3667 Course Book 2011

City & Guilds 3667-02 Units 1, 2&3
Unit 1: Basic Principles of Communications Systems. Unit 2: Fibre optic Cabling in an internal environment Unit 3: Fibre optic Cabling in an external environment
Level 2 Award in Communications Cabling (3667-02)
Fibre Optic Telecommunications Training Fibreplus Ltd. Brook Lane, Westbury, Wiltshire, BA13 4ES,UK Line 1 :+44 (0) 1373 826634 Line 2 :+44 (0) 1225 436245 Line 3 :+44 (0) 2081506342 Fax :+44 (0) 1225 436242 Email :- Sales@fibreplus.co.uk Email :- Enq@fibreplus.co.uk
Fibreplus Training Centre Locations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Main Training Centre. Westbury, Wiltshire. Dunfermline (Fife) Carnegie College Lancaster (Lancaster & Morecombe College) Peterborough (Peterborough City College) Kingston (Surrey) Kingston College Accommodation List & Directions on the website.
Dunfermline (Fife)
Lancaster (North West)
Peterborough
Westbury, Wiltshire Main Centre
Kingston, Surrey London
Fibreplus Ltd. 18 Bath Road, Atworth, Wiltshire, SN12 8JJ (Registered Office in England 04677135 ) VAT No. GB 810 6223 73 Phone :- +44 (0) 1225 436245 Fax :- +44 (0) 1225 436242 Email :- enq@fibreplus.co.uk Website:-www.fibreplus.co.uk Exclusive Supplier of Fujikura Europe Ltd. Accredited Telecommunications Training
The Qualifications and Credit Framework QCF What is QCF? QCF is the new Government framework for recognising achievement, through the award of credit, for units and qualifications. It provides more flexible routes to full qualifications, achievable in smaller steps.
New standardised titles have been introduced which will make vocational qualifications easier to
understand. How does QCF work? A QCF qualification is made up of manageable chunks of learning. Credit is awarded on the completion of a unit with the required credits in a qualification being set out by the rules of combination. Progression is assisted by the accumulation and transfer of credit(s). This allows for more flexible career pathways, with reduced repetition, as learners can build on previously banked credit as they move through the levels of qualification.
All units in the QCF use the same unit template, consisting of the learning outcomes (what a learner
needs to know, understand or do) and the assessment criteria (which specify if the learner has met the outcomes to a defined level). A credit value and level are assigned to every unit. The credit value is a measure of average time, where one credit equals 10 hours of notional learning. Many units still include guided learning hours too. Some units appear in more than one qualification and the credit can be transferred between qualifications, as long as it forms part of the rules of combination.
1 credit = 10 hours of learning. The learning time is notional and is taken as the estimated number of hours it takes the average learner to complete all the learning outcomes of that unit
Course Progression and Transferal of Credits

Provider Fibreplus Ltd. Award Organisation Edexcel, City & Guilds
Credit transfer - Progression supported by credit being used across levels, sizes (Award, Certificate and Diploma) and sometimes sector areas. Reduces repetition of learning. Level 2 City & Guilds 3667-02 Level 2 Award in Communications Cabling Mandatory Unit 1 Principles of Communications Cabling Optional Unit 2 Fibre Optic Cabling in an internal environment Unit 3 Fibre Optic Cabling in an external environment Unit 4 Copper Cabling in an internal environment City & Guilds 7540-12 Level 2 Award in ICT Principles for Apprentices credit based Required credits: 12 (Min 7 at level 2) Credits attained from 3667-02 and 26 additional units
Level 3
Credits earned from the completion of units from 3667-02 can contribute to the requirement of the level 2, 7540-12 award or be transferred and combined with the required level 3 credits to contribute towards the level 3, 7540-13 certificate. City & Guilds 7540-13 Level 3 Certificate in ICT Principles for Advanced Apprentices credit based Required credits: 24 (Min 14 at level 3) Credits attained from 3667-03 and 26 additional units
City & Guilds 3667-03 Level 3 Certificate in Design and Planning Communications Networks Mandatory Unit 1 Concepts of Design & Planning Network Cable Infrastructures Optional Unit 2 Design & Planning for an Internal Network Cable Infrastructure Unit 3 Design & Planning for an External Overhead Network Cable Infrastructure Unit 4 Design & Planning for an External Underground Network Cable Infrastructure Level 4
City & Guilds 4457-04 Level 4 Higher Professional Diploma for IT Practitioners
Further available courses delivered by Fibreplus Ltd.

Fibre Optic & Data Communication Courses CG3667-02-01 City & Guilds 3667-02 Core Unit 1 (Mandatory to gain full 3667) CG3667-02-02 City & Guilds 3667-02 Unit 2 Internal Fibre Optic (Optional) CG3667-02-03 City & Guilds 3667-02 Unit 3 External Fibre Optic (Optional) CG3667-02-04 City & Guilds 3667-02 Unit 4 Datacomms (Optional) Fibre Optic & Data Communication Planning & Design CG3667-03-01 Concepts of Designing & Planning a Network Cabling Infrastructure CG3667-03-02 Designing & Plan for an Internal Network Cabling Infrastructure CG3667-03-03 Designing & Plan for an External Overhead Cabling Infrastructure CG3667-03-04 Designing & Plan for an External Underground Cabling Infrastructure Fibre Optic & Data Communication Planning & Design Apprenticeships CG7540-02 City & Guilds 7540-02 CG7540-03 City & Guilds 7540-03 CG7540-12 City & Guilds 7540-12 CG7540-13 City & Guilds 7540-13 Fibre Optic Test & Measurement T&M-03 Test & Measurement OTDR & ILM Testing T&M-05 Advanced Fibre Test & Measurement (to include FTTx, PMD & CD) Des&Job Cost Job Costing & System Design of fibre, copper and wireless systems
VoIP Voice over IP software based PBX systems 3CX-01 Basic Introduction to VOIP and 3CX 3CX-03 Advanced Training on VOIP and 3CX Installation & Setup Bespoke Fibre Int-Ext LSU-01 LSO-03 FOS-01 FT-01 PBX-01 COSHH-01 RAMS-01 HASAWA-01 Single/Multi Mode Int & Ext Fibre Optics (Not City & Guilds) Laser Safety course Laser Safety User Laser Safety 3 day course Laser Safety Officer Fibre Optic Splicing Introduction to Fibre Testing Understanding PBX Installer Digital / Analogue Understanding COSHH Risk Assessment & Method Statement Health & Safety
VoIP
Training From Fibreplus Ltd. PBX using PC software
VOIP Telephony Utilising 3CX Windows PBX System Course Syllabus
Core Unit 1: Course Duration ( 1 Day) Introduction to VoIP Introduction to 3CX system for Windows Installing 3CX Creating Extensions Basic Provisioning of Phones Configuring VoIP lines Configuring Basic Call rules Call reports Phonebook Introduction to Advanced Features How to Backup and Restore. 325.00 Unit 2: Course Duration ( 2 Day) (Pre-requisite: completion of basic course or previous experience of 3CX system configuration) Automatic Provisioning Configuring PSTN Lines 3CX Assistant Digital receptionist Forwarding Rules Adding DDI Ring Groups and Queues Call conferencing Creating a Bridge Remote extensions Fax Server Monitoring & Troubleshooting 685.00
If you know the basics of how to use a PC, you can install this free PBX software, and practice at home with only one days training.
Building Partnerships
Fusion Splicing Fibre Preparation Toolkit
Price 150
All prices exclude VAT
Part no. STK-01 Compact fibre preparation toolkit. Contains all the required tools for accessing and cleaning optical fibres prior to cleaving and splicing. Fits neatly in the storage compartment of the FSM-60S and FSM-18S fusion splicer carry case.
Specifications FPF03M WFW Fibre cleaning fluid. Non-flammable, non-hazardous, fast drying optical cleaning fluid. 85g with 3-way dispensing pump/spray Lint free fibre wipes. Mini-tub with 90 perforated pop-up sheets of 50mm x 105mm Cable ringing tool. High quality tool for slitting and ringing the outer sheath of round cables of 4.5mm to 25mm diameter Kevlar scissors. For clean, easy cutting of inner Kevlar stranding Loose tube cutters. High quality Fujikura tool for safe removal of outer tubing without damaging the optical fibres within Miller Tri-hole strippers. Single tool for removing both 250um and 900um outer coating and 2-3mm jacket Lint free miniature cotton buds. These are perfect for cleaning the critical components of fusion splicers, in conjunction with the FPF03M cleaning fluid Padded carry case made of hard wearing Cordura fabric
E70-5001 KEV-01 LTC-01 MS-02
BUD-01 Carry Case
Complete Optical Fibre Preparation Kit Option 1. Full Toolkit excluding Fujikura CT-30 Cleaver Price:- 395.00 Option 2. Full Toolkit including Fujikura CT-30 Cleaver Price:- 995.00
All prices exclude VAT
A Comprehensive High Quality Toolkit that incorporates all of the essential tools for preparing optical fibres for fusion splicing. Supplied in a heavy duty Eurocase, this toolkit is designed for the toughest environments
FUJI-KIT-CASE MS-01 JS-01 LTC-01 LTC-02 E70-5001 KEV-01 HR-01 STI-200 COTTON BUDS CB-02 MIRACLIN-UK Foam Tool Box Primary Coat Stripper Secondary Coat Stripper Loose Tube Cutter Loose Tube Cutter (peg-type) Cable Ringing Tool Kevlar Scissors Alcohol Dispenser Lint-Free Tissues (200) Cotton Buds (100) Cinbin Re-usable Cleaning Cloth General Tools Knife Tape Measure Screwdriver (Slotted Large) Screwdriver (Slotted Small) Screwdriver (Phillips Large) Screwdriver (Phillips Small) 6 Pliers 5 Side Cutters Junior Hacksaw Precision Driver Set
Driver Set
Fibreplus Ltd. Training & Sales Centre Units 1 - 4 Brook Lane, Westbury, Wiltshire. BA13 4ES Tel:-.+44 (0)1225 636040
Discounted
Fibre Tools for training candidates only

KABIFIX LK 25 CABLE STRIPPER
Plastic insulated cables 6 - 25 mm (1") Cutter for plastic tubes 6 - 25 mm (1") for Optical cables, Coaxial and Moisture-proof cables, Cutter for plastic tubes V 6-25 mm (1). The exact Cable Stripper even for Strong outer sheathes with Aluminium screening Change from circular to longitudinal cut by rocking lever. Hardened blade with special grinding which is exchangeable. Robust body of fibre reinforces polyamide, light weight.
24.99
KABIFIX FK 28 Optical Fibre Cable Stripper

For insulated cables 6 - 28 mm (1 1/8 " ) Cutter for plastic tubes 6 - 28 mm (1 1/8 " ) Hand operated, easy to use. Safe and fast stripping even for strong outer sheaths. Automatic change from circular to longitudinal cut. Hardened blade, easy to replace. Robust body of reinforces polyamide, light weight.
21.99
Cable/ Buffer Prep. Diameters
Tri-Hole Fibre Optic Strippers
2 - 3 mm Jacket
900
250
125
16.99
Aramid (Kevlar) Yarn Scissors

Specialist hardened scissors for use with aramid yarn cable.
11.65 The discounted prices provided above are only for those who attend a Fibreplus Ltd. Course, must be purchased or ordered whilst attending.
3667-02 Unit 1,2&3 Training schedule AM

11:00 - 11:15 Tea Break 11:15 - 12:00 Unit 1 Review & Student Questions on content of Unit1 Practical & Theory Review 12:00 12.30 12:30 - 13:30 Risk Assessment & Method Statement for workshop practical assignment tasks. Tea break At learners discretion (15 mins)
Lunch
PM
13:45 - 17:00 Practical Exercise 3 + 4 Incorporating theory through discussion and demonstration.
Mon.
09:00 - 09:30 Induction, including health & safety, housekeeping and initial paperwork
09:30 - 11:00 Unit one paperwork Assessment of understanding Unit1.
Tue.
09:00 - 10:15 Q&A Review of unit 2&3 theory question sheets
10:15 - 11:00 Theory covering Modules 6 to 8
www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

11:00 - 11:15 Tea Break 11:15 - 12:00 Begin practical exercise 2 (field installable connectors) & basic splicing practical 12:00 12.30 12:30 - 14:45 Finish practical exercise 2 14:30 - 14:45 Tea Break 10:15 - 11:00 Unit 1 Exam Preparation
Wed.
09:00 - 10:00 Q&A Review of theory question sheets Modules 6 - 10
10:00 - 10:15 Tea Break
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14:45 - 17:00 Theory covering modules 9 -11
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11:00 - 12:00 Unit 1 Exam 12:00 12.30 12:30 - 14:00 OTDR video + questions
Thur.
09:00 - 10:00 Q&A Review of theory question sheets Modules 10-11
10:00 - 10:15 Tea Break
10:1512:00 Practical exercise Splicing pigtails from exercise 2 into ODF, including VLS/ILM test
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14:30 - 14:15 Tea Break
14:15 - 17:00 Practical exercise 5 (OTDR) Incorporating theory through discussion, demonstration.
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13:00 - 14:45 Practical exercise 1 External joint splicing 12:30 - 13:15 Unit 2 & Unit 3 exam preparation
10
Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011

10:45 - 12.00 Unit 2 & Unit 3 paperwork review
Fri.
09:0010:30 Q&A Review
10:30 - 10:45 Tea Break
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14:45 - 15:00 Tea Break At learners discretion (15 mins)
15:00 - 17:00 Practical Exercise 1 External joint splicing
13.15- 13.30 Tea break
13.30 - 15.30 Unit 2 & Unit 3 exams
15.30-17.00 Exam results & allocated time for resits
Theory 60%
10.5 hrs
40%
Practical
16 hrs
Exam
3 hrs + 2hrs prep
Note: This plan is open to change and is adaptable to class requirement
Allocation of exam marks

