to carry this process includes alcohol, dusters, swabs and wipes. Toughest contaminations can be removed easily via the help of these tools. Furthermore, this document would provide you information regarding inspection and cleaning procedure of fiber optic cables.

Let’s first have a look at the steps of general cleaning process:

Inspect the cables: In order to start off with the procedure, inspection is foremost thing to do. Therefore, cables, connector, component or bulkhead are inspected properly with the help of fiber microscope. With the use of microscope, technician would be able to clearly identify the accumulated dust particles on various parts of the fiber.

Initial cleaning process with dry technique: After inspecting the dust, first cleaning process starts which comprise of dry technique. In this process, dry cleaning equipments are used like swabs, air containers, and air sprays etc.

Second time inspection: After the completion of the first scrubbing process, technician needs to again check the fiber. If contamination is still present, he needs to further perform second scrubbing process technique.

Scrubbing process with wet cleaning technique: The fiber and connectors which are still dirty and are not cleaned via dry process, they are needed to go under wet scrubbing technique. In this method, wet cleaning equipments would be used which comprise of alcohol, lint fibers and wipes etc.

Inspection of connector again: Once the wet procedure is also completed, the connector and fiber inspection process would again be carried in order to check, if there is any dust left. If yes, then again follow the process of cleaning fiber optic, until its end-face is not cleaned. In case, if it is left undone, it would cause problem and the loss would eventually become bigger & signal would become worse.

Having discussed the above steps of fiber optic cleaning procedure, it’s quite clear that to make the fiber contamination free, it’s vital to follow all these steps in systematically form. Furthermore, both the dry and wet technique is must, so as to make the fiber cables and network contamination free.

In regard to this, a technician must make sure that he is carrying reliable source of equipment with him. This is because good equipment contributes in optimal cleaning process and provides satisfactory results. For this one must contact reliable suppliers who are trustworthy to give guaranteed equipment to their clients.

In order to alter fiber link failure due to contamination of dust and oil; make use of reliable cleaning fiber optic equipment.

Functions and parts of fiber optic multimeter

Optical fibers are the core of almost all fast paced communication networks. These cables are the thin threads of glass or plastic bundles together in a cable. Fiber cables works on the principle of light. Instead of current, this guided transmission media rely on light beams that travel straight to carry data from one location to another at extremely high speed.

Threats to the speed of these high-speed optical fibers are contaminations like dirt particles, oils from hands, spotting, and damages like chips, spotting, scratches etc., that if not paid timely attention can halt or effect the entire network.

To ensure the interruption-free communications and avoid the situations like signal or light loss, periodic testing procedures need to be implemented. To execute testing on fiber cables different types of testing equipments are used that help finding the locations of faults, and the types of issues that let testing professionals to use appropriate algorithms to six those problems.

Multimeter is one among the types of fiber optic testing equipment available at fiberqa. Lets’ have a brief understanding about its parts and functionality:

Fiber optic multimeter is a handheld device that incorporates different tools of electronic testing and measurement into it. Both an optical light source and power meter are combined into this unit that helps to perform closed-loop testing on optical fibers. Each of these modules can also work individually. Technically, they are designed to perform variety of tests with just a single unit. This testing device is widely used in CATV, telecommunications, and to perform lab testing on fiber cables etc.

Key features of fiber optic multimeter are:

Multi-wavelength signal measurement

Variety of configurations settings

Stable light source

Power meter

Auto power off for long battery life

BASIC PARTS OF MULTIMETER:

Display: Multimeter is designed with a monochrome LCD digital screen to display the results of testing in numerical form with two or three decimal places. The device also has an icon to configure different types of settings (for examples Omega symbol for resistance). Sophisticated models of this device are designed with an oscilloscope function that display results both in numerical as well as graphical form.

Controls: Multimeter has various control points that allow users to select the settings for measurement such as voltage, resistance etc. Buttons and switches are also mounted on it for selecting range of values.

Probes: Probes are the metal needles that are touches to tracks, components, and wires on a printed circuit board that helps to take readings. They are designed with two colors: red for positive and black for negative.

Power source: For a hand held fiber optic multimeter, power source is typically a battery.

Fiber optic testing equipment plays a vital role to ensure the smooth functioning of wide range of communication networks.

Steps covered during troubleshooting of the fiber cables!

Be it mode, router, television or any other electronic device; fiber optic cables are used for receiving and transmitting of data from one end to another. So, in order to have proper data transmission fiber optic testing is must to be performed.

Things that are checked during the troubleshooting of fiber cable:

Inspect the bends in the cable. The longer the cable, the chances of bends is high, which would be obstructing the data transmission. If there are any unnecessary bends then gently straighten them.

Fiber optic cables should be left slacked because excess tension on the cables would not work properly. Instead, if there are cables that are pulled tightly, they should be slackened immediately.

Remove the objects that are resting over the cables as pressure would be hampering the flow of data.

Notice, if there is any splints, tears, rips in the cables. And if yes, then replace them with the new cables.

Short cables should be preferred over long ones. Therefore, devices should be placed closer via using shorten fiber optic cables.

Check whether the cable is dead or not via inserting the laser pointer into the connector. If no light shines then the cable is said to be dead and needs to be replaced.

Following are the fiber optic testing equipment tools offered by fiberqa.com that are requisite to carry for the process of testing:

Source and power meter

Optical loss test set

Reference test cables

Fiber optic cleaning material

Fiber optic light source

Visual fault locater

ODTR (optical time domain reflectometer) testers

With the help of aforementioned testing equipment following are the steps covered during troubleshooting of the cable:

Locate the point of cable to a device: Be it a modem, router, television or any other device, a technician first of all needs to locate the point of the cables at which they are connected with the devices.

