Introduction of Armored Fiber Patch Cable Overview

Introduction of Armored Fiber Patch Cable Overview

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Fiber optic jumper cables, as one of the most common component in fiber optic networks, are a transmission medium used to transmit data via light. There are many types of fiber optic jumper cables. For example, by fiber optic cable types, there are single mode patch cable and multimode patch cord; by optical connector, there are ST ST fiber patch cable, LC SC fiber patch cable, and so on; and by fiber optic cable jacket, there are PVC and LSZH fiber patch cords. And you can even order custom fiber patch cables with custom lengths and colors. In this post, a type of fiber patch cord, armored fiber patch cable, will be introduced.
Structure
The outer sleeve of armored fiber patch cable is usually made of plastics, like polyethylene, to protect it against solvents and abrasions. The layer between sleeve and inner jacket is an armored layer made of materials that are quite difficult to cut, chew and burn. Besides, this kind of material is able to prevent armored fiber patch cable from being stretched during cable installation. Ripcords are usually provided directly under the armored and the inner sleeve to aid in stripping the layer for splicing the cable to connectors or terminators. And the inner jacket is a protective and flame retardant material to support the inner fiber cable bundle. The inner fiber cable bundle often includes structures to support the fibers inside, like fillers and strength members. Among them, there is usually a central strength member to support the whole fiber cable.
Armored Fiber Cable
Features
Armored fiber patch cable, as a member of fiber optic jumper cables family, it retains all the features of standard fiber patch cables. Compared with those common patch cables, armored fiber patch cables are much stronger and tougher. For example, once stepped by an adult, standard patch cables may get damaged easily and fail to work normally. But armored fiber patch cables can withstand the pressure and perform well. Armored fiber patch cables are rodent-resistant, which means that you don’t need to worry about rats biting the cables.
Basically, armored fiber patch cables offer benefits and features of traditional fiber patch cables, but they are with the production and durability of armor. Armored fiber patch cables allow high flexibility without causing damage, which proves to be helpful especially in limited space. Moreover, armored fiber patch cables offer an ideal option for harsh environments without adding extra protection. Apparently, they provide an efficient solution for many fiber cable problems such as twist, pressure and rodent damage.
Types
There are mainly two types of armored fiber patch cable, indoor armored fiber patch cable and outdoor armored fiber patch cable.
Indoor armored fiber patch cable is used for indoor applications. It consists of tight-buffered or loose-buffered optical fibers, strength members and an inner jacket. The inner jacket is commonly surrounded by a spirally wrapped interlocking metal tap armor. As the fiber optic communication technology develops rapidly with the trend of FTTX, there is a fast growing demand for installing indoor fiber optic cables between and inside buildings. Indoor fiber patch cable experiences less temperature and mechanical stress. Besides, it can retard fire effectively, which means it only emits a low level of smoke in the face of fire.
Outdoor armored fiber patch cable is designed to ensure operation safety of the fiber in complicated outdoor environments. Most outdoor armored fiber patch cables are loose buffer design, with the strength member in the middle of the whole cable, loose tubes surrounding the central strength member. Inside the loose tube there are waterproof gels filled, the whole cable materials and gels inside the cable between different components (not only inside the loose tube) help make the whole cable resist water. The combination of the outer jacket and the armor protects the fibers from gnawing animals and damages that occur during direct burial installations.
Applications
Armored fiber patch cable is generally adopted in direct buried outside plant applications where a rugged cable is needed for rodent resistance. It has metal armor between two jackets to prevent from rodent penetration. Armored fiber patch cables can withstand crush loads well. Another application of armored fiber patch cable is in data centers, in which cables are installed under the floor where it can be easily crushed. Single or double armored fiber patch cable is typically used underwater near shores and shoals. And armored fiber patch cords are also used in customer premises, central offices and in indoor harsh environments. They can provide flexible interconnection to active equipment, passive optical devices and cross-connects.
Conclusion
In summary, when transmitting data or conducting power in harsh environments, protecting your cables is crucial to safe and reliable operation. This is where armored fiber patch cables come into play. Armored fiber patch cables are used in applications where cables will be exposed to mechanical or environmental damage under normal operating conditions.