Unit Title & Outcomes 3667-02 Unit 1 Basic Principles of Communications Systems 1. 2. 3. 4. Identify safe working practices in communications systems. Describe the basic principles of SI units and symbols. Describe the basic principles of communications systems. Describe the basic principles of data communication. 7 4 8 6 28% 16% 32% 24% No. of Questions % of Marks
3667-02 Unit 2 Fibre Optic Cabling in an Internal Environment 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Working safely with optical fibres in an internal environment. Recommended installation procedures.
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3 7 2 5 4 4
12% 28% 8% 20% 16% 16%
Preparing fibre optical cable for connectorisation and splicing. Splicing together optical fibres.
Terminating fibre optic cables with connectors. Testing fibre optic links
3667-02 Unit 3 Fibre Optical Cabling in an External Environment 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Working safely with optical fibres in an external environment. Recommended installation procedures. 3 7 2 5 4 4 12% 28% 8% 20% 16% 16%
Preparing fibre optical cable for connectorisation and splicing. Jointing fibre optical cables by splicing.
Terminating fibre optic cables by splicing on pig tails. Testing fibre optic links.
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Contents
Module Module 1
Description Health & Safety and Hazards & Regulations
Module 2
Electrical theory & SI units
Module 3
Telecommunications, Fibre & Copper
Module 4
This manual is provided free of charge, for those who wish to attend Fibreplus Training, some information is not available within this manual i.e. DWDM, WDM, LASER, LED, Photo Diodes etc. This document is provided with the understanding that you wish to attend a Fibreplus Ltd. Fibre optic course, where an explanation and correct interpretation would be addressed, therefore Fibreplus Ltd. cannot be held liable for content pertaining to inaccuracies, omissions, misinterpretation or misinformation within this document. Although Fibreplus Ltd. will endeavour to ensure that all detail is as up-to-date as possible and meets all content and requirements of the City & Guilds 3667 Qualification.
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Unit 1 - Module 1 Health & Safety -Hazards & Regulations Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) Risk Assessment Method Statement Hazards Acts & Regulations Electrical Safety (BS7671) Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) Laser Safety (BS60825) Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulation COSHH Asbestos Confined Spaces Gas Testing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Fibre Safety Working at Height Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation (PUWER) Fire Extinguishers Safety Signs Revision Questions Unit 1 - Module 2 Base SI Units SI Prefixes Electronic Symbols AC/DC Ohms Law Atomic Structure Current Insulators & Conductors Revision Questions
Page No. 1-1 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-3 1-4 1-4 1-5 1-5 1-6 1-7 1-8 1-8 1-9 1-9 1-10 1-11 1-14 1-15 1-16 Page No. 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-4 2-4 2-5 Page No. 3-1 3-1 3-2 3-2 3-2 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-3
Telecommunications - Fibre & Copper Refractive Index (IOR) Electromagnetic Spectrum Amplitude Wavelength Frequency Waves & Waveforms Attenuation Bandwidth Bitrate
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Unit 1 - Module 3
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Electrical Theory & SI Units
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Unit 1 - Module 3 Telecommunications - Fibre & Copper dB & dBm's Power & Loss calculations Crosstalk Near End Crosstalk (NEXT) Basic System or Link Laser's & LED's Detectors Fibre Structure Primary Coating Secondary Coating Singlemode Multimode Baseband Broadband 10Base 2/5/T/F Digital Signalling Analogue Signalling MODEM Duplex/Half Duplex/Simplex Serial/Parallel Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Couplers/Splitters Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Dispersion - Chromatic & Inter Modal Step & Graded Index Fibre v Copper Electrolytic Corrosion Drawbacks of Fibre Fibre Testing Visual Light Source (VLS) Insertion Loss Measurements (ILM) Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Procedures prior to testing Loss Testing Setting up ILM Backscatter Index of Refraction Reflective Events Non-Reflective Events Revision Questions
Page No. 3-4 3-5 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-8 3-9 3-9 3-10 3-10 3-10 3-10 3-10 3-10 3-10 3-11 3-11 3-11 3-11 3-11 3-12 3-12 3-12 3-13 3-13 3-14 3-14 3-14 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-16 3-17 3-17 3-18 3-18 3-18 3-18 3-19
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Unit 1 - Module 4 Networks Networks Ethernet LAN, MAN, & WAN Topologies Point to Point Bus Ring Star Star-Bus Branching Tree Mesh Campus Backbone Cabling (CD) Building Distributor Cabling (BD)
Page No. 4-1 4-1 4-1 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-3 4-3 4-3 4-3 4-4 4-4 4-4 4-4 4-4 4-4 4-4 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-6 4-6 4-7 4-7 4-7 4-8 4-9
Floor Distributor Cabling (FD) Transition Point (TP) Telecommunications Outlet (TO) Work Area Cabling Sealing/ Fire stopping Ethernet Cables Balanced Unbalanced Solid or Stranded Coax Cables 10Base2 - Thin Net 10Base5 - Thick Net Twisted Pair Categories/Class Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP) Screened Twisted Pair Cable (STP) Foil Twisted Pair Cable (FTP) Network Interface Card (NIC) Ethernet Frame Network Protocol: Ethernet XbaseX, ADSL, ISDN etc. Bit Error Rate (BER) Hub's and Switches 4 Repeater Rule Revision Questions
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City & Guilds 3667-02 Unit 1 Basic Principles of Telecommunications Module 1
Regulations and Health & Safety
Industry:
PPE and PUWER Fibre and IR light hazards
Note: Items coloured in red are considered as most relevant information to the course. Additional information has been added for your convenience.
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Working at height
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Health & Safety act 1974
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Underpinning content regarding Health & Safety and hazards within the telecommunication
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Health & Safety

Health & Safety at work act 1974 (HASAWA)
The act places duties on both the employer and the employees. It is criminal law and can be enforced on criminals and criminal organisations. The act can be summarised as:
i. Employers duty to safe guard, so as reasonably practical, the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by the work. ii. Employees duty to take reasonable care for the safety of themselves and others to co-operate, not to be reckless. Remember not to confuse the health & safety act with the health & safety regulation. The health & safety act of 1974 is law passed by the government which you can held criminally responsible for, while the health & safety regulations provide guide lines and instruction on how to implement the act of 1974. Risk Assessment A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workers and your business, as well as complying with the law. It helps you focus on the risks that really matter in your workplace the ones with the potential to cause real harm. In many instances, straightforward measures can readily control risks, for example ensuring spillages are cleaned up promptly so people do not slip, or cupboard drawers are kept closed to ensure people do not trip. For most, that means simple, cheap and effective measures to ensure your most valuable asset your workforce is protected. The law does not expect you to eliminate all risk, but you are required to protect people as far as reasonably practical. This guide tells you how to achieve that with a minimum of fuss. This is not the only way to do a risk assessment, there are other methods that work well, particularly for more complex risks and circumstances. However, we believe this method is the most straightforward for most organisations. What is risk assessment? A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. Workers and others have a right to be protected from harm caused by a failure to take reasonable control measures. Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect your business too if output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs increase or you have to go to court. You are legally required to assess the risks in your workplace so that you put in place a plan to control the risks. How to assess the risks in your workplace Step 1. Identify the hazards Step 2. Decide who might be harmed and how Step 3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions Step 4. Record your findings and implement them Step 5. Review your assessment and update if necessary When thinking about your risk assessment, remember:
A hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an
open drawer etc.
The risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these and other hazards,
together with an indication of how serious the harm could be.
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Unit 1 Module 1 pg. 01
01
Method Statement
What is a Method Statement? A work method statement, sometimes called a "safe system of work", is a document that details the way a work task or process is to be completed. The method statement should outline the hazards involved and include a step by step guide on how to do the job safely. The method statement must also detail which control measures have been introduced to ensure the safety of anyone who is affected by the task or process. You have probably noticed that Method Statements are more and more these days being requested by organisations of all sizes and in all industries. The reason they do this is so they can comply with Health and Safety legislation which requires them to make suitable and sufficient enquiries as to the competence of any organisation they contract to carry out work. Method Statements are frequently requested as part of a tender process which allows the company to gain an insight into your organisation and the way it operates. They allow your company to demonstrate how it can provide goods and services in a safe and high quality manner. For this reason Method Statements become another brochure for your company and it is necessary to have well presented documentation to gain a competitive advantage over your competition. Writing a Method Statement may seem like a daunting task, but this article will guide you through the process and enable you to approach Method Statements with confidence. How do I write a Method Statement? The first task is to carry out a Risk Assessment. A Risk Assessment will highlight the significant hazards and control measures required to prevent injury or ill health whilst carrying out the task and will provide details to add to your method statement document. The first section of your method statement document is the header information and should be used to provide information to your staff or prospective clients, this section might include;
section should also be used to list the Personal Protective Equipment that must be worn, the information for this page will be extracted from your risk assessment document. Section 2 can also be used to detail any Environmental or Quality procedures that must be taken during the task. Section 3 is used to describe the task in more detail and relevant generic information such as; Staff, Training, and PPE Permits to work Machinery shutdown and lock off procedures Site Access and Egress Material Handling Welfare and first aid Background and preparation Scaffold & Access to height
02
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A Title e.g. Work Method Statement, or Standard Operating Procedure A brief description of the works, task or process Your company details, logo, name, address etc. Start date, completion date Site address Site contact details including emergency numbers etc. Document author, H&S contact Document number, issue date, revision date, revision number etc. A summary of the main hazards that are present and the control measures that must be implemented, this
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HAZARDS
A hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals and electricity. Chemicals Electricity Confined Spaces Flammable & Toxic Gas Asbestos
Vermin Heat
Acts and regulations provide rules and guidelines to avoid harm being caused by hazards. Health & Safety at Work Act. (HASAWA) New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation (Puwer)
The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations Safety of Laser products. BSEN 60825 BS7718 paragraph 4 (fibre safety guidelines) Confined Space Regulation Control of Asbestos Regulation Work Safely at Height Regulation
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Electrical Safety Regulation. BS 7671
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Acts and Regulations
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Unit 1 Module 1 pg. 03 03
Heights
Electrical Safety
Telecommunications cabling should not be installed alongside electrical wiring, unless physically separated by a separate medium All data communications cable, earth shields, screens, and equipment racks should be earthed to a common point. This earth should be continuous and permanent. This will ensure that any voltages that may be induced into the non-transmitting element of the cable will be routed to ground
The main hazards associated with electricity are:
Policy.
PAT; combined inspection & test to be carried out by a competent person usually an external
contractor. Similar to an MOT; where the car is only deemed road worthy at the point of leaving the garage, the equipment is deemed fit for purpose only at the point of the tests finishing. User/Visual check of electrical equipment/tools 1. Is there any obvious damage to the plug? 2. Are there any loose or bare wires? 3. Do any parts of the equipment appear to be missing? 4. Is the equipment becoming hot when in operation? 5. Is the equipment becoming particularly noisy? 6. Is there a smell of burning? If the answer is yes to any of the above, the equipment/tool should be taken out of use, clearly labelled as faulty/damaged and repaired/disposed of the by the correct person. 04
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Electrical safety regarding telecoms (BS7671 supplemented by BS6701) 1. All extraneous conductive parts in an installation must be connected to the main earthing terminal by mains protective bonding conductors, this applies to the metallic sheath of a telecoms cable where permission from the owner of the cable must be obtained. 2. Telecommunication cables and power cables must not be run together. PAT (Portable Appliance Test) testing All portable appliances are subject to variety of tests and checks which must only be carried out by a competent person and labelled and recorded within a register. It is also the responsibility of the user to carry out a check (User Check) prior to using any electrical equipment and to remove the equipment from service if found to be faulty.
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Electric shock Electric burns Electrical fires and explosions Arcing Portable electrical equipment
Laser/LED safety
Laser/LED safety Prolonged eye exposure to any concentrated light source can cause damage so imagine what a lasers coherent pulses of light can do to your eyes. Inflammation injury to the cornea is caused by ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths (200-400nm). This can cause a similar injury that is caused by "snow blindness . The Infra Red (IR) wavelengths used for telecommunication have a much longer wavelength (850-1625nm) and will cause damage to the cornea and the rest of the eye at a much faster rate. Chronic exposure can cause cataract formation in the lens of the eye just as UV light from the Sun does. Although not as coherent or directional as a laser, a LED, although it operates at the lowered end of the telecoms wavelengths (850 and 1300nm), should be regarded as just as dangerous. Safety pointers: NEVER look directly into any light source or live fibre.
Better safe than sorry if you cant be sure of a system/fibre being live or not while you work on Always try and turn a light source or piece of equipment off if practical. Remember the light used in telecommunication is infra red and invisible to the human eye. Just
because you cant see it doesnt mean its not there. Classification and regulation it dont take the risk, you can get safety glasses/goggles which block certain wavelengths of light and will allow you to keep working. Always replace dust caps on patch panels and active equipment to prevent accidental exposure.
Class 1&2:
Class 1 and 2 lasers are safe under all conditions of normal use because the natural blink reflex will limit the exposure to no more than 0.25 seconds, though staring into the laser will cause eye damage. Includes CD players and printers. Class 1M/2M: Same as above but typically with a higher output power. Must not be viewed with any form of magnification unless eye-safe. Class 3 & 3B: Class 3 lasers are considered hazardous and it is mandatory to wear eye protection as exposure for as little as 1 millisecond can cause permanent eye damage. Additionally unsupervised people in the vicinity of a class 3 laser and above must be accompanied by a trained laser safety officer and high power class 3B lasers must be equipped with a key switch and safety interlock. Scanners, CD/DVD re-writers and some firearm laser sights use class 3 lasers. Class 4: Class 4 lasers are potentially very dangerous with the ability to burn the skin, cause severe and permanent eye damage and ignite combustible materials, presenting a fire risk. As with class 3, class 4 lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock. Most lasers used within the industrial, scientific, military and medical sectors are in this class. Note Despite the different classs, all lasers should be viewed as dangerous and it is advised to wear eye protection when ever working with one. Extra caution should also be taken if you wear any form of glasses or contact lenses as these will focus the harmful affects of any laser energy entering your eye.
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Class 2 lasers and above must have a warning label similar to the label above
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BSEN60825 is the standard that covers laser products and how they should be operated safely. It also provides classification of different laser types. The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulation 2010 provides health and safety guidelines regarding the exposure of employees to electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range between 100nm and 1mm (Ultraviolet, Visible and Infrared light).
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05
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

Examples of the effects of hazardous substances include: skin irritation or dermatitis as a result of skin contact.
asthma as a result of developing allergy to substances used at work. losing consciousness as a result of being overcome by toxic fumes. cancer, which may appear long after the exposure to the chemical that caused it. infection from bacteria and other micro-organisms (biological agents).
Hazardous substances include:
Storage of hazardous substances Hazardous substances must be stored correctly in a clearly marked and lockable cabinet to ensure that: They are kept at a stable safe temperature
To isolate and prevent mixing of potentially volatile vapours/

fumes.
To prevent unauthorised access to and use of said substances. To provide a centralised storage point in terms of emergency
situations. In the event of a fire for example.
Poorly stored substances, as shown on the left, cause an immediate risk to health and safety and should be stored correctly in an appropriate COSHH cabinet
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What COSHH requires To comply with COSHH you need to follow these eight steps: 1. Assess the risks to health from hazardous substances used in or created by your workplace activities. 2. Decide what precautions are needed. You must not carry out work which could expose your employees to hazardous substances without first considering the risks and the necessary precautions, and what else you need to do to comply with COSHH. 3. Prevent or adequately control exposure. You must prevent your employees being exposed to hazardous substances. Where preventing exposure is not reasonably practicable, then you must adequately control it to make correct assessments and to put the appropriate controls into place. 4. Ensure that control measures are used and maintained properly and that safety procedures are followed. 5. Monitor the exposure of employees to hazardous substances, if necessary. 6. Carry out appropriate health surveillance where your assessment has shown this is necessary or where COSHH sets specific requirements. 7. Prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies involving hazardous substances, where necessary. 8. Ensure employees are properly informed, trained and supervised. You should provide your employees with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.
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substances used directly in work activities (e.g. adhesives, paints, cleaning agents); substances generated during work activities (e.g. fumes from soldering and welding); naturally occurring substances (e.g. grain dust); biological agents such as bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Asbestos
What is Asbestos Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibre which is mined in various parts of the world. It occurs in three forms known as blue, brown and white asbestos and its properties of resistance to heat, electricity and sound make it useful for a variety of purposes, particularly insulation. Large amounts of asbestos were used in new and refurbished buildings before 2000 with usage beginning to decline in the 1970s. Blue Asbestos (Crocidolite) Voluntary ban in 1970. Blue and Brown Asbestos (Amosite) Banned by law in 1985. White Asbestos (Chrysolite) Banned in 1999. Everything else, and most second-hand supply (except for very high performance materials) was banned by 2000. A large number of premises still contain some form of asbestos. Workers most likely to come into contact with asbestos-containing products are those in the construction, maintenance, refurbishment and related trades. Asbestos Hazards Discovery of asbestos in a building often causes alarm among people living and working in it. Providing the asbestos is well maintained and covered by an impermeable layer of paint or other material it should not present any hazard to health. It is only the inhalation of loose asbestos fibres which causes disease. Asbestosis: Pleural Thickening: Mesothelioma: Lung Cancer: Scarring of the lungs Thickening or scarring of the Pleura (membrane surrounding lungs) Malignant tumour on/in the Pleura or Peritoneum Increased risk of developing lung cancer
Licensed work. Dont touch this!
Broken asbestos insulating board, asbestos lagging and sprayed asbestos Non-Licensed work. Do this if you are trained!
Damaged textured coating, asbestos cement roofing and asbestos-containing gasket
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Working with Asbestos Is a licence required? Normally, non-licensed work includes work on asbestos containing textured coatings, asbestos cement and certain work of 'short duration' on asbestos insulating board. 'Short duration' means any one person doing this type of work for less than one hour, or more people doing the work for a total of less than two hours, in any seven consecutive days. The total time spent by all workers must not exceed two hours. This includes time spent setting up, cleaning and clearing up.
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Confined space Regulations 1997