Check connection: After locating the point, one needs to see whether they are tightly secured in the device. If not, then it should be firmly secured to the electronic device.

Inspection of dust: Wits time, dust get accumulated on the cables and connectors. Therefore, they are needed to be cleaned regularly in order to have smooth flow of data via the cleaning materials like spray or compressed canned air.

Inspection of optical loss testing: Likewise dust particles are inspected in the cables, it’s vital to inspect optical loss testing in the cables (difference of amount of light being transferred and the amount of light being emitted from the other end of the cable). This process is carried on via reference cables, power meter, fault locator etc.

Although to carry the process of troubleshooting of fiber cables efficiently there are few things to keep in mind which are referred as tips and warnings:

Avoid placing the cables in the areas of high traffic, as footsteps and rolling chairs would damage the fibers

Do not bend or twist the cables

Never tough the open-ended cables or connectors with uncovered fingers

To perform visual, connector checking, loss testing and network testing, fiber optic testing equipment is must to purchase.

Fiber Optic Testing and associated important facts!

Fiber optics cables serve as backbone in almost every field like school, college, university, MNC’s and telecommunication industry. These cables comprise of transparent delicate fibers which are thin like hair and play a vital role in transmitting of data from one end to another.

Regardless of the distance because of fiber cables only, fast and reliable data communication is possible. It is because of the prominent fact that conventional media of communication has been replaced.

Although, a crucial step for efficient workflow of fiber cables it is must to follow fiber optic testing. During this process, quality standards, performance and working of fiber cables is evaluated. Via this way defaults are easily checked in the cable which helps in taking preventive measures beforehand.

Components that are tested under it are connectors, detectors, receivers, splices, LED etc. In order to check cable there is special fiber optic testing equipment that is used for testing purpose. Depending on the type of components that are needed to be checked, testing equipment also vary. Moreover it’s important to make sure that one is using right testing equipment such as fault locator, power meter, coupling adapter, cleaning wipes, optical loss testing set, alcohol for cleaning.

Following are few things that are needed to keep in mind, before performing it:

Foremost thing which is must to assured is that you have sufficient knowledge about how to perform testing. Especially, when you are not experienced in performing such activity, you can end up making mistakes and cause additional losses to the cabling.

Use of tools is important to be known in order to perform right method of testing. For example, use of cleaning materials like pure alcohol without judging where the fault is, can lead to damaging of cables.

Needs to read all the instructions carefully, so as to perform testing efficiently.

Before starting with the testing procedure make sure that tools are working properly. In regard to this you need to buy tested equipment from a reliable manufacturer, who is known for delivering best quality tools to its clients.

If you aren’t aware of equipment working then you need to consult professional of fiber optic testing company. They would not just determine the faults but solve it right away to avoid the loss occurring to the company, due to its failure.

A proper understanding of network layout is required so as find faults easily. Troubleshooting cannot be performed by the time one is not aware of the network.

Alongside testing, inspection is also carries out to ensure there is no loss of light in the fiber cable. This helps in detecting damage and contamination that result in loss of signal.

Before starting with the testing procedure make sure fiber optic testing equipment are fully bench tested by the manufacturer company.

Various phases of fiber optic cleaning process

Fiber optic cables require routine inspection and cleaning. This task needs to be performed in order to ensure that they meet the higher standards of performance. While few of the cables only needs basic tools for inspection and cleaning, there are other sorts of cables that require special type of equipment for the same.

There are four phases of the cleaning process:

1st Phase: Cleaning using fiber optic products

There are different types of fiber optic cleaning products that are available for the job, which if used properly, ensure that cables and other connecting devices are free from contaminations like dust particles, oil, spotting and damages like scratches, chips, or anything else for that matter, which frequently deposits on the cable’s surface due to its regular use. Here are few of the popular products used for cleaning:

Wipes: Both dry and wet wipes are used to loosen the dust particles, to remove the oil residuals and evaporative water spotting. There are some precautions (like follow single circular and straight wiping motion instead of back and forth wiping) that must be taken during cleaning with wipes in order to protect the cable surface from scratches, pitting and chips.

Alcohol: Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used to dissolve oil deposits and loosen dirt contaminations. Some amount of this cleaning solvent is applied on wipes through sprays and ultrasonic cleaning.

Air: Air cleaning involves the use of compressed air canes with narrow nozzle extension to blow away the deposited contaminations. Air cleaning method is sometimes used after drying when lint-fibers have any problem.

Ultrasonic: It is the commonly used cleaning method in manufacturing environments. This type of fiber optic cleaning approach uses laser device for removing lint fibers, dirt, and oil contaminations, without touching fibers or connectors.

2nd Phase: Drying

In this phase, open air dry, wipes and pressurized air dry techniques are implemented, as the final operation in the cleaning process, to dry the component surface.

3rd Phase: Inspection

Conducting fiber optic inspection is vital to find and locate the areas of faults on the cable surface. To do this task, various inspection tools such as hand scopes, video scopes, and microscopes are used before and after cleaning.

Before getting started with the cleaning task, it is important to carry out inspection before, so that you can employ appropriate cleaning and troubleshooting procedures.

4th Phase: Re-polishing

Re-polishing is done when chips, scratches, or burns are detected, due to mishandling or inadequate cleaning motions, on the end-face of the fiber connector. Re-polishing is most often required in areas where mating and de-mating of connecting devices is frequent.