![]() ![]() These microscopes also offer higher magnification, 100X to 400X, for closer inspection of polished ferrule ends. Microscopes designed specifically for fiber optics inspection have more precise connector adapters and usually include filters to protect the user from infrared light that might be present in communications systems. Portable optical microscope used for connector inspection Very inexpensive microscopes included in termination kits are usually modified 100X plastic microscopes intended for science student lab use with an adapter for fiber optic connector ferrules, primarily 2.5 or 1.25 mm. Optical image of connector ferrule end showing dirt and scratches Visual inspection is accomplished using a microscope that has a fixture to hold the fiber or connector steady in the field of view and a light source to illuminate the connector. ![]() In the field, connectors need inspection for cleanliness and damage before testing or connection to another connector or transceiver. Polished connector ferrules require visual inspection during manufacturing to evaluate polishing and find possible defects during the connector termination process. There are two major uses for visual inspection of fiber optic connectors. Optical Inspection Of Connectors with Microscopes When you take them off, clean and inspect the connector to ensure its is clean. It is not advisable to clean a connector, put on a protective cap and assume the connector will stay clean. These plastic caps for ferrules or connector bodies should be called "protective caps" because they do protect connectors from damage, for example when dropped, or from additional contamination from touching objects or people's skin. At every step along the process they are exposed to environmental dust and contamination. They have mold release on them that can attract and hold dirt. Dust caps are molded by the millions, dumped into buckets by the molding machine, packaged and shipped to connector manufacturers in large quantities. Sequence shows transfer from dirty connector (bottom) to clean (top) and damage from dirt due to mating (last photos) Photos from Sticklers.Īnd then there is the issue of "dust caps." Within the fiber optic industry, some say that the are called dust caps because they may be filled with dust. Uncleaned or improperly cleaned connectors can transfer their dirt and contamination to another when mated as this series of photos shows. Some cleaning processes may cause problems if done incorrectly adding a film to the end of the ferrule or causing static electricity that attracts more dirt. Much of the dirt is silica-based and hard enough to scratch the fiber if sandwiched between two spring-loaded ferrules. Typical environmental dirt is relatively large compared to the size of the core of a singlemode fiber. ![]() It probably added more contamination to the connector than it removed. The shirt was neither clean or lint free. While his intentions were good, his method, at least with our current knowledge, was not. Every connector needed cleaning, he explained, and he demonstrated how he did it by wiping it on his shirt several times with a circular motion like this. One of the first visits we made to a fiber optic network user's facilities to demonstrate test equipment, we watched as a technician explained that fiber was so small that it was very sensitive to dirt on the connector. Network operators claim that 15-50% of all network problems can be traced to dirty connectors causing connection problems. The FOA Reference For Fiber Optics - Inspection And Cleaning Of Fiber Optic Connectorsĭirty connectors are one of the major problems in fiber optics, causing high connector loss, high reflectance and contaminating transceivers. ![]()
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