Specifically: A confined space means " any place including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or any other similar place with none or limited ventilation.
A specified risk means a risk of :
injury from fire or explosion, e.g. ignition of a build up of flammable gas/vapour or oxygen enrichment. loss of consciousness; from increased body temp e.g.. heat stress from a hot workplace (such as from drowning as a result of an increase in the level of liquid, e.g.. the filling of a vat as could occur if the
supply pipes had not been properly isolated. prevented from reaching a breathable atmosphere by entrapment by a free flowing solid. entry into a furnace which has not cooled down fully) or from the effect of the amount of protective clothing needed to be worn. Loss of consciousness or asphyxiation arising from gas, fume, vapour or lack of oxygen.
asphyxiation arising from a free flowing solid (such as flour, grain, sugar or sand) or from being
of cleaning fluids to valet the inside of a car must be considered.
protective equipment, ropes and harnesses and training.
Gas testing procedure: 1. Test at cover/lid level for gases lighter then air. 2. Test at floor level for gases heavier than air. If water/liquid is present, test at surface level then again at floor level after removal of water/liquids. 3. Periodic tests or continuous monitoring will need to be carried out at the mouth of any exposed pipework to detect the movement and build up of gases e.g. methane in a sewer system.
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Gas Testing Some confined spaces, such as manholes, require gas tests to be carried out to identify the presence or build up of toxic and or flammable/explosive gases.
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assessment. A written safe system of work must be produced and entry must be in accordance with a "permit to work". Emergency arrangements for rescue and resuscitation, raising the alarm etc. are required.
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If it is not reasonably practical to avoid entry then the precautions need to be identified in a written risk
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The Regulations require: Assess the work to see if entry can be avoided e.g. by adopting different working arrangements.
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biological contamination due to animal waste, particularly from rats which could lead to Weils disease. As well as sewer work, or welding inside a tank as obvious examples, simpler situations such as the use
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Fibre safety
The main hazard associated with fibre is the incorrect ,or lack of, disposal of sharps (small fibre off cuts and shards). These sharps can enter the skin and cause irritation. Due to the natural exfoliation of your skin these sharps wont get very far and will naturally work their way out over time. Being made from glass and typically cleaned with a alcohol solution of some kind, there is no risk of infection as you would have with a wood splinter. To date there have been no reported serious incidents regarding fibre optic injuries. Safety pointers: Never use tweezers or like metallic equipment to remove fibre sharps, you will only shatter the fibre making the problem worse. Always safely dispose of fibre waste in the correct sharps container or cinbin.
Be aware of fibre contamination in clothing and equipment. This can cause further hazards to Safety guidelines contained within BS7718 paragraph 4.
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (P.P.E)

What is PPE? PPE is defined in the Regulations as all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health or safety, e.g. safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, highvisibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. Hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment provided for most work situations are not covered by these Regulations because other regulations apply to them. However, these items need to be compatible with any other PPE provided. Cycle helmets or crash helmets worn by employees on the roads are not covered by the Regulations. Motorcycle helmets are legally required for motorcyclists under road traffic legislation. What do the Regulations require? The main requirement of the PPE at Work Regulations 1992 is that personal protective equipment is to be supplied and used at work wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways. The Regulations also require that PPE: is properly assessed before use to ensure it is suitable;
is maintained and stored properly; is provided with instructions on how to use it safely; and is used correctly by employees.
Key points to remember Are there ways (other than PPE) in which the risk can be adequately controlled, e.g. engineering controls? If not, check that: PPE is provided; it offers adequate protection for its intended use;
those using it are adequately trained in its safe use; it is properly maintained and any defects are reported; it is returned to its proper storage after use.
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unsuspecting third parties (children, pets, etc.).
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Working at Height Regulations 2005

The following should apply when managing working at height and selecting equipment for the work:
Avoid work at height where reasonably practical Use appropriate equipment or measures to prevent falls when working at height can not be avoided Where risk of fall cannot be eliminated, use appropriate equipment or other measures to reduce the
distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.
Specific requirements:
all work at height is properly planned, supervised and conducted,
the place where the work will be done is safe, weather conditions are taken into account,
the risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled (to prevent someone falling through).
provide physical measures to prevent unauthorised access into danger areas, and post warning signs at the approach to danger areas where access is authorised.
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equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained.
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the risks from falling objects are properly controlled (to prevent someone below from being struck).
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those involved in work at height are trained and competent,
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the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate work equipment is selected and used
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Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) summary

This Regulation covers the use of equipment, which means all activities involving work equipment, including starting, stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing and cleaning. Work Equipment means any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool and any assembly of components arranged and controlled so that they function as a whole. Covers tractors, ladders, resuscitators to kitchen knives! Also includes Fork Lift Trucks, Power Presses and Lifting Equipment.
Reg. 4 - Suitability of work equipment.*** Reg. 5 - Maintenance *** Reg. 6 - Inspection *** Reg. 7 - Specific risks *** Reg. 8 - Information and instructions Reg. 9 - Training ***
Reg. 10 - Conformity with Community requirements Reg. 12 - Protection against specified hazards Reg. 13 - High or very low temperatures
Reg. 14 - 18 - Controls, Control Systems, Stop & Emergency Stops Reg. 19 - Isolation from sources of energy Reg. 20 Stability Reg. 21 - Lighting
Reg. 22 - Maintenance operations Reg. 23 - Marking Reg. 24 - Warnings ***
Reg. 25 - 27 - Mobile Work Equipment Reg. 28 - 29 - Self-propelled work equipment.
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Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 - summary (expanded)
Suitability of work equipment 1. 2. Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided. In selecting work equipment, every employer shall have regard to the working conditions and to the health and safety of persons which exist in the premises or undertaking in which that work equipment is to be used and any additional risk posed by the use of that work equipment. Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is used only for operations for which, and under conditions for which, it is suitable. In this regulation suitable means suitable in any respect which it is reasonably foreseeable will affect the health or safety of any person.
3. 4.
Maintenance 1. 2.
Inspection 1.
A) after installation and before being put into service for the first time, or B) after assembly at a new site or in a new location to ensure that it has been installed correctly and is safe to operate. 2. Every employer shall ensure that work equipment exposed to conditions causing deterioration which is liable to result in dangerous situations is inspected: A) at suitable intervals; B) each time that exceptional circumstances which are liable to jeopardise the safety of the work equipment have occurred to ensure that health and safety conditions are maintained and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time. 3. Every employer shall ensure that the result of an inspection made under this regulation is recorded and kept until the next inspection under this regulation is recorded.
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Every employer shall ensure that, where the safety of work equipment depends in the installation conditions, it is inspected:-
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Every employer shall ensure that where any machinery has a maintenance log, the log is kept up to date.
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Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
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4. Every employer shall ensure that no work equipment:A) leaves his undertaking , or B) if obtained from the undertaking of another person, is used in his undertaking, unless it is accompanied by physical evidence that the last inspection required to be carried out under the regulation is carried out. 5. This regulation does not apply to:A) a power press to which regulations 32 to 35 apply B) a guard or protection device for the tools of such power press
D) winding equipment to which the Mines (Shafted and Winding) Regulations 1993(6) apply E) work equipment required to be inspected by regulation 29 of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996(7).
A) the use of that work equipment is restricted to those persons given the task of using it, B) repairs, modifications, maintenance or servicing of that work equipment is restricted to those persons who have been specifically designated to perform operations of that description (whether or not also authorised to perform other operations).
1. Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for the purpose of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken. 2. Every employer shall ensure that any of his employees who supervises or manages the use of work equipment has received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken.
Warnings 1. Every employer shall ensure that work equipment incorporates any warnings or warning devices which are appropriate for reasons of health and safety. 2. Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), warnings given by warning devices on work equipment shall not be appropriate unless they are unambiguous, easily perceived and easily understood.
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Training
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2. The employer shall ensure that the persons designated for the purpose of sub-paragraph (B) of paragraph (1) have received adequate training related to any operations in respect of which they have been designated.
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1. Where the use of work equipment is likely to involve a specific risk to health or safety, every employer shall ensure that:-
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C) work equipment for lifting loads including persons
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Fire Extinguishers
Choosing Fire Extinguishers Identify the type of materials in the area Types of fire extinguisher Class A: SOLIDS such as paper, wood, plastic etc. Class B: Class C: Class D: Class E: Class F: FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS such as paraffin, petrol, oil etc. FLAMMABLE GASES such as propane, butane, methane etc. METALS such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium etc. Fires involving ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Cooking OIL & FAT etc.
Water Fire Extinguishers: The cheapest and most widely used fire extinguishers. Used for Class A fires only. Not suitable for Class B (Liquid) fires, or where electricity is involved. Foam Fire Extinguishers: More expensive than water, but more versatile. Used for Classes A & B fires. Foam spray extinguishers are not recommended for fires involving electricity, but are safer than water if inadvertently sprayed onto live electrical apparatus. Dry Powder Fire Extinguishers: Often termed the multi-purpose extinguisher, as it can be used on classes A, B & C fires. Best for running liquid fires (Class B). Will efficiently extinguish Class C gas fires, BUT BEWARE, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS TO EXTINGUISH A GAS FIRE WITHOUT FIRST ISOLATING THE GAS SUPPLY. Special powders are available for class D metal fires. Warning: when used indoors, powder can obscure vision or damage goods and machinery. It is also very messy. CO2 Fire Extinguishers: Carbon Dioxide is ideal for fires involving electrical apparatus, and will also extinguish class B liquid fires, but has NO POST FIRE SECURITY and the fire could re-ignite. Wet chemical: Specialist extinguisher for class F fires. For Metal Fires: A specialist fire extinguisher for use on Class D fires - metal fires such as sodium, lithium, manganese and aluminium when in the form of swarf or turnings. Colour Coding Prior to 1st Jan 1997, the code of practice for fire extinguishers in the UK was BS 5423, which advised the colour coding of fire extinguishers as follows: Water Red Foam Cream Dry Powder Blue Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Black Halon Green (now 'illegal' except for a few exceptions such as the Police,, Armed Services and Aircraft). New extinguishers should conform to BS EN 3, which requires that the entire body of the extinguisher be coloured red. A zone of colour of up to 5% of the external area can be used to identify the contents using the old colour coding shown above.
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Types of Sign
Mandatory Signs
Safety helmet must be worn
Safety boots must be worn
Warning Signs
Danger Electricity
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Smoking and naked flame forbidden
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Prohibition Signs
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Face protection must be worn
Do not extinguish with water
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Revision questions
1. Which of the following regulations controls the storage of chemicals? a. CDM b. HASAWA c. COSHH d. NRSWA 2. Which of the following statements is recommended upon discovery of asbestos? a. Stop work and leave site immediately. b. Wear a face mask at all times c. leave site. Immediately d. Stop work, seal / lock area where possible, inform site manager
7. Which of the following laser classifications is considered hazardous? a. Class 2 and above b. Class 3 and above c. Class 4 d. All classes 8. Which of the following regulations provides information on laser safety? a. BSEN50173 b. PUWER c. HASAWA d. BSEN60825 9. You find someone unconscious, who was operating an electrical device, the first step would be? a. Phone for an ambulance b. Switch of the electrical device at the mains c. Give mouth to mouth resuscitation d. Get a supervisor 16 Unit 1 Module 1 pg. 16 www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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6. Please select which Hazards you might find within a Confined space? a. Bright Lighting, too much ventilation & Rodent excrement b. Low Light, Gases, Rodent excrement, Excessive heat c. Low light conditions, too much ventilation & Electric Wires d. Excessive heat, Too much ventilation & Electric Wires
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5. Why must chemicals be stored in an separate controlled environment? a. For ease of access b. To keep everything neat and tidy c. To keep them at a constant, safe, temperature. Stabilised. d. To make stock taking easy
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4. Regarding live fibre, which safety precaution does the BSEN 60825 standards recommend? a. Test for visible light b. Wear construction safety goggles c. Point the fibre away from you d. Wear specific laser safety goggles/glasses suitable for the proper wavelength
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3. Which of the following regulations controls work carried out on public highways? a. COSHH b. CDM c. NRSWA d. HASAWA
Notes
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Basic electrical theory and SI units
Underpinning content regarding basic electrical theory and SI units:
Common electrical symbols Ohms law Basic atomic structure insulators & conductors
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SI units and prefixes
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SI units & symbols

The 7 Base Units There are Seven BASE Units in the SI System, Most but not all other units are derived from these seven The Unit of length. The metre . Symbol m The unit of mass. The kilogram. Symbol kg note; the kilogram is the odd one out as it is the only base unit which uses a prefix (kilo) to start with.) The unit of time. The second. Symbol s The unit of electric current. The ampere. Symbol a.
The unit of thermodynamic temperature. The Kelvin. Symbol K Unit of amount of substance The Mole. Symbol mol Unit of luminous intensity. The Candela.
Factor 1012 109 106 103 102 101 10-1 10-2 10-3 10-6 10-9 10-12
Name/Symbol Tera/T Giga/G Mega/M Kilo/k Hecto/h Deka/da Deci/d Centi/c Milli/m Micro/ Nano/n Pico/p
Largest
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Smallest
For example a metre can increase; kilometre, or decrease; millimetre. Although all are relevant, you should focus on the six highlighted values including the largest (Tera) and the smallest (Pico).
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1 Gigahertz = 1x10+9Hz = 1,000,000,000Hz 1 Megahertz = 1x10+6Hz = 1,000,000Hz 1 Kilohertz = 1x103Hz = 1,000Hz 1 micrometer = 1x10-6M = 0.000001M 1 nanometer = 1x10-9M = 0.000000001M
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SI unit prefixes The follow list of SI unit prefixes are the most common units of measure you would come across in the telecommunication industry
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Examples of SI prefixes used in telecoms:
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Common electronic symbols
Batteries Single & Multi cell LED Light Emitting Diode Photodiode
Resistor American top, IEC bottom Capacitor Switch Single pole/Single throw
Inductor
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Alternating Current (AC) Alternating Current (AC) flows one way, then the other way, continually reversing direction. An AC voltage is also continually changing between positive and negative.
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AC/DC
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DC
Direct Current (DC) Direct Current (DC) always flows in the same direction and is always positive or always negative. Electronic circuits normally require a steady DC supply which is constant at one value. Note Remember that when you induce power into a circuit or a device an electromagnetic field is created which can interfere with data communication. Also an electric current can have the following effects:
Heating - more resistance will result in more heat produced e.g. a electric heater. Chemical - reaction between the live copper waveguide and the air e.g. Electrolytic corrosion. Magnetic - the electromagnetic field created when power is induced.
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Ohms Law
There is a scientific relationship between the values of current, voltage and resistance within a circuit. This is known as Ohms Law. V= Voltage (volts) V Voltage is the electrical force, or "pressure", that causes current to flow in a circuit. I= Current (amperes) A Current is the movement of electrical charge - the flow of electrons through the electronic circuit R= Resistance (ohms) Resistance is anything that causes an opposition to the flow of electricity in a circuit.
12A
V=IxR Using a simple circuit as an example. Current is 12 amps and resistance is 1 Ohm. To find the Voltage (V); 12x1= 12v. I = V/R In a circuit, a battery is supplying 12 Volts and there is a resistance of 1 Ohm. To find the current/amps (I); 12/1=12A R = V/I In a circuit, a battery is supplying 12 Volts and the current generated is 12A. To find the resistance (R); 12/12=1
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By using the simple diagram above any one unknown value can he calculated by using the other two known values. Simply cover the value you want with your finger and make the calculation with the other two, multiplying across the triangle and dividing vertically.
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Basic Atomic Structure