Guide to SFP Transceiver Communication Standards

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Over the years of SFP transceiver communication existence, there have been numerous different standards introduced. The great thing about SFP transceivers in networking hardware is that they allow a single piece of equipment, such as a switch, to support different wiring and transmission formats. The problem comes when trying to figure out which of the many transceiver types out there you need. There are several different types of SFP transceivers capable of supporting a multitude of communication standards, such as: CWDM/DWDM, SONET, Fibre Channel, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet.
CWDM/DWDM SFP Transceivers
WDM, or wavelength-division multiplexing, is a type of technology that allows a transceiver to have different wavelengths assigned to it.Coarse wavelength-division multiplexing (CWDM) SFP transceivers are capable of transmitting data at eight different wavelengths ranging from 1470nm to 1610nm. CDWM SFP transceivers are color coded, to help identify which wavelength is mapped to the transceiver.Dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) SFP transceivers are available in 32 different wavelengths, and offer high-capacity bandwidth for serial optical data communications. DWDM SFP transceivers are slightly more expensive than CWDM SFP transceivers, but the more densely spaced channels allow for a greater number of wavelengths to travel over a single fiber.Both CWDM and DWDM SFP transceivers can be used to transmit data over Gigabit Ethernet, SONET and Fibre Channel.
SONET SFP Transceivers
Synchronous optical networking (SONET) technology enables the transmission of a large volume of data over long distances. SONET can be used to transmit multiple streams of data simultaneously over fiber optic mediums using laser beams and LEDs.SFP transceivers are built to transmit data over SONET at varying rates (OC-3, OC-12 and OC-48) and with different reaches (short-reach, intermediate-reach, and long-reach). SONET SFP transceivers are able to transmit data over both singlemode and multimode fiber.
Fibre Channel SFP Transceivers
Fibre Channel is a protocol which is used primarily in “Storage Area Networks”. It comes in different speeds like 1xFC, 2xFC, 4xFC, 8xFC and 16xFC. Fibre Channel was developed as a lossless protocol in a time when switches were less reliable than they are today. When using Ethernet as a protocol, frames were dropped, which created a problem for applications like data traffic. With the advent of greater technology, switches are now much more reliable; however, Fibre Channel still holds a small advantage over Ethernet when it comes to consistency and latency.Fibre Channel SFP transceivers are modules comonly used in storage area networks (SAN) and are available in 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 16 and 20Gbps data transmission rates. Fibre Channel SFP transceivers can be used in both singlemode and multimode fiber applications.
Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet
Fast Ethernet is slowly being replaced with Gigabit Ethernet. Fast Ethernet SFP transceivers were originally designed to transmit data at 10Mbps, and eventually reached transmission speeds of 100Mbps (100Base). 100Base rate Fast Ethernet transceivers are available in the following interface types: FX, SX, BX and LX10.With the development of Gigabit Ethernet, SFP transceiver transmission rates increased to 1000Mbps (1000Base). 1000Base rate Gigabit Ethernet SFP transceivers are available in the following interface types: T, SX, LX, LX10, BX10, and the non-standard EX and ZX.
fiber-mart.com is sure to have the right SFP transceiver for your network! We carry a full line of both name-brand and affordable 100% compatible transceivers of every type your business could possibly need. Contact us today for a free consultation on which standards meet your business needs, or to discuss fiber connectivity network solutions that will best support your future business plans.

