Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Having The Right Key Connectors Goes Without Saying

By Leslie Ball


Since the development of fibre optics, it has been a competition between rivalling corporations to surpass expectations as technology got more and more advanced. They all want to produce the best economical technology in the industry and make life more convenient for their clients. There has been many key connectors developed and manufactured but some are a cut above the rest.

They are made as male or female counterpart where the male connector has a protruding ferule that hold the fibres that fits into the securing mechanism of the connector. It uses an adapter to marry the male and female together. It can be connected directly into devices for networking.

They use to be made colour coded but metallic models of yore, made it difficult. Colour tags were used instead to help identify them for single mode or multimode. Either a ceramic, metallic or plastic ferule to hold the fibre, is preferred.

The list of units that are the most popular are the SC, LC, ST and FC. They are all available in ceramic, metallic or plastic ferules and they all have pros and cons. The SC have good packing density and have a likable push and pull or snap in mechanism. The LC has replaced the SC in many ways because of its smaller size and plastic casing which make alignment easier.

The LC has a plastic housing that makes aligning easier via metal pins and has a ferule half the size of the SC. It performs well and highly favoured for single mode. The FC was the most popular for years until replaced by the LC and SC. It was too expensive due to high cost of the metal housing. It screwed in tightly but the let-down was that it's tricky to get it aligned in the slot properly.

There are things that can be done to make these models work at their best. They have to be kept free from dust to give the best signal possible, thus the dust cap was manufactured. It also is suggested that they be tested thoroughly to ensure the required amount of light is going through the cable run. Another factor to keep in mind is the tiny amount of signal loss that leaks from the connector. It may be vital to go over power cables.

Connections and cabling are not complicated to connect and operate in itself but they still need care and attention. If instructions are followed they will carry on working for a long time to come without any trouble. It is recommended that the ceramic ferule is cleaned before connection to ensure no scratches appear and this will prolong its life considerably. Also make sure they are tightened correctly to prevent signal problems.

The units themselves are used for a variety of applications. They're typically manufactured in different styles and colours and configurations for convenience of mating and connecting. There is one suited to every networking need, you can even have them specially made, for your convenience.




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