Electron
An atom consists of a nucleus, which is made of two different particles: 1. The proton, which has a positive charge. 2. The neutron, which has a neutral charge. Orbiting the nucleus is the negatively charged electrons.
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Proton
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have a positive charge and, due to the movement of the electrons, seem to move towards the negative side of the circuit. This movement of the positive holes constitutes the basic principle of electric current.
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Electric Current Flow
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fully populated the forces holding the electron to the rest of the atom become very strong preventing the free movement of electrons (e.g. electrical current) in or out of the atom. These atoms would belong to a insulator. Atoms with incomplete outer shell/layers are good conductors as the forces holding the electrons are a lot weaker when the shells/layers have free space. These electrons are called free floating and are easily led astray. Electricity is basically the movement of these electrons. The natural tendency, when connected to a circuit, is for poles to repel each other and opposites to attract. The negative electrons will move towards the positive side of the circuit and away from the negative.
Insulators & Conductors Insulators; Rubber Wood Ceramics The atoms of some materials have no free electrons in their outer orbit/shell. These electrons have a purpose, like being shared in the orbits of two adjacent atoms. They are so tightly held that it is very difficult to pull them away. We call a material like this an insulator. Conductors; Most metals Air Water If a material allows free electrons to move easily from one atom to another then we call that material a conductor. Most metals let their free electrons roam, so the majority of metals are good conductors with silver being the best. Copper is almost as good at conducting as silver, and it costs a lot less, so copper is the most popular material used in electronics. 04
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The number of particles within the nucleus is dependant on the type of atom. The electrons orbit the nucleus in layers or shells. Each shell/layer can hold a certain number of electrons before a new outer shell is created. A atom with a fully populated outer shell/layer is referred to as being stable. When the shell/layer is
Revision questions
1. Which of the following is the largest SI prefix? a. Giga b. Deka c. Pico d. Tera 2.Which statement best describes DC? a. The current flows in two directions. b. The current alternates over a period of time. c. The current is constant. d. DC cannot be changed into AC 3. What is the current in the circuit shown? a. 6 Amps b. 96 Amps c. 6 Volts d. 28 Amps
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4. Which of the following is the symbol for a inductor? a.
c.
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d.
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Notes
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Basic Telecommunications
Underpinning content regarding basic telecommunications:
Attenuation and power, dB and dBm Amplitude, wavelength and waveforms Bandwidth, dispersion and multiplexing Basic fibre and copper elements
Basic fibre optic testing; visual light, insertion loss and OTDR
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Emitters & detectors, Singlemode & multimode
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Common terms used in telecommunication
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Refractive Index or Index of Refraction (IOR)

Refractive index; n is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum compared to the speed of light in any given medium.
Air n = 1.0
Glass n = 1.5
Speed of light in a vacuum
Cvac n=
Speed of light in a medium
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Cmed
300,000 km/s 200,000 km/s
3x108 m/s
2x108 m/s
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Most Important Piece of Data Required This is the most important information to have when using and OTDR, if the value input to the OTDRs refractive index is incorrect, the distance to all events will be incorrect. Instance where to Use the incorrect Refractive Index You may wish to make fibre length equal (=) true cable length, typically to ascertain where a fault is located in relation to the cable meter markings. The fibre manufacturer will provide you with the refractive index for the fibre they supply and will be needed to perform certain tests, namely OTDR measurements, which will be covered in a later module.
The electromagnetic spectrum is a range of electromagnetic waves, from radio waves to gamma rays including visible and non visible light. The light used for telecommunication is in the non visible, infrared (IR) part of the electromagnetic spectrum
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Amplitude, Wavelength and Frequency

Amplitude The amplitude of a wave refers to the maximum amount of displacement of a particle on the medium from its rest position. In a sense the amplitude is from rest to crest. Similarly the amplitude can also be measured from the rest position to the trough.
The crest of a wave is the point which exhibits the maximum amount of displacement from the rest
position. The rest of a wave is the point which exhibits zero displacement. Wavelength The wavelength is another property of a wave which is portrayed in the diagram. The wavelength of a wave is simply the length of one complete wave cycle. If you were to trace your finger across the wave in the diagram below you will notice that your finger will repeat its path. A wave has a repeating pattern and the length of one such repetition (known as the wave cycle) is the wavelength. The wavelength can be measured from crest to crest, trough to trough or between any two corresponding points from one wave cycle to the next. Frequency Frequency refers to how often something happens. The frequency of a wave refers to how often the particles of the medium vibrate when a wave passes. The frequency is measure as the number of complete back and forth displacements/vibrations (the wavelength) of a particle of the medium per unit of time.
Wavelength
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Most common used unit for frequency is the Hertz (Hz), 1 Hertz = 1 vibration per second In telecommunication MHz (1,000,000Hz) is commonly used to denote signal frequency
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Velocity (of propagation)
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A snapshot of a Sine Wave can be used to show the relationship of the waves frequency, wavelength and velocity. The motion relationship "distance = velocity x time" is the basis to the basic wave relationship. With the wavelength as distance, this relationship becomes =v/f (wavelength = Velocity Frequency). This is a general wave relationship which applies to sound and light waves, other electromagnetic waves, and waves in mechanical media. Like Ohms law, wavelength, velocity and frequency can be arrange in a triangle to aid with moving the equation around.
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Wavelength
Amplitude
Time period: 1 second Frequency = 2Hz ( 2 cycles in 1 second)
F
=
02 Velocity Frequency
Wavelength = Velocity Frequency. Velocity = Wavelength x Frequency. Frequency = Velocity Wavelength.
= V/F V = F F = V/
Waves, waveform and wireless

Although there are many different types of waveform there are only two types of the wave itself, either mechanical or electromagnetic. Mechanical waves require a physical waveguide (copper, air, water etc.) to propagate (travel), like the waves on the ocean or sound waves. Electromagnetic waves don't require any physical waveguide to propagate so can travel through the vacuum of space like light (visible and non-visible spectrum) and different forms or radiation (x-ray, gamma rays etc.). A waveform is the representation of how a wave varies with time. The most familiar wave form is the sine wave associated with alternating current (AC). Some waveforms are irregular or complicated. The sine wave is unique in that it represents energy entirely concentrated at a single frequency. Household current has a sine wave form with a frequency of 50Hz in the UK although some countries the frequency is 60Hz.
Sine Square
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Ramp
Saw tooth
Bandwidth measured in megahertz (MHz) refers to the frequency of the signal propagating along a
medium. If a Cat5 systems bandwidth is 100MHz, it means that 100 million pulses per second will travel down the cable and each pulse will be distinguishable by the receiver.
Bandwidth measured as a bit-rate refers to the amount of actual bits (0s and 1s) that are being
transferred through active equipment such as switches or NICs. This is measured in bps or now more commonly Mbps (megabits per second or 1,000,000 bits per second). There is a relationship between MHz and Mbit as both are measurements of bandwidth. If you increase the bandwidth the bit-rate will increase but not necessarily at a ratio of 1:1, the way in which the signal is encoded meaning that 1MHz does not always equal 1 Mbit. A bit is the smallest piece of information that can be transmitted and is either 1 or 0. A common mistake made is to confuse Mbps (megabits per second) with MBps (Megabytes per second) usually when referring to internet bandwidths
Unit
1 Byte 1 KB 1 MB 1 GB 1 TB
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Attenuation, Bandwidth & Bit-rate Attenuation Attenuation is the amount of input signal power lost as it travels along/through a medium. Simple put, loss of power over distance. With copper cables this loss is due to the electrical resistance of the copper, the loss of energy through the cable insulation and the impedance caused by the connectors. Attenuation increases with distance and frequency. Bandwidth For digital communications, bandwidth refers to the information carrying capacity of the transmission medium. This can be referred to in a variety of different ways; bandwidth, transmission speed or bit rate and can be measured in bits per second (bps) and megahertz (MHz).
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Wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of waveguide) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. The first wireless transmitters went on air in the early 20th century using radiotelegraphy (Morse code). Later, as modulation made it possible to transmit voices and music, the medium came to be know as radio. With the advent of television, fax, data communication and the use of a larger portion of the spectrum, the term wireless has been resurrected.
Definition
8 bits 1024 Bytes 1,048,576 Bytes 1,073,741,824 Bytes 1,099,511,627,776 Bytes Bits, bytes and beyond
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dB & dBms dB & dBm are units of measurement, just like feet, meter, lbs. & Kg. dB represents LOSS and a lower value is preferred. -dB or dBm represents power. dB = Loss
dB loss 0 3 6 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 Equivalent % power 100 50 25 12.5 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001
are independent of impedance.
2mW.
For a 3dBm decrease the power is reduced by about one half, making -3dBm equal to about 0.5
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milliwatt. Example Power Table Referencing dBm to milliwatt Although the correct way to indicate power is to use the full +/- proceeding the numerical value followed by dBm (-3dBm), it is sometimes abbreviated as -dB (-3dB), although proceeding a value with a + or does indicate power and which side of the control the value exists. A comparison would be a thermometer and zero being the control or baseline.
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+6dBm +3dBm 0dBm -3dBm -6dBm -10dBm -20dBm -30dBm -40dBm -50dBm -60dBm
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= = = = = = = = = = =
Zero dBm equals one Milli-watt. A 3dBm increase represents roughly doubling the power, which means that 3dBm equals roughly
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Capability to express both very large and very small values in a short form. dBm (or dBmW) and dBW
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Decibels are a relative scale comparing the amount of power at the output of a system compared to the amount of power put into a system. The table above shows the relative percentages of power left for various amounts of loss. dBm Milli-watt dBm is an abbreviation for the power ratio in decibel (dB) of the measured power referenced to one milliwatt (mW). Used in radio, microwave and fibre optic work as a measure of absolute power
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4mW 2mW 1mW 0.5mW 0.25mW 0.1mW 0.01mW 0.001mW 0.0001mW 0.00001mW 0.000001mW
Power & Loss Calculations

Power Budget A power budget allows a designer to ensure the correct equipment has be specified for the system regarding launch power and receiver sensitivity. From these figures a maximum allowable los can be calculated. Alternatively, any two of the three values (TX, RX and Loss) can be used to calculate the third. Medium 37dB Loss
Loss Calculation RX TX = dB loss -40dBm - -3dBm = 37dB
TX
Launch Power -3dBm/0.5mW Medium 47dB Loss
RX
Receive Sensitivity -40dBm/0.0001mW
TX Calculation RX + Loss = dBm TX -40dBm + 37dB = -3dBm RX Calculation TX - Loss = dBm RX -3dBm - 37dB = -40dBm
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TX
Launch Power -3dBm/0.5mW
Amplifier -10dB
RX
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Cross talk is the amount of signal induced from one waveguide into another. With telecoms it typically occurs between pairs within a Cat5, and onwards, system and is expressed in dB as a ratio of the power induced over the power of the original signal.
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Cross-Talk
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Receive Sensitivity -40dBm/0.0001mW
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S1 = S2 \ em1 = em2
Twisted pairs are the preferred choice for data-comms. They offer a balanced cable with low susceptibility to EMI. Because the signal currents are in opposing directions the fields created will cancel each other out, giving a cable that radiates very little EMI. When a signal is applied to a cable pair the conductors can be considered as carrying identical signals but with opposing polarities. If the pair is perfectly uniform and infinitely long then the electromagnetic fields generated by each of the two signals will cancel each other, resulting in a zero radiation of the signal. Where signals do radiate from the pair this may be caused by the Cross talk within a Cat5 cable is the amount of transmitter not being perfectly balanced or the twisted pair as signal induced in one pair, pair2 (V out), by the signal of an adjacent pair, pair1 (V in). well as the receiver not being perfectly balanced. Any single or combination of these imbalances will result in failure of the positive and negative signals to cancel each other and the resulting magnetic field will introduce a longitudinal signal into the pair. (noise) .Due to the twisted pairs, cross talk only typically occurs between adjacent pairs (blue white to green white for example). Any damage to the cable or removal of twists will increase cross talk both between and within the pairs themselves and possible to other cables (alien cross talk).
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Loss Calculation including Amplifier RX TX = dB loss -40dBm - -3dBm = 37dB dB loss - Amplifiers gain = max loss 37dB - -10dB = 47dB
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Near End Cross Talk ( NEXT ) Cross talk will occur when two or more copper pairs are present in a cable. When a signal is transmitted down one pair a proportion of that signal may be radiated from that pair and induce a smaller but duplicate signal in the adjacent pairs. This induced signal, when measured at the transmit end is known as near end cross talk or NEXT for short. This NEXT may combine with any signal being transmitted or received on that pair and impair the quality of that signal. This occurrence is minimised by maintaining the twist in the individual copper pairs. Excessive bending can increase cross-talk due electron drift caused by damage to the copper cores physical profile. This also changes the characteristic impedance.
Reducing Cross talk
Notes:-
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Major factors influencing crosstalk are the proximity of adjacent pairs and the degree to which the individual conductors are parallel. To combat this effect, Category 5 cables have a different lay length for each of the four pairs in the cable to reduce the distance of adjacent pairs. Due to mechanical constraints it is impossible to produced a twisted pair cable where each pair is perfectly balanced. Therefore when a signal is applied to a pair it will produce a small electromagnetic radiation in phase with the applied signal. This radiation will then induce a small signal into any other metallic paths that are lying in close proximity i.e... the other pairs within the cable. In data cabling systems crosstalk is usually measured at the near end because this is where the effect is greatest. This is because the power of the input signal is reduced (attenuated) the further it has to travel and therefore the resulting electromagnetic radiation caused by cable imperfections is reduced with length. To reduce the effects of crosstalk the cable manufacturer carefully controls the thickness of the insulating material to ensure that the metallic conductors are uniformly spaced throughout their length. The level of induced signal into an adjacent pair is proportional to its distance from the exciting pair. Therefore by ensuring that the lay length (the distance between full twists) is different for each pair the cable designer is able to significantly reduce the distance that conductors are adjacent to each other in a given length of cable.
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Basic system or link

In the most basic terms, any communications link requires a transmitter (TX), a transmission medium and a receiver (RX). This is true of even every day conversations between people on the street.
TX LED or Laser
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Medium Fibre
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Patching or Ref. Lead
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Point to Point or Link
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This is no different for a fibre optic system. Light is emitted by the transmitter (TX), channelled down the fibre (medium) and received at the far end (RX). This typically occurs between two points and is referred to as a Point to Point system or link. The patching/reference leads provide connectivity between the TX and RX or any test equipment being used.
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TX Mouth
Medium Air
RX Ears
RX PIN or APD
An optical system has four basic requirements: 1. Requires light to travel from one end to the other. 2. Achieve as low a loss as possible. 3. Have as little light as possible returning back to the transmitter. 4. Achieve the highest bandwidth possible. A system or link typically consists of: 1. Length or lengths of fibre. 2. Connectors, one at each end of the system. 3. Fusion or mechanical splices joining the lengths of fibre together.
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Laser & LED