The Basics of 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ Transceiver

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40GBASE QSFP+ (quad small form factor pluggable) portfolio offers customers a wide variety of high-density and low-power 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for data center, high-performance computing networks, enterprise core and distribution layers, etc. And each kind of 40GBASE QSFP+ transceiver has its special applications. 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver is a common 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity option. Here is some basic information about 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver.
Introduction
40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ module supports link lengths of up to 10 kilometers over a standard pair of G.652 single-mode fiber with duplex LC connectors. The 40 Gigabit Ethernet signal is carried over four wavelengths. Multiplexing and demultiplexing of the four wavelengths are managed within the device. The letter “L” stands for long, the “R” denotes the type of interface with 64B/66B encoding and the numeral 4 indicates numeral 4 indicates that the transmission is carried out over a ribbon fiber with four singlemode fibers in every direction. Each lane has a 10 Gbit/s data rate. 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver modules are compliant with the QSFP+ MSA and IEEE 802.3ba 40GBASE-LR4. The picture below shows a Mellanox MC2210511-LR4 compatible 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver.
Two Types of 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ Transceiver
There are mainly two of 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceivers, 40GBASE-LR4 CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing) QSFP+ transceiver and 40GBASE-LR4 PSM (parallel single-mode fiber) QSFP+ transceiver. This part mainly talks about these two 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver types.
40GBASE-LR4 CWDM QSFP+ transceiver, such as QSFP-40GE-LR4, contains a duplex LC connector for the optical interface. It can support transmission distance of up to 10km. A 40GBASE-LR4 CWDM QSFP+ transceiver converts 4 inputs channels of 10G electrical data to 4 CWDM optical signals by a driven 4-wavelength distributed feedback (DFB) laser array, and multiplexes them into a single channel for 40G optical transmission. Then the receiver module accepts the 40G CWDM optical signals input, and demultiplexes it into 4 individual 10G channels with different wavelengths.
40GBASE-LR4 PSM QSFP+ transceiver is a parallel single-mode optical transceiver with an MTP/MPO fiber ribbon connector. It also offers 4 independent transmit and receive channels, each capable of 10G operation for an aggregate data rate of 40G. The transmitter module accepts electrical input signals compatible with common mode logic (CML) levels. All input data signals are differential and internally terminated. The receiver module converts parallel optical input signals via a photo detector array into parallel electrical output signals. The receiver module outputs electrical signals are also voltage compatible with CML levels.
Applications
QSFP-40GE-LR4 supports 40GBASE Ethernet rate only, whereas the QSFP-40G-LR4 supports OTU3 data rate in addition to 40GBASE Ethernet rate. 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceivers are most commonly deployed between data-center or IXP sites with single mode fiber.
fiber-mart.com offers customers a wide variety of 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceivers for your high-density and low-power 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options, including 40GBASE-LR4 CWDM QSFP+ transceiver and 40GBASE-LR4 PSM QSFP+ transceiver, like Cisco QSFP-40GE-LR4 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver. fiber-mart.com also provides wide brand compatible 40G QSFP+ transceivers, such as Brocade QSFP+, Dell QSFP+, Juniper QSFP+, Mellanox QSFP+, and HP QSFP+. Each fiber optic transceiver provided by fiber-mart.com has been tested to ensure its compatibility and interoperability. Please rest assured to buy.

How to Install Fiber Optic Connectors?

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As we know, fiber optic patch cords are capped at both ends with fiber optic connectors to allow them to be rapidly and conveniently connected to telecommunication equipment. Fiber optic connector is one of those high quality ceramic components used to achieve accurate and precise connections of the fiber ends. It is a simple device which allows fiber links to be readily connected and disconnected.
How to install fiber optic connectors to optical fibers so that they can achieve accurate and precise connections? The method for attaching fiber optic connectors to optical fibers varies based on connector types. Installation ways of fiber optic connectors largely depends on the connector types. Generally, connectors can be categorized into no-epoxy/no-polish connectors and epoxy-and-polish connectors. The following text elaborates on how to install these two kinds of connectors respectively.
No-epoxy/no-polish Connector Installation
How to install no-epoxy/no-polish (NENP) connectors to optical fibers? A no-epoxy/no-polish connector includes an precisely polished endface. When installing an NENP connector, there is no need to use an epoxy or to polish the endface. The field fiber is mechanically spliced to a factory-cleaved fiber stub. The following picture is an illustration of  no-epoxy/no-polish connector installation.
The installation process begins with preparing the field fiber, which is done by stripping the protective coating down to the bare glass. Once the fiber is cleaned, it is then cleaved with a precision cleaver. Next step is to insert the field fiber into the connector until it is seated against the factory-stubbed fiber and locked into place mechanically by a rotating cam or other means. Typically this step is achieved by using a tool that holds the connector and activates the mechanical splice by a button or lever.
Epoxy-and-polish Connector Installation
How to install epoxy-and-polish (EP) connectors to optical fibers? The most common types of EP connectors use heat- or anaerobic-curing techniques. A heat-cure connector uses heat to harden an epoxy, which takes several minutes. An anaerobic EP connector uses a two-part epoxy, a hardener that is inserted into the connector and an activator on the fiber.
To install an EP connector, an epoxy must be inserted into the connector ferrule first to form a bond between the field fiber and the connector’s ferrule, and then the endface needs to be hand-polished. Next, the field fiber is stripped down to the bare glass and cleaned. If the connector is heat-cure, the fiber is inserted into the connector and placed in an oven for the epoxy to cure. If the type of connector is anaerobic, the bare fiber is painted with an activator and inserted into the connector. Once the epoxy has been cured, the fiber stub which is protruding above the ferrule is scribed and removed. The final step is to polish the endface of the connector using a fixture and several different polishing films.
Notes for Fiber Optic Connector Installation
Besides different installation methods for different connector types, several things need to be paid attention to when installing fiber optic connectors, especially when a fiber patch cord has two different types of connectors, such as LC-SC fiber optic patch cord or FC-ST fiber optic patch cord.
Any problems with a connector, such as poor installation and uncleanness, can greatly influence the transmission and reception of the light power. And such problems may render the fiber optic system inoperative. So it is very necessary to know something about installation of fiber optic connectors.