The name or terms given to the light source of a fibre optic system may be regarded as Emitters, Launch, Transmitter, light source, TX, LED, VCSEL or Laser. Typically they can be narrowed down to Lasers & LEDs. LD-Laser Diode (single mode) A semiconductor that emits coherent light when forward biased. Lasers are the preferred choice of transmitter when communicating data over long distances or at a high frequency/bandwidth due to the coherent light emitted and their ability to be rapid turned on and off. The major downside of a laser is typically the cost. LED-Light Emitting Diode (multimode) A semiconductor that emits incoherent light then forward biased. Two common types of LED include edge emitting LEDs and surface emitting LEDs. LEDs are used to transmit over short distances where the bandwidth required and the cost involved does not justify using a more expensive laser. Most local area networks (LAN) are LED driven unless a high bandwidth is required. Although limited to distances of no more than 2-3km the LED makes up for lack of performance with being considerably cheaper than a laser. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) Lasers that emit light perpendicular to the plane of the wafer they are grown on. They have very small dimensions compared to conventional lasers and are very efficient.
Radiation Characteristics
Spectral Characteristics
Laser operation A laser consists of three main parts, an optical cavity, a pumping system and a lasing medium.
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LED Light emitted across a wide area
Laser Light emitted as a coherent beam
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LED Pulse emitted through a wider range of wavelengths
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LED Vs Laser
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Laser Pulse emitted through a close range of wavelengths
Pump Mirror
The optical cavity contains the lasing medium to be excited, with mirrors to redirect the produced photons back along the same general path.
Partially Transparent Mirror
The pumping system uses various methods to raise the medium to lasing state by inducing energy into the medium and exciting the atoms within.
Laser Medium Laser Optical Cavity Lens
The laser medium can be solid (ruby), gas (argon) or a liquid dye
(chemical). Once adequately excited by the pumping system the medium releases a photon which is then directed by the mirrors along the correct path.
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Detectors or Photo Diodes

At the opposite end to the transmitter (TX) is the receiver known as (RX). The component part of the RX is called the detector and is generally one of two types of photo diode (a electronic component that turns optical energy into electrical pulses). Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) :
Specified for Singlemode operation High frequency and sensitivity (high bitrate & low power level) Good for long haul systems Prone to noise and expensive Specified for Multimode operation Lower frequency and sensitivity Good for short haul, simple systems Cheap and easy to produce.
Fibre is typically referred to by its core and cladding dimension.
The central part of the fibre that carries the light. Dopants/impurities are added to raise its refractive index.
The Cladding
The surrounding material around the core. Contains less dopants than the core. Has an refractive index less than the core.
Cladding provides two functions:
Acts to confine the light within the core. (first 10%) Provides a physical size capable of handling.
Next is the added layers of protection
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The Core
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Core Cladding
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The fibre consists of two all silica materials:-
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Optical fibres Used for telecommunication applications are made from pure glass .i.e. Silica (derived from sand)
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Fibre optic elements, Singlemode & Multimode
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PIN Photo diode (PIN):
Primary coat A protective acrylic coating applied during the manufacturing process to protect the fibres from damage and environmental factors. Colour can also be added at this stage to provide fibre identification. The primary coat brings the total diameter of a fibre to 250m. Secondary coat This is an additional coating which can be added to provide further protection. As with the primary coat this is added during the manufacturing process and colour can be added for identification purposes. Available in different sizes, typically 400, 600 and 900m, with 900m being the most commonly used. Multimode (50m or 62.5m core) Named after the multiple modes of light emitted across the surface of an 1. LED light source with each pulse. Typically used in short distance/lower bandwidth systems. LANs. 2. Multimode Fibre: A Fibre with a core diameter much larger than the wave3. length of light transmitted that allows many modes of light to propagate. Commonly used with LED sources. 4. LED - Multimode; With each pulse an LED emits modes of light from across its entire surface. The output power of the LED is split between all the modes of light so multiple modes will need to reach the receiver at the 1. Secondary Coat: 900m correct time to register a 1/on. 2. Primary Coat: 250m 3. Cladding: 125m 4. Core: Mode specific Single mode (8-10m core) Named after the single mode of light emitted from a Laser light source with each pulse. Typically used for long distance/high bandwidth systems. MANs/WANs Singlemode Fibre: A Fibre with a small core, only a few times the wavelength of light transmitted, that only allows one mode of light to propagate. Commonly used with laser sources. Laser - Singlemode: With each pulse a laser emits a single mode of light, hence Singlemode. Unlike the LED, the lasers output power is in just one mode so the light can travel a longer distance. Laser can also be turned on and off very quickly, much faster than a LED, so a laser can attain a much higher frequency which leads to higher bandwidth.
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1. 2. 3. 4.
Baseband refers to there being one signal type/frequency sent along one channel of a given medium at any one time. A good example of baseband is a coax cable. Fibre optic cable is also a baseband medium, unless multiplexing is used Broadband refers to multiple baseband signals. Todays high speed internet access is a good example of broadband operation; multiple baseband signals sent along a single telephone line to increase bandwidth. 10BASE2/5/T/F
This is the IEEE short hand identifier The 10 refers to the mediums bitrate, in this case 10Mbps.(100 and 1000Mbps are also available) The BASE refers to the medium being baseband. The 2 refers to the maximum distance the medium can transmit (2=185m, 5=500m). If there is a
letter instead of a number then this is referring to the medium type, T=twisted pair and F=fibre. 10
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Baseband & Broadband
Signaling
Analogue A analogue signal has constantly varying values and is a direct representation of the transmitted signal Noise or signal degradation will be picked up by the receiver.
TX RX Heard
A analogue signals frequency, amplitude or phase can be varied

(modulated) to represent different values. Digital Digital signals have absolute values and are represented by coded pulses of 1s and 0s (binary). Noise or signal degradation can be eliminated at the receiver during the decoding stage.
Digital signals are preferable to analogue as they are less susceptible to noise.
Modem operation Modem stands for Modulator/Demodulator and is a type of DAC (digital/analogue converter). In operation the modem takes the analogue signal from the phone line and converts it into a digital signal for your PC to process and vice versa. Serial/Half-duplex In telecommunication a serial transmission is when data is sent sequentially (1 bit after another) in one direction over one baseband channel or frequency. This also applies to a serial cable where data travels along the cable in one direction. Half-duplex is the transmission and receiving of a signal in both directions but not at the same time.
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Serial Frame (Async)
Transmit only - OK
Receive only - OK
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Parallel Full Duplex
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Parallel/Full-duplex Unlike serial, parallel transmissions send multiple bits simultaneously via separate channels. This improves bit-rate but can cause errors over long distances as the bits start to arrive at the receiver in the incorrect order. Printers used to be connected via a parallel cable before the advent of USB. Full-duplex is the transmission and receiving of a signal bi-directionally at the same time allowing for higher data transfer rates but with an increased chance of interference (crosstalk) on certain mediums. A telephone for example operates in full-duplex because you can talk and listen at the same time.
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Transmit & Receive - Collision
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Transmit and Receive at the same - OK
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Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) Systems & Couplers

A WDM system uses a multiplexer at the transmitter to join the signals together, and a de-multiplexer at the receiver to split them apart. With the right type of fibre it is possible to have a device that does both simultaneously, and can function as an optical add-drop multiplexer. The first WDM systems only combined two signals. Modern systems can handle up to 160 signals and can thus expand a basic 10 Gbit/s fibre system to a theoretical total capacity of over 1.6 Tbit/s over a single fibre pair. Most WDM systems operate on single mode fibre optical cables, which have a core diameter of 9 m. Certain forms of WDM can also be used in multi-mode fibre cables (also known as premises cables) which have core diameters of 50 or 62.5 m. Couplers / Splitters Couplers / Splitters:- passive equipment which couple two or more fibres into one and de-couples a single fibre into multiple fibres at the opposite end. Couplers allow WDM to take place and form an important part of a OTDR, allowing it to transmit and receive the back scatter on the same fibre but split the returning light off to the APD instead of re-entering and damaging the laser. Also widely used in FTTX where splitting from 1 to 32 fibres is not uncommon.
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TX 1310nm WDM Coupler RX 1550nm
TX 1550nm
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WDM Coupler RX 1310nm
Bi-Directional WDM system . (1310nm/1550nm) Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Multiple channels can be transmitted on a single signal by subdividing the transmitted signal into specific time slots. Each time slot represents a different channel and only data for that channel can be transmitted during its time slot. Multiple inputs to a single out. A good example would be satellite TV's screen in screen feature allowing you to view different feeds on the same screen e.g. watching a football match and the goal replay at the same time.
Channel One
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Notes:12 Unit 1 Module 3 pg. 12
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Channel Three
DISPERSION
Dispersion is the term used to describe the spreading out of light pulses as they travel in an optical fibre and as such the amount of dispersion increases with frequency and distance, inversely affecting bandwidth.
Step index can be found in both multi and single mode fibre and refers to the dopant configuration and IOR being a clear step up from the cladding and remaining constant across the core. This can cause dispersion issues with multi-mode systems running at high frequency (smaller gap between pulses) or over a long distance (more time for pulses to spread). Graded index can only be found in multi-mode fibre and refers to the dopant configuration and IOR of the core gradually increasing towards the centre. This ensures all modes arrive at a similar time at the receiver end of the fibre by slightly slowing down the direct modes traveling in or near the centre while slightly increasing the speed of the indirect modes. This greatly reduces dispersion issues and allows increased system frequency and/or distance. 13
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Graded and Step Index Fibre The paths the light travels down the different fibres is influenced by the dopant configuration within the core i.e. Graded or Step index, which has an affect on bandwidth and distance.
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The effect of dispersion on any fibre system is to cause signal pulses to spread. This effect will be cumulative along the length of any fibre and will have an impact on the bandwidth the system can effectively cope with. If the dispersion is too high the received signals will begin to merge into one another and the receiver will be unable to distinguish one bit of data from another. Dispersion is therefore more of a concern on high bandwidth systems but can be compensated for by using lengths of specially manufactured fibre with dispersion characteristics in opposition to the rest of the network.
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With single mode fibres there is Chromatic Dispersion (called chromatic since it is dispersion due to the difference in wavelength [or colour] of the light).
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Modal Dispersion is only present in multi-mode fibres and deals with the fact that different rays, travelling with different modes of propagation, have varying path lengths and so a pulse at one end (made up of many rays) would be spread or dispersed at the other end of the fibre due to the slight path length difference of each ray. As distance and frequency increase, so does the likelihood of dispersion occurring.
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Fibre Vs. Copper

High Capacity (Bandwidth) Low Loss Span Long Distances Light Weight Compact Noise Immunity Secure Safe Environmentally Friendly Future Proof Cost Effective Capacity Low loss Light weight Compact In excess of 600,000 simultaneous phone calls Up to 340 km without regeneration as opposed to 2km for copper 1km = 300g Easier to install ideal for high density applications
Secure Safe Green Future proof Cost effective -
Cannot be tapped without detection
Almost infinite bandwidth, upgrade system by changing electronics at either end medium.
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Copper cable with fibre optic equivalent
Fibre also has the advantage of not suffering from Electrolytic corrosion. Electrolytic corrosion is caused by the chemical reaction between air and copper (oxidisation) and can be found at points of contact between copper interfaces (e.g. Batteries) as a build up of a powdery residue. The immediate effect of this build up is an imperfection on the copper waveguide which leads to electron drift which in turn, for example, increases attenuation and cross-talk on a copper system.
Fibre Optic Draw backs over copper

Capital cost Training Equipment 14 The initial cost of installing a fibre network is more than that of a copper network. Most installation engineers will have to go through a training program to convert their skills to the fibre field. The cost of equipment to install fibres, splicers, cleavers etc. are high.
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12g of silica = 1km fibre 30kg of copper = 1km coaxial cable
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Does not carry electrical current, no risk of sparks, safe in hazardous environments.
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Noise immunity - Unaffected by electromagnetic interference, radio frequency interference, electrical surges and crosstalk
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Introduction to Fibre optic testing

Several methods of testing exist, the most common being: 1. Visible Light Source / Fault Locator. (VLS/VFL) 2. Loss Test Set. (Light Source and Optical Power Meter) 3. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR). Summary Benefits and Drawbacks of all methods VLS: Visible Light Source (635 or 650nm) Benefits Red visible glow where a fault exists Highlights connector issues Continuity testing (under 2-3Km) Cheap Light Source and Power Meter (ILM Kit) Benefits Absolute Power Loss Highlights Bending Issues Simulates the system which will be used Relatively cheap test equipment Good for testing active equipment power
Visible Light Testing Operating at either 635nm or 650nm in the red part of the visible light spectrum, visible light testing is one of the cheapest and most important tests which shows continuity issues at either end of the system, where the system is no more than 2 - 3 Km, damaged connectors and splice/bending issues. If light leaks from the ODF due to excessive bending, you can be sure it will be higher loss at the higher wavelengths as demonstrated by the diagram below.
635nm
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OTDR Benefits One person can test the system Highlights individual issues within the fibre Provides a graphical representation of the system
Drawbacks Expensive Require a good knowledge to analyse and interpret
1310nm www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates
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Drawbacks Only provides a value of total loss Cannot measure individual event losses Cannot highlight damage Requires two persons typically
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Drawbacks Typically tests 2-3 Km max. Cannot show damage through the cable sheath Doesnt provide any figures
Examples of two handheld VLSs
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Procedures prior to Loss, ILM or OTDR testing

Clean The importance of cleaning cannot be stated enough, contamination will not only give false or incorrect reading, but in some cases damage uniters/adapters also the lenses in ILM, Loss test kits and OTDRs.
Clean Connector with IPA and Lint Free Wipes/Tissues etc. Clean Adapters/Uniters with lint free cotton buds or clean air etc. Clean the side of the ferrule as well as the face
Importance of cleaning connectors Clean undamaged connectors are essential for good, accurate measurements.
bution Frame)- (faulty).
Notes:-
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Check for a strong light emerging from the core Check for light showing from the side of the ferrule - (faulty). Check for excessive light emerging from the rear of connector- (faulty). Check for light emerging from the pigtails and splice within the ODF (Optical Distri-
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Check Connector Ferrules for Damage Always check connector with a visible light source.
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injected into the far connector.
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Check Connectors and Adapters Always check connector with a microscope.
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Turn of the light source Inspect connectors. If damaged, exchange Clean using proven procedures. e.g. IPA and lint free tissues
Understanding Loss Testing

Loss Testing In order to produce relevant results with a light source and power meter a reference level must first be set. In order to achieve this the following procedure should be followed. Firstly check the equipment to ensure all relevant calibration and safety certificates are valid and in date. Then switch on the test equipment and allow to warm up. This is more important for the light source as its wavelength and output power could fluctuate under unstable temperature conditions. The equipment will then need to be connected together using one or two patch cords (2m length minimum) dependant on the tests being carried out. The following checks should then be made:
Check that the light source has been set for continuous wave and not a modulated output. Allow
light source to stabilise (reach optimum output level) power meter can be zeroed.
This having been done a reference level can be set or recorded and if the facility is available the
The last check is to ensure stability of readings throughout the disconnect reconnect cycle required to carry out the tests. To do this you must disconnect the connections and reconnect them and ensure the reading comes back to the reference level set. Steps to Good Test Procedures 1. Clean Connectors and Adapters 2. Connect Reference Leads to Kit 4. Set wavelength on LS and PM 5. Wait until meter stabilises 3. Switch on Light Source and Stabilise
1. Clean connectors on system 2. Connect LS and PM to system 3. Take reading 4. Disconnect and Reconnect PM reference lead connected to system three times and average readings 5. Test both ways at both wavelengths
Once the reference level has been set the test equipment can be connected up and the system tested
Light Source
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6. Set Reference or take Reference
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Steps to Good ILM Testing Procedures
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Ensure that both light source and power meter are set to the same wavelength.
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Understanding and analysis of the OTDR

Optical, Time. Domain, Reflectometer Basic OTDR terms
Back scatter: Light reflected back to the OTDR by the impurities/dopants within the fibre. Index Of Refraction (IOR): Refers to the speed of light in a vacuum (Cvac) against the speed of light
in any given medium (Cmed). Typical fibre IOR is between 1.4 and 1.5. When OTDR testing this figure is very important as it forms part of the speed, time, distance calculation that the OTDR works on. This figure can also be adjusted to achieve cable length rather than fibre length
back reflection. 1. Fusion splice 2. Macro bends 3. Micro bends
Reflective Events: These are events/components within a system that cause back reflection and
contribute to the loss, with the exception of a Ghost/Echo (which will be covered in a later module) which has no loss. 1. Mated pair of connectors 2. Cracks and chips 3. Mechanical splices 4. Fibre end
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Typical Optical Features Ls = Loss due to splice Lc = Loss due to connector La = Loss due to fibre attenuation
Fusion Splice
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La Ls La Lc Distance (Km)
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Optical Power (dB)
Reflectance of connector Reflectance of Fibre end face
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Non-Reflective Events: These are events/components within a system that only increase loss, with no
Noise Floor
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Revision questions
1. What does the Index of Refraction relate to? a. The speed of light. b. The speed of light in a vacuum compared to the speed of light in a medium. c. The different colours light splits into when refraction occurs. d. The rate of loss over distance. 2. What is Attenuation measured in? a. dBm b. dB c. Ohms d. dB/km 3. Which method of communicating does a telephone use? a. Broadcast b. Duplex c. Triplex d. Simplex
6.Where would you use a coupler? a. When joining (mating) two connectors together. b. When sending multiple TX/RX signals on a single fibre. c. When connecting a patch lead to a patch panel (ODF). d. When securing fibres into a enclosure.
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5. What is the cause of electrolytic corrosion and its affects? a.Heat reaction/expansion of copper cores. b.Chemical reaction/electron drift. c.Excessive bends/electron drift. d.Exceeded pulling tension/eventual break in copper cores.
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Basic networks
Underpinning content regarding basic networks:
Network types; LAN/MAN/WAN Network topologies Cabling options and types Switch/hub operation
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Networks
A network can be described as a group of people or pcs communicating and sharing information with each other. The purpose of a network is to allow this communication and sharing to take place. A network also allows the sharing of peripherals i.e. printers, scanner & storage devices etc. reducing the cost of one printer etc. per workstation/computer .
1970s Early networks ran Thick Coax cable
Early 1980s Introduction of thin cheapernet cable
Late 1980s UTP support introduced
Early 1990s Fast Ethernet developed
Ethernet Technologies
the most commonly used. throughput. Origins of 10 Mbit/s Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet ( 1000Mbit/s) - The next generation for servers and backbones, providing very high
LAN, MAN & WAN The three main network types we will focus on are LAN, MAN & WAN the terms usually refers to their location and geographical coverage.
LAN Local Area Network. A network that typically covers a small area no more than 2km. For example, across a campus or hospital site connecting buildings or within a building, office or classroom.
Building A Building B LAN within building B
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Network Types
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Original system design by DEC, Intel and Xerox, hence DIX Ethernet, in the early 1970s. Institute for Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) produce a world standard 802.3 in 1983 Ethernet type II adopted as IEEE 802.3 10base-X. First published in 1985
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Building C Campus wide LAN
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10 Mbit/s Ethernet - One of the oldest network technologies still in use. Fast Ethernet ( 100 Mbit/s) - Upgrade route from 10 Mbit/s providing better performance. At current
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MAN Metropolitan Area Network. A network that covers a larger geographical area than a LAN, for example across a city providing a link between business, hospitals or universities. This is typically achieve via the internet or direct link between locations.
West London
East London
Internet or direct link across city
WAN Wide Area Network. A network that provides country or global data communication, for example between cities or countries. The internet can be regarded as a WAN as it links users globally.
London
Glasgow
Network Topologies
Networks can be configured in a number of topologies:
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Point to point (fig.1) The most basic network topology, point to point (sometimes referred to as peer to peer) consists of a fixed a link between two end points.
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All networks involve the same basic principle: information can be sent to, shared with, passed on, or bypassed within a number of computer stations (nodes) and a master computer (server). Network applications include LANs, MANs, WANs, SANs, Intra-building and inter-building communications, broadcast distribution, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), Telecommunications, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks, etc.
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Bus (fig.2) In a Bus topology, data on the network travels the whole length of the (Bus) network in one direction before returning in the opposite direction with the nodes/pcs listening for their own specific packets of data. Not the most reliable topology as any damage or a break in the network will affect all following nodes/pcs. Fig.2 Ring (fig.3) Similar to a Bus topology except that instead of a central bus with the active equipment (switch/hub) at one end and a terminator at the other the ring starts and ends at the same point in a big loop/ring. Slightly more reliable than the Bus network as data would typically use both directions to transmit. Hence a single break would not isolate part of the network.
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SAN Storage Area Network. A storage device (such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes) accessible to servers so the devices appear as locally attached to the operating system. A SAN typically has its own network of storage devices that are generally not accessible through the regular network by regular devices.
Internet
Fig.1
Fig.3 02 Unit 1 Module 4 pg. 02 www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
Star (fig.4) Superior to both Bus and Ring topologies in terms of reliability and maintenance. Each node/pc is connected to the active equipment via their own cable, so if one cable is damaged then it will only affect the node/pc that uses that particular link. Fig.4 Fig.5
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Mesh (fig.7) A mesh topology consists of multiple nodes/routers connected to each other via multiple connections. The diagram shows a fully connected mesh, this provides quite a high level of redundancy for the network but is to expensive and complex for most practical networks. A partially connected mesh refers to only a few of the nodes/routers have multiple Fig.7 connections. The internet is a typical mesh network.
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Branching tree (fig.6) Also know as a hierarchical network, this topology starts with a single top level node which is connected to two second level nodes. As more nodes are added to the network a new branch of the tree is formed with new nodes connecting to one of the previous lower level nodes.
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Fig.6 Unit 1 Module 4 pg. 03 03
Star-Bus (fig.5) A Star-Bus topology consists of multiple star networks connected via a central bus. Suffers from the same reliability issues as a normal bus network except that instead of losing individual pcs, when a break occurs on the bus, you can lose entire networks.
Cabling System
Campus/Site distributor (CD/SD) and backbone cabling A Campus/Site distributor is a passive piece of equipment, e.g. a patch panel, connected to a switch for instance, that allows connectivity between buildings via the campus/site backbone cabling. Due to the large amount of data through put, the cable required needs to be capable of a high bandwidth and is typically a fibre optic. Building distributor (BD) and backbone cabling Similar to the CD but provides connectivity between the floors. The building backbone cable can be either copper or fibre depending on the situation but as with all backbone cable a higher bandwidth is better. Floor distributor (FD) and horizontal cabling The floor distributor provides connectivity across the floors via the horizontal cabling to the T/Os. This can be copper or fibre. Transition Point The optional Transition point within the horizontal cabling has one of two functions. 1. To provide a location at which a cable form change may occur. E.g. round cable to flat cable. 2. To connect cables with different numbers of elements T/O Telecommunications Outlets or T/Os are the last part of a basic link at the user end of the network and typically comprise of a back-box, module/jack and a faceplate. The horizontal cable is terminated to the module with a punch-down tool before being fitted into a faceplate and fixed onto the back-box. Connectivity to any equipment to provided via the work are cabling. Work Area Cabling, Patch cords and Jumper Leads The work area cabling provides the interconnect between the telecommunications outlet and the terminal equipment. In most cases it will be non permanent and application specific and as such is not covered by the generic cabling standard BS50173. The combined length of the work area cable and the equipment cable and patch cord in the floor distributor subsystem should not exceed 10m. Contained within this allowance is a maximum required length of 5m for the floor distributor patch cord or jumper. The combined length of the patch cords or jumpers in the building distributor or campus distributor should not exceed 20m. The combined length of the equipment cables in the building distributor and the campus distributor should not exceed 30m. This and the 10 m length for the horizontal subsystem is only advisory, but strongly recommended, as it contains application specific equipment cables that are not covered by British standards. Sealing In some circumstances your cable route may have to pass through a wall which acts as barrier to certain hazards, like a firewall (internal protection against spread of fire) or a exterior wall (protection from the elements, particularly moisture). When installing cables, care should be taken to seal any holes made through fire or moisture repellent walls. This can be achieved with various methods including expanding foam (fire and moisture sealing) and intumescent seals (fire sealing). 04
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Copper Cabling Options

Ethernet cabling options A balanced cable is a cable where the two conductive elements have been designed with the same physical characteristics e.g. conductor size and insulating material. The two conductors are generally twisted Balanced Cable - Twisted Pair together to form a pair so that the conductors are evenly spaced from each other throughout their length. In an unbalanced cable the conductive elements usually have different physical characteristics. A coaxial cable is an example of an unbalanced cable. Unbalanced Cable - Coax Solid/Stranded core In a solid core cable the conductors are made up of a single, large copper core where as a stranded core cable has conductors made up from multiple strands of smaller copper cores. Solid core cable is generally used for permanent links. It is less flexible than stranded and more prone to failure if repeatedly flexed. Stranded cable is used for patch leads at the patch panel and for connections from outlets to end devices where there cable needs to be flexible. The stranded core provides more resistance from damage to the conductors caused by bends. Stranded core is generally more expensive than solid core due to the manufacturing process. Coax (RG58/59 or RG6) Single copper core cable shielded by copper screen separated by a dielectric material. Although a older cable type now, coax is still used today in two common forms:
UTP - Unshielded Twisted Pair Four copper pairs each pair having differing twist pitch to minimise interference and crosstalk. This type of cable has no addition signal shielding. UTP STP - Screened Twisted Pair Similar to UTP but entire cable has a further screen around it to further reduce external interference and minimise radiated energy. FTP - Foil Twisted Pair Similar to STP but has additional screening for each twisted pair. Mainly used for token ring installations and for Cat. 7/7a cabling. Minimises EMI (electro magnetic interference) FTP www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011 Unit 1 Module 4 pg. 05 05
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Cat4/Class C Cat5/Class D Cat5e/Class D Cat6/Class E Cat6a/Class E Cat7/Class F Cat7a/Class F
Higher performance
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Twisted pair (CatX) With the inclusion of twists to the copper cores to reduce EMI, twisted pair cables have become the most popular for structured cabling and comes in several different specification and forms: Cat3/Class C
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10base2 Thin-net (10Mb/s and 185m max distance) 10base5 Thick-net (10Mb/s and 500m max distance)
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Coaxial Cable
STP
Connecting to a LAN
Network Interface Card (NIC) The network interface card provides a interface between the network and the pc/node. NICs are available with copper, fibre or wireless means of connectivity and typically contain: The connection to the transceiver or a built in transceiver Circuitry for generating frames and accessing the network The physical MAC address
A software interface to the protocol software in How Data is Transferred
frame.
SOF Delimiter
6 Bytes Preamble
6 Bytes
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Destination MAC Address
IP/IPX Packet
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Moving data in small pieces gives everyone an equal chance to get their data through. Smaller packets are more likely to be delivered.
10
CRC
Source MAC Address
Total frame length varies from 64 to 1518 bytes (after

SOF delimiter).
ensure the frame was received OK.
The Ethernet Frame It is important to understand the differences between the forwarding algorithms that Ethernet switches use. Prior to this, we need to review the structure of an Ethernet frame. The first eight bytes of the frame are the preamble; this identifies the frame as valid Ethernet. After the preamble comes the destination address, the six-byte MAC address of the station to which the frame is being sent. The special address (in hexadecimal) of FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF is the broadcast address, which means that all stations on the network are to receive this frame. Next, the six-byte source address identifies where the frame is coming from. The source address is the key to a switchs ability to build up a forwarding table. At the end of the frame, there is a checksum or cyclic redundancy check (CRC). The transmitting station performs some arithmetic on the entire frame just prior to sending it and puts the result in the CRC field. The receiving station performs the same arithmetic check on the data that it has just received; if the result is different, there must have been an error in the transmission. Frames can be between 64 and 1,516 bytes long. This means that the minimum amount of data is 46 bytes, as the fixed part of the frame is 18 bytes. 06
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Preamble; allows timing alignment. Start Of Frame (SOF) delimiter; indicates start of frame. Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC); is a checksum to
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All data is transferred in packets A packet of data has addressing details at the start, and error checking data at the end. This is know as a
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the host
Network Protocol Protocols are the language used on a network.
The network just sends and receives packets of data, while the protocol ensures that the right data is
delivered to the correct destination.
Using common protocols allows computers from different manufacturers to exchange data.
Protocol ATM Token Ring 802.5 ISDN/Euro Digital Telephony ADSL Ethernet 10base2/5/T Ethernet 100baseT/FX/SX Ethernet 1000baseT/TX/SX/LX/ZX/BX10 Ethernet 10GbaseSR/LR/LRM/ER Bandwidth 155Mbps 4/16Mbps 64Kbps (per channel) Up to 24Mbps
Within a network you require some form of active equipment to provide an interface between pcs/users. This used to be Hubs before the advent of Switches.
HUB
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Switch
Hubs and Switches
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Bit Error Rate (BER) In telecommunication transmission, the bit error rate (BER) is the percentage of bits that have errors relative to the total number of bits received in a transmission, usually expressed as ten to a negative power. For example, a transmission might have a BER of 10-6, meaning that, out of 1,000,000 bits transmitted, one bit was in error. The BER is an indication of how often data has to be retransmitted because of an error. Too high a BER may indicate that a slower data rate would actually improve overall transmission time for a given amount of transmitted data since the BER might be reduced, lowering the number of packets that had to be resent. The maximum BER currently allowable is 10-12 ( or 1 in 1,000,000,000,000)
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1Gbps 10Gbps
10Mbps
100Mbps
Transmission from A is received by all other devices on the network
Multiple transmissions simultaneously sent to and from relevant devices
HUB - Half duplex & Broadcast A Hub works like a big repeater. Information received by the Hub is transmitted to all ports/connected devices with each device listening for any data addressed to them. Due to the nature of how a Hub works it can only operate in half-duplex otherwise collisions will occur. Switch - Full duplex & Direct A Switch is superior to a Hub due to the fact that any transmission received by the Switch is sent only to the port/device that the data was addressed to. This allows for a much higher data rate due to the Switch being able to operate in full duplex. 07
The four repeater rule The four repeater rule was a problem for many large organization and people located on large campus environments.
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The natural development was to build bridges with WAN ports to allow data to be transmitted over large geographical distances. Bridges also had the advantage of breaking up collision domains so that user groups could be isolated from one another providing performance advantages as well as security.
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In order to beat the 4 repeater rule bridges were developed. because a bridge takes in the data and completely rebuilds it prior to retransmission each outgoing packet has a new preamble thus allowing multiple bridges to be used and to boost the data further than repeaters allow.
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Revision questions
1.What is 10base2, regarding cable type and max distance. a. Thick-net coax/185m b. Thin-net coax/200m c. Thin-net coax/185m d. Thick-net coax/500m
6.Which of the following best describes the purpose of a network? a. To dedicate bandwidth to users when browsing b. To allow sharing of information and peripherals c. To allow higher bandwidth d. To secure the computers from the internet
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5.Which of the following topologies is regarded the worst in terms of physical reliability? a. Ring b. Bus c. Star d. Mesh
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4.Which of the following best describes the way a Hub operates? a. Half-duplex to individual ports/users b. Serial to all connected devices c. Full-duplex to individual pots/users d. Half-duplex to all connect devices
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3.What is regarded as the maximum Bit Error Rate allowable? a. 10-6 b. 10-12 c. 10-9 d. 10-8
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2.Which of the following best describes a network within a hospital? a. MAN b. LAN c. SAN d. WAN
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Notes
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City & Guilds 3667-02 Units 2&3

Unit 2: Fibre optic Cabling in an internal environment Unit 3: Fibre optic Cabling in an external environment
Level 2 Award in Communications Cabling (3667-02)
Contents
Module Module 1 Description Common terms including: Wavelength, dB & dBm, Loss & Refractive Index
Module 2
Emitters , Detectors & WDM
Module 3
Fibre Elements, Physics & Dispersion
Module 5
Fibre Tooling and Preparation
Module 7
Module 10
Connectors, Adapters & Polish
Module 11
Glossary of Terms
Additional Info
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Testers, Testing, Fault Finding & Commissioning
Disclaimer
This manual is provided free of charge, for those who wish to attend Fibreplus Ltd. training, some information is not available within this manual i.e. DWDM. This document is provided with the understanding that you wish to attend a Fibreplus Ltd. Fibre optic course, where an explanation and correct interpretation would be addressed, therefore Fibreplus Ltd. cannot be held liable for content pertaining to inaccuracies, omissions, misinterpretation or misinformation within this document. Although Fibreplus Ltd. will endeavour to ensure that all detail is as up-to-date as possible and meets all content and requirements of the City & Guilds 3667 Qualification. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Splicing & Cleaving
Cable Segregation Distances
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Fibre Cable Elements
Enclosures, ODFs & Patch Panels
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Module 6
Fibre Types & Standards
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Module 4
Installation, Preparation & Considerations
Unit 2 & 3 - Module 1 Common Terms Refractive Index (IOR) Electromagnetic Spectrum Amplitude Wavelength Frequency Velocity Wavelength = Velocity/Frequency 3 Operational Windows Comparison of Transmission Media Loss Budget Table dB & dBm Loss Budgets Power Budgets Worst Case Design Approach Revision Questions
Page No. 1-1 1-1 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-6 1-6 1-7 Page No. 2-1 2-2 2-2 2-3 2-3 2-3 2-4 2-5 Page No. 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-2 3-2 3-2 3-2 3-2 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-4 3-4
Fibre Elements, Physics & Dispersion Fibre Construction Core Cladding Primary Coating Secondary Coating Properties of Light Refraction Reflection Critical Angle Numerical Aperture Cone of Acceptance Total Internal Reflection (TIR) Micro & Macro Bending Inter Modal Dispersion Chromatic Dispersion www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 3
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Basic System or Link Laser or LED Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) Detectors & Receivers Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) PIN Photo Diode Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Revision Questions
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 2 Emitters, Detectors & WDM
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 3 Fibre Elements, Physics & Dispersion Step Index Graded Index Causes of Attenuation Bandwidth Fibre v Copper Drawbacks of Fibre Revision Questions Unit 2 & 3 - Module 4 Installation Preparation & Considerations Environmental considerations Installation Safety Equipment List Underground Cable Laying Installation Rules Cable Slack Outdoor Cable Protection Route Survey Multimode v Singlemode Revision Questions Unit 2 & 3 - Module 5 Fibre Tooling & Preparation Cable Laying Planning Cable Specification Pulling Tension Bend Radius Cable Preparation Sheath Stripper Rip Cord Kevlar (Aramid Yarn) Scissors Loose Tube Cutters Secondary Coat Strippers Primary Coat Strippers Revision Questions
Page No. 3-4 3-4 3-5 3-5 3-6 3-6 3-7 Page No. 4-1 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-3 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 Page No. 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-2 5-2 5-2 5-2 5-2 5-3 Page No. 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-2
OM & OS Standards Maximum Attenuation MM Link Distances OM4 Link Distances SM v MM
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 6 Fibre Types & Standards
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 8 Enclosures, ODF's & Patch Panels Internal enclosures, ODF/Patch panels Fibre Cabinets & racks External Enclosures Requirements Cable Sealing Fibre Management Examples of External Enclosures Revision Questions
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 6 Fibre Types & Standards ITU Fibre Types & Standards G651 - 50/125 GI MM Fibre G652 - Standard SM Fibre (SMF) G653 - Dispersion Shifted Fibre (DSF) G654 - Loss Minimised Fibre G655 - Non-Zero Dispersion Shifted Fibre (NZ-DSF) G657 - Bend Insensitive Fibre G657B - High Grade Bend Insensitive Fibre Multi Fibre Cables Colour Code Revision Questions Unit 2 & 3 - Module 7 Fibre Cable Elements Indoor Cable Design Basic Fibre & Cable Types Distribution Cable Breakout Cable Tight Buffered Loose Tight Buffered Loose Tube Cable Single Ruggedised Cable Construction Fibre Protection Strength Member Types Moisture Barriers Armour Types Sheath Materials Multiple Loose Tube Cable Uni Tube Cable Revision Questions
Page No. 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5 Page No. 7-1 7-1 7-2 7-2 7-2 7-2 7-2 7-2 7-3 7-3 7-3 7-3 7-3 7-3 7-4 7-4 7-5 Page No. 8-1 8-2 8-3 8-3 8-3 8-3 8-4/5 8-6
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 9 Splicing & Cleaving What is Splicing? Why Splice? Types of Splicing Mechanical Splice Where to Use Types of Mechanical Splice Elastomeric Fusion Splice v Mechanical Splice Types of Fusion Splicer Core Alignment Cladding Alignment Splice Procedure Cleaving Issues Splicing Issues Core Diameter Mismatch Lateral Misalignment Fixed V-Groove Profile Alignment System (PAS) Revision Questions Unit 2 & 3 - Module 10 Connectors, Adaptors & Types of Polish Connector Types ST - Straight Tip SC - Subscriber Connector FC/PC - Face Contact Physical Contact LC - Lucent Connector Connector Variants MTRJ MTP/MPO Basic Parts Back End/Boot Body Ferrule Types of Polish Performance Parameters Insertion Loss Back Reflectance Requirements for a Good Connector Common Problems Lateral Misalignment End Face Separation Angular Misalignment Surface Finish Core Diameter Mismatch
Page No. 9-1 9-1 9-1 9-1 9-1 9-1 9-1 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-3 9-3 9-3 9-4 9-4 9-4 9-4 9-5 Page No. 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-2 10-2 10-3 10-3 10-3 10-4 10-4 10-4 10-4 10-4 10-5 10-5 10-5 10-5 10-6 10-6 10-6 10-6 10-6 10-6
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 10 Connectors, Adaptors & Types of Polish Problems & Identification Visual Inspection Criteria Colour Codes Field Installable Connectors Epoxy - Hot Melt Epoxy - Cold Cure (Anaerobic) Crimp Pre-polished Hand Polishing Stages Revision Questions Unit 2 & 3 - Module 11
Page No. 10-7 10-7 10-7 10-8 10-8 10-8 10-8 10-8 10-9 10-10 Page No. 11-1 11-1 11-1 11-1 11-2 11-2 11-2 1-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-3 11-4 11-5 11-5 11-6 11-6 11-6 11-7 11-8 11-8 11-8
Testers, Testing, Fault Finding & Commissioning Fibre Testing as per BS EN 50173 Stage 1a Stage 1b Stage 2 Standards ISO11801 BS EN 50173 Fibre Testing Visual Light Source (VLS) Benefits Drawbacks Insertion Loss Measurements (ILM) Benefits Drawbacks Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Benefits Drawbacks Visible Light Testing Optical Loss Budgets Procedures prior to Testing Importance of Connectors Loss Testing Set up ILM for Testing Set Reference Mandrel Wraps Cut Back Method Advantages Disadvantages
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Unit 2 & 3 - Module 11 Testers, Testing, Fault Finding & Commissioning OTDR Principle of Operation What can it Do? Backscatter - Part 1 Index of Refraction (IOR) - Part 1 Non-Reflective Events - Part 1 Reflective Events - Part 1 Typical Features Averaging Ghosting Backscatter - Part 2 Index of Refraction (IOR) - Part 2 Non-Reflective Events - Part 2 Gainer Reflective Events - Part 2 Launch Leads Fibre End Advantages Disadvantages Dynamic Range Revision Questions Glossary
Page No. 11-9 11-9 11-10 11-11 11-11 11-11 11-11 11-11 11-12 11-12 11-13 11-13 11-14 11-14 11-15 11-15 11-16 11-16 11-16 11-17 11-18
Additional Information Cable Separation Distances
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City & Guilds 3667-02 Fibre Optic Installation & Testing Internal & External Module 1
Underpinning content regarding:-
Loss Budgets
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dB (loss) & dBm (power) explained
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Electromagnetic Spectrum
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Wavelength - dB & dBm - Refractive Index - Loss
Refractive Index or Index of Refraction (IOR)

Refractive index; n is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum compared to the speed of light in any given medium.
Air n = 1.0
Glass n = 1.5
Speed of light in a vacuum
Cvac n=
Speed of light in a medium
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300,000 km/s 200,000 km/s
3x108 m/s
2x108 m/s
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Third Window 1550nm 1625nm
Infra Red (non-Visible)

Second Window 1300nm 1310nm First Window 850nm
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The electromagnetic spectrum is a range of electromagnetic waves, from radio waves to gamma rays including visible and non visible light. The light used for telecommunication is in the non visible, infrared (IR) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light is used but for testing purposes only. (VLS using red light at 635 or 650nm)
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Most Important Piece of Data Required This is the most important information to have when using and OTDR, if the value input to the OTDRs refractive index is incorrect, the distance to all events will be incorrect. Instance where to Use the incorrect Refractive Index The fibre manufacturer will provide you with the refractive index for the fibre they supply and will be needed to perform certain tests, namely OTDR measurements, which will be covered in a later module. You may wish to make fibre length equal (=) true cable length, typically to ascertain where a fault is located in relation to the cable meter markings.
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Visible Light
Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red
Unit 2&3 Module 1 pg. 01
01
Amplitude, Wavelength and Frequency

Amplitude The amplitude of a wave refers to the maximum amount of displacement of a particle on the medium from its rest position. In a sense the amplitude is from rest to crest. Similarly the amplitude can also be measured from the rest position to the trough.
The crest of a wave is the point which exhibits the maximum amount of displacement from the rest
position. The rest of a wave is the point which exhibits zero displacement. Wavelength The wavelength is another property of a wave which is portrayed in the diagram. The wavelength of a wave is simply the length of one complete wave cycle. If you were to trace your finger across the wave in the diagram below you will notice that your finger will repeat its path. A wave has a repeating pattern and the length of one such repetition (known as the wave cycle) is the wavelength. The wavelength can be measured from crest to crest, trough to trough or between any two corresponding points from one wave cycle to the next. Frequency Frequency refers to how often something happens. The frequency of a wave refers to how often the particles of the medium vibrate when a wave passes. The frequency is measure as the number of complete back and forth displacements/vibrations (the wavelength) of a particle of the medium per unit of time.
Wavelength
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Most common used unit for frequency is the Hertz (Hz), 1 Hertz = 1 vibration per second In telecommunication MHz (1,000,000Hz) is commonly used to denote signal frequency
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Velocity (of propagation)
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A snapshot of a Sine Wave can be used to show the relationship of the waves frequency, wavelength and velocity. The motion relationship "distance = velocity x time" is the basis to the basic wave relationship. With the wavelength as distance, this relationship becomes =v/f (wavelength = Velocity Frequency). This is a general wave relationship which applies to sound and light waves, other electromagnetic waves, and waves in mechanical media. Like Ohms law, wavelength, velocity and frequency can be arrange in a triangle to aid with moving the equation around.
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Wavelength
Amplitude
Time period: 1 second Frequency = 2Hz ( 2 cycles in 1 second)
F
=
02 Velocity Frequency
Wavelength = Velocity Frequency. Velocity = Wavelength x Frequency. Frequency = Velocity Wavelength.
= V/F V = F F = V/
Three Operational Windows

1st Window - 850 nm - Allows cheap LEDs to operate over reasonable distance (km) 2nd Window - Predominantly the main wavelengths used in this window are both 1300 nm & 1310 nm, although 1300nm is a loose term sometimes used will pertain to multimode systems, and 1310nm used in a single mode system. 3rd Window - 1550 nm - Employs expensive sophisticated laser/detector systems. Long distance without repeaters (100s of km) and the more expensive systems now emerging also use 1625nm Attenuation Vs Wavelength for a silica based fibre
50
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1st Window
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0.5
Wavelength (nm)
Benefits Drawbacks
Window
800 900 nm
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850 nm
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Operating Wavelength
Cheaper components Least susceptible to bending losses Lower attenuation than 850nm, although covering both SM & MM Systems
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Fibre Attenuation dB/km
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1310 nm 1550 nm High speed, High bandwidth Lowest attenuation of all windows Division Multiplexing more predominantly used here.
2nd Window 3rd Window
1400
1600
Range severely restricted Highest attenuation More susceptible to bending losses than 850nm
1260 1360 nm O Band
1360 1675 nm Bands E, S, C, L & U C Band used most
High Cost of components Most susceptible to bending losses
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Loss Budget Table
This table should be known by heart for all loss calculations
1300nm 1310nm 1550nm 1625nm Splices
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Wavelength
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BSEN 50173 Generic values
Single mode N/A N/A
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Multi mode 3.5dB/Km 1.5dB/Km N/A N/A N/A 0.35dB/Km 0.20dB/Km 0.15dB/Km 0.1dB Max. for Video (CATV) Systems 0.3dB Max. Voice/Data
Connectors
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For Mechanical or Fusion Splice Losses are the same value
0.75dB Max per connectors where both on one span = 1dB or less 2 Connectors 1dB = 0.5dB Average.
For fibre specific (OM1/2/3 etc.) losses, see Module 6 Page 1.
04
dB & dBms dB & dBm are units of measurement, just like feet, meter, lbs. & Kg. dB represents LOSS and a lower value is preferred. -dB or dBm represents power. dB = Loss
dB loss 0 3 6 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 Equivalent % power 100 50 25 12.5 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001
are independent of impedance.
2mW.
For a 3dBm decrease the power is reduced by about one half, making -3dBm equal to about 0.5
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Control
milliwatt. Example Power Table Referencing dBm to milliwatt Although the correct way to indicate power is to use the full +/- proceeding the numerical value followed by dBm (-3dBm), it is sometimes abbreviated as -dB (-3dB), although proceeding a value with a + or does indicate power and which side of the control the value exists. A comparison would be a thermometer and zero being the control or baseline.
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+6dBm +3dBm 0dBm -3dBm -6dBm -10dBm -20dBm -30dBm -40dBm -50dBm -60dBm
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= = = = = = = = = = =
Zero dBm equals one Milli-watt. A 3dBm increase represents roughly doubling the power, which means that 3dBm equals roughly
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Capability to express both very large and very small values in a short form. dBm (or dBmW) and dBW
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Decibels are a relative scale comparing the amount of power at the output of a system compared to the amount of power put into a system. The table above shows the relative percentages of power left for various amounts of loss. dBm Milli-watt dBm is an abbreviation for the power ratio in decibel (dB) of the measured power referenced to one milliwatt (mW). Used in radio, microwave and fibre optic work as a measure of absolute power
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4mW 2mW 1mW 0.5mW 0.25mW 0.1mW 0.01mW 0.001mW 0.0001mW 0.00001mW 0.000001mW 05
Power & Loss Budget Calculations

Power Budget A power budget allows a designer to ensure the correct equipment has be specified for the system regarding launch power and receiver sensitivity. From these figures a maximum allowable los can be calculated. Alternatively, any two of the three values (TX, RX and Loss) can be used to calculate the third. Medium 37dB Loss +6dBm +3dBm 0dBm -3dBm -6dBm -10dBm -20dBm -30dBm -40dBm -50dBm -60dBm = = = = = = = = = = = 4mW 2mW 1mW 0.5mW 0.25mW 0.1mW 0.01mW 0.001mW 0.0001mW 0.00001mW 0.000001mW
TX
Launch Power -3dBm 0.5mW
Loss Calculation RX TX = dB loss -40dBm - -3dBm = 37dB TX Calculation RX + Loss = dBm TX -40dBm + 37dB = -3dBm
RX
Receive Sensitivity -40dBm 0.0001mW
Control
RX Calculation TX - Loss = dBm RX -3dBm - 37dB = -40dBm
Worst Case Design Approach A power budget for a singlemode fibre optic network is shown in the table below. By using the loss calculation from above, the maximum (worst case) allowable loss has been worked out.
Power Budget
Mean Launch Power Receiver Sensitivity Loss Margin -4dBm -40dBm 36dB
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Loss margin from power budget
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Cable (fibre) Loss Connector Loss System Design Penalties Dispersion Penalty Total Losses
Loss Budget
36dB 25dB 4dB 1dB 3dB 3dB 0dB 36dB
Loss Budget For an installer a loss budget allows you to validate your test results. Any test values that exceed your budgets total loss are failures. The three key factors to a loss budget are the values for cable (fibre) loss, spice loss and connector loss as these are the most common/essential components of a system. Cable (fibre) loss: Multiply the length of the system (in km) by the loss of the operational wavelength E.g. 2km x 3.5dB/km (850nm) = 7dB Splice Loss: Multiply the number of splice by the specified splice loss. (can be customer specified) E.g. 3 x 0.3/0.1dB (data &voice/video) = 0.9/0.3dB Connector loss: Multiply the number of connectors (typically two max) by the specified loss. E.g. 2 x 0.5dB = 1dB Once each group of components loss has been calculated simply add the figures together for a final loss total. E.g. 7dB+0.9dB+1dB = 8.9dB. Any test results above this figure are failures while below are passes. Generic Loss values located on pg.4, Fibre specific loss module 6 pg.1 06
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-40dBm - -3dBm = 36dB
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Margin for Age & Temperature
Revision questions
1. What does the Index of Refraction relate to?
a. The maximum bandwidth a fibre can provide. b. The speed of light in a vacuum in relation to the speed of light in a medium. c. A value given to back reflected light. d. The rate of loss over distance. 2. What is the unit of measurement Attenuation used in fibre optic? a. Resistance b. dB/km c. Ohms d. Amperes 3. What would the loss be for 10km section of fibre at 1300nm? a. 16dB b. 10dB c. 15dB d. 16.6dB 4. What are the typical wavelengths used by a VLS? a. 720nm and 850nm b. 635nm and 850nm c. 650nm and 720nm d. 635nm and 650nm
6. Where you have two powers i.e. -4dBm and 40dBm and you subtract on from the other, what
is the resulting value? a. - 36dBm b. 36dB c. 44dB d. -44dBm
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5. If power is reduced by a factor of 50% from the control/baseline what would be the result? a. +3dB b. -6dB c. 0dB d. -3dB
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Unit 2&3 Module 1 pg. 07 07
Notes
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WDM & DWDM Systems
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Receivers/Detectors:- PIN & APD
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Emitters, Detectors & WDM
Basic system or link

In the most basic terms, any communications link requires a transmitter (TX), a transmission medium and a receiver (RX). This is true of even every day conversations between people on the street.
TX LED or Laser
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Medium Fibre
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Point to Point or Link
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This is no different for a fibre optic system. Light is emitted by the transmitter (TX), channelled down the fibre (medium) and received at the far end (RX). This typically occurs between two points and is referred to as a Point to Point system or link. The patching/reference leads provide connectivity between the TX and RX or any test equipment being used.
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TX Mouth
Medium Air
RX Ears
RX PIN or APD
An optical system has four basic requirements: 1. Requires light to travel from one end to the other. 2. Achieve as low a loss as possible. 3. Have as little light as possible returning back to the transmitter. 4. Achieve the highest bandwidth possible. A system or link typically consists of: 1. Length or lengths of fibre. 2. Connectors, one at each end of the system. 3. Fusion or mechanical splices joining the lengths of fibre together.
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Laser & LED

The name or terms given to the light source of a fibre optic system may be regarded as Emitters, Launch, Transmitter, light source, TX, LED, VCSEL or Laser. Typically they can be narrowed down to Lasers & LEDs. LD-Laser Diode (single mode. MAN/WAN) A semiconductor that emits coherent light when forward biased. Lasers are the preferred choice of transmitter when communicating data over long distances or at a high frequency/bandwidth due to the coherent light emitted and their ability to be rapid turned on and off. The major downside of a laser is typically the cost. LED-Light Emitting Diode (multimode .LAN) A semiconductor that emits incoherent light then forward biased. Two common types of LED include edge emitting LEDs and surface emitting LEDs. LEDs are used to transmit over short distances where the bandwidth required and the cost involved does not justify using a more expensive laser. Most local area networks (LAN) are LED driven unless a high bandwidth is required. Although limited to distances of no more than 2-3km the LED makes up for lack of performance with being considerably cheaper than a laser. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) Lasers that emit light perpendicular to the plane of the wafer they are grown on. They have very small dimensions compared to conventional lasers and are very efficient. LED Vs Laser Radiation Characteristics
Laser operation A laser consists of three main parts, an optical cavity, a pumping system and a lasing medium.
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LED Light emitted across a wide area
Laser Light emitted as a coherent beam
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LED Pulse emitted through a wider range of wavelengths
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Spectral Characteristics
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Laser Pulse emitted through a close range of wavelengths
Pump Mirror
The optical cavity contains the lasing medium to be excited, with mirrors to redirect the produced photons back along the same general path.
Partially Transparent Mirror
The pumping system uses various methods to raise the medium to lasing state by inducing energy into the medium and exciting the atoms within.
Laser Medium Laser Optical Cavity Lens
The laser medium can be solid (ruby), gas (argon) or a liquid dye
(chemical). Once adequately excited by the pumping system the medium releases a photon which is then directed by the mirrors along the correct path.
02
Detectors or Photo Diodes

At the opposite end to the transmitter (TX) is the receiver known as (RX). The component part of the Rx is called the detector and is generally one of two types of photo diode (an electronic component that turns optical energy into electrical pulses). APD - Silicon and germanium currently although gallium indium arsenide phosphide on indium phosphide substrates and gallium antimonide are being made. PIN Germanium diodes, tend to need cooling but have large active area
Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) : Specified for Singlemode operation
PIN Photo diode (PIN):
Avalanche photodiode detectors (APD) have and will continue to be used in many diverse applications such as laser range finders, data communications or photon correlation studies. For low-light detection in the 200 to1150nm range, the designer has three basic detector choices - the silicon PIN detector, the silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) and the photomultiplier tube (PMT). APDs are widely used in instrumentation and aerospace applications, offering a combination of high speed and high sensitivity unmatched by PIN detectors,. APDs are generally recommended for high bandwidth applications or where internal gain is needed to overcome high preamplifier noise. The following is a simple guide that can be used to decide whether an APD is the most appropriate for your light detection requirements. 1) Determine the wavelength range to be covered. See section Types of APDs on next page to determine the specific APD type useful for the wavelength range to be covered. 2) Determine the minimum size of the detector that can be used in the optical system. Effective optics can often be more cost-effective than the use of an overly large PIN or Avalanche photo-detectors 3) Determine the required electrical frequency bandwidth of the system; again, over specifying bandwidth will degrade the SNR of the system.
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Laser range finder Photon counting Data-comm. Optical Tomography LIDAR Fluorescence detection Particle sizing
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APD Photo detectors Applications Light detection
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Specified for Multimode operation Lower frequency and sensitivity Good for short haul, simple systems Cheap and easy to produce.
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High frequency and sensitivity (high bitrate & low power level) Good for long haul systems Prone to noise and expensive
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Types of APDs Avalanche photodiodes are commercially available that span the wavelength range from 300nm to 1700nm. Silicon APDs can be used between 300nm to 1100nm, germanium between 800nm and 1600nm, and InGaAs from 900nm to 1700nm. Although significantly more expensive than germanium APDs, InGaAs APDs are typically available with much lower noise currents, exhibit extended spectral response to 1700nm, and provide higher frequency bandwidth for a given active area. A germanium APD is recommended in high electro-magnetic interference (EMI) environments, where amplifier noise is significantly higher than the noise from an InGaAs APD, or for applications where cost is of primordial consideration. PIN Photo detectors General purpose InGaAs photodiodes are useful for a wide range of applications including infrared instrumentation and moderate speed communication systems. The photosensitive area is typically 300 microns in diameter. Some models of silicon detector provides highly sensitive measurements in the 650-950 nanometre region, while other models germanium and (InGaAs) detectors are capable of a wide range of measurements between 800 and 1800 nanometres some power meters handle measurements down to -85 dBm at 1300nm and 1550nm.
Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM
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TX 1310nm WDM Coupler RX 1550nm
TX 1550nm
WDM Coupler RX 1310nm
Bi-Directional WDM system . (1310nm/1550nm)
A WDM system uses a multiplexer at the transmitter to join the signals together, and a de-multiplexer at the receiver to split them apart. With the right type of fibre it is possible to have a device that does both simultaneously, and can function as an optical add-drop multiplexer. The first WDM systems only combined two signals. Modern systems can handle up to 160 signals and can thus expand a basic 10 Gbit/s fibre system to a theoretical total capacity of over 1.6 Tbit/s over a single fibre pair. Most WDM systems operate on single mode fibre optical cables, which have a core diameter of 9 m. Certain forms of WDM can also be used in multi-mode fibre cables (also known as premises cables) which have core diameters of 50 or 62.5 m.
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6 into 1 coupler. At the opposite end of the system there is a 1 into 6 de-coupler/splitter
Revision questions
1. Which emitter/receiver would be suitable for a low level high bit rate system? a. LED and APD. b. Laser and PIN. c. Laser and APD. d. LED and PIN. 2. Where would you use a coupler? a. When joining (mating) two connectors together. b. At each end of a fibre span/link or (point to point) system. c. When connecting a patch lead to a patch panel (ODF). d. When sending multiple signals on a single fibre.
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6. Which Regulation Regulates Laser safety? a. BS EN 50173 b. BS EN 60825 c. ISO 11801 d. BS EN 50174
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5. What does WDM provide? a. Reduce power loss in a system. b. Improve splice loss c. Reduced back reflection. d. Higher frequency/bandwidth & full duplex on a single fibre.
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4. Which of the following is the LEDs main advantage over a Laser? a. Higher frequency than laser. b. Smaller size, aperture than laser. c. Cheaper, more reliable & longer life. d. Operates better than laser over long haul systems.
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3. What wavelength(s) typically do Lasers operate for long haul systems? a. 1300nm and 1550nm. b. 1560nm only. c. 1300nm and 1625nm. d. 1310nm and 1550nm.
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In-door Distribution and splice closures Step and Graded Index Fibre
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Bandwidth, Dispersion and their Relationship
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Understanding Light and its effects
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Fibre Elements, Fibre Physics & Dispersion
Fibre optic elements, Singlemode & Multimode

Optical fibres Used for telecommunication applications are made from pure glass .i.e. Silica (derived from sand) The fibre consists of two all silica materials: Core
Cladding
Fibre is typically referred to by its core and cladding dimension. The Core The central part of the fibre that carries the light.
Dopants/impurities are added to raise its refractive index. Contains less dopants than the core. Has an refractive index less than the core. Provides a physical size capable of handling.
Cladding provides two functions: Acts to confine the light within the core. (first 10%)
Multimode: 62.5m or 50m core (see module 6 for OM fibre types) Named after the multiple modes of light emitted across the surface of an 1. LED light source with each pulse. Typically used in short distance/lower 2. bandwidth systems. LANs. Multimode Fibre: A Fibre with a core diameter much larger than the wave3. length of light transmitted that allows many modes of light to propagate. 4. Commonly used with LED sources. LED - Multimode; With each pulse an LED emits modes of light from across its entire surface. The output power of the LED is split between all the modes of light so multiple modes will need to reach the receiver at the 1. Secondary Coat: 900m correct time to register a 1/on. 2. Primary Coat: 250m 3. Cladding: 125m Singlemode : 8-10m core (see module 6 for OS fibre types) 4. Core: Mode specific Named after the single mode of light emitted from a Laser light source with each pulse. Typically used for long distance/high bandwidth systems. MANs/WANs Singlemode Fibre: A Fibre with a small core, only a few times the wave1. length of light transmitted, that only allows one mode of light to propagate. Commonly used with laser sources. 2. Laser - Singlemode: With each pulse a laser emits a single mode of light, 3. hence Singlemode. Unlike the LED, the lasers output power is in just one 4. mode so the light can travel a longer distance. Laser can also be turned on and off very quickly, much faster than a LED, so a laser can attain a much higher frequency which leads to higher bandwidth.
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Next is the added layers of protection Primary coat A protective acrylic coating applied during the manufacturing process to protect the fibres from damage and environmental factors. Colour can also be added at this stage to provide fibre identification. The primary coat brings the total diameter of a fibre to 250m. Secondary coat This is an additional coating which can be added to provide further protection. As with the primary coat this is added during the manufacturing process and colour can be added for identification purposes. Available in different sizes, typically 400, 600 and 900m, with 900m being the most commonly used.
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The Cladding The surrounding material around the core.
01
Light
When a ray of light is shone at a slab of glass with perfect surface attributes. Two things will occur, light will pass straight through the glass, although a percentage will be reflected back. Refraction A ray of light strikes the glass at an angle, we can see that the light reacts differently. Firstly the reflected portion of the light does not travel back in the direction it came from but leaves the surface at an angle equal to but opposite the angle it struck the glass. Secondly the portion of light that travels through the glass does not travel in a straight line but appears to bend and take a different direction. This is due to the difference in refractive index between the air and glass. The light in the glass will be traveling slower to that in air and thus appears to bend. This is known as refraction. Notice how on exiting the glass the ray of light resumes its original course, this is because the light has increased its speed to that in air.
Glass Slab Ray of Light
Reflection
Refraction
By decreasing the angle at which the ray of light strikes the glass we
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can alter the amount of reflection and refraction. If we vary the angle such that 0% of the light is reflected from the medium and 0% is refracted we will find what is known as the critical angle. Below this angle we will achieve only reflection.
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Critical Angle Angle of Acceptance Angle of Acceptance
The angle at which light no longer reflects or refracts.

Angle(s) of Acceptance
The angle(s) of Acceptance are the angles at which light can enter
Numerical Aperture NA=sin(CA x IOR ) NA = numerical aperture CA = critical angle
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the core of a fibre via refraction. Light striking the fibre beyond these angles will only achieve reflection and will not enter the core.
Light enters within the Numerical Aperture

Angle of Acceptance
IOR = index of refraction of the material from which the light is travelling. (