Fiber Optic Connectors ― an Essential Part of Fiber Patch Cords

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Fiber optic patch cord is a fiber optic cable capped at both ends with fiber optic connectors to allow it to be rapidly and conveniently connected to telecommunication equipment and to achieve accurate and precise connections. Fiber optic connector is a very important part of the fiber patch cords. This article mainly talks about what fiber optic connector is, four common types of fiber optic connectors and its relationship with fiber patch cords.
This question can be answered in two ways. Functionally, a fiber optic connector terminates the end of an optical fiber, and provides a separable connection between two elements of an electronic system without unacceptable signal distortion or power loss. Structurally, every connector includes several parts, two permanent interfaces, the contact springs in each half of the connector, the separable interface and the connector housing which maintains the location of the contacts and isolates them from one another electrically. The connectors mechanically couple and align the cores of fibers so light can pass. To achieve less light loss, more and more better connectors are made to provide more accurate misalignment of the fibers.
Four Common Types of Fiber Optic Connectors
Connector types of the patch cable must match the patch panels and equipment so that the patch cable can function well. There are many different connectors in use for fiber optic patch cords. The text below is a brief overview of four common connector types. The following picture shows some common fiber optic connectors.
Fiber Optic Connector
LC connector is a small form factor plastic push/pull connector with a 1.25mm ferrule. LC was first developed by Lucent. LC connector has a locking tab and a plastic housing and provides accurate alignment via its ceramic ferrule. LC has been referred to as a miniature SC connector.
SC connector is a plastic push/pull connector with a 2.5mm ferrule. It requires less space in patch panels than screw on connectors. For its low cost, simplicity and durability, SC connector is the second most commonly used type for polarization maintaining (PM) connections. Like LC connector, SC connector also has a locking tab and provides accurate alignment via its ceramic ferrule.
FC connector is a metal screw on connector with a 2.5mm ferrule. It is extensively used at the interfaces of test equipment due to its ruggedness. FC connector is the most common connector used for PM connections. And it features a metal housing, a position locatable notch and a threaded receptacle. FC connectors are nickel-plated.
ST connector is a metal bayonet coupled connector with a 2.5mm ferrule. It can be inserted into and removed from a fiber optic cable both quickly and easily. ST connectors are nickel-plated, keyed, spring-loaded and constructed with a metal housing. It has push-in and twist types.
All these four types of fiber optic connectors have different constructions and their respective applications. And there are many other kinds of fiber optic connectors, such as MU, MTRJ, E2000, SMA, etc. One important criterion for choosing fiber patch cord is to choose one with the most appropriate connector type that meets your needs.
Fiber Optic Connectors and Fiber Patch Cords
Fiber optic connector is an essential part of fiber patch cords. Generally, many fiber optic connectors can be manufactured for both single mode and multi-mode, simplex and duplex fiber patch cables. And fiber patch cord can have the same or different connectors at its both ends. For example, LC-LC single mode simplex fiber patch cord is a single mode simplex fiber patch cable with a simplex LC connector on each end, or SC-LC multi-mode duplex fiber patch cord is a multi-mode duplex fiber patch cable with a duplex LC connector on one end and a duplex SC connector on the other end.

Two Core Sizes of Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

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With the increasing demand for network capacity, upgrades must be planned with an eye to the future. Installing 50μm multimode fiber today brings immediate benefits of longer cable reach and improved light loss budget margins, and prepares the network for future upgrades.
Fiber jumpers continue to provide a cost-effective cabling solution for data centers, local area networks (LANs), and other enterprise applications. Singlemode fiber optic patch cords and multimode fiber optic patch cords are two options. Compared to singlemode fiber, multimode fiber has a large diameter core, which allows multiple wavelengths of light traveling in the fiber core at the same time. Multimode fiber optic patch cord comes with two core sizes: 50 micron and 62.5 micron. And this article will talk about these two core sizes of multimode fiber optic cables.
Overview
The numbers 50µm and 62.5µm refer to the diameters of the glass or plastic core, the part of the fiber that carries the light which encodes your data. The dimensions are sometimes specified as 50/125μm and 62.5/125μm, to include the diameter of the cladding, which confines the light to the core because it has a lower index of refraction. You can use both in the same types of networks, although 50µm cable is recommended for premise applications, like backbone, horizontal, and intrabuilding connections. They both can use either LED or laser light sources. The main difference between 50µm and 62.5µm cable is in bandwidth, 50µm cable features three times the bandwidth of standard 62.5µm cable, particularly at 850nm. The 850nm wavelength is becoming more important as lasers are being used more frequently as a light source. Other differences are distance and speed. 50µm cable provides longer link lengths and higher speeds in the 850nm wavelength.
62.5µm Multimode Fiber Optic Patch Cords
OM1 fiber optic cable is the 62.5/125 multimode fiber cable. OM1 fiber has a bigger core diameter, which makes it better at concentrating the light and bend-resistance. OM1 fiber was the indoor cabling standard chosen by AT&T, ANSI and IBM. For OM1 fiber cable, the max attenuation is 3.5dB/km working at 850nm, 1.5dB/km at 1300nm. Overfilled launch of OM1 fiber optic cable at 850nm is 200MHz*km, at 1300nm is 500MHz*km. Today, OM1 fiber optic cables are still a popular indoor use multimode fiber optic cable.
50µm Multimode Fiber Optic Patch Cords
50µm fiber includes OM2, OM3, OM4. OM2 fiber optic cable refer to the commonly used 50/125 traditional multimode fiber cable. OM1 and OM2 are both orange jacketed cable, and you cannot judge from the outer diameter to identify OM1 and OM2 fiber cable, because the 50/125 and 62.5/125 refer not to whole cable diameter but to the fiber inside. OM2 multimode fiber cables are used in fiber optic telecommunications and high speed transmission systems that require simultaneous, bi-directional data transfer.
OM3 cable and OM4 cable are both optimized for laser based equipment that uses fewer modes of light. As a result of this optimization, they are capable of running 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300m and 550m respectively. OM4 is completely backwards compatible with OM3 fiber and shares the same distinctive aqua jacket. OM4 was developed specifically for VSCEL laser transmission. OM4 multimode fiber optic cable is the highest level of multimode fiber optic cable that you can use. They can be used in networks where an overwhelming or extreme amount of data transfers will take place.
Which One Should You Choose?
Given its superior technical characteristics for high-speed links, 50μm fiber is the clear choice for new multimode fiber links in most circumstances. OM3-grade, high-bandwidth 50/125-micron fiber cable increases the flexibility of network designs and achieves data transfer rates up to 10Gbps at the lowest available cost. 50μm multimode fiber is the medium of the future, with 62.5μm fiber being supported chiefly for legacy purposes. However, the majority of the fiber deployed in the world today is 62.5μm, so backward compatibility is an important concern. On the other hand, there are no technical drawbacks to using different fiber types in separate network links, as long as the ports at both ends of the link are compatible with the cable. In a word, installing 50μm fiber for new network links is a good investment for future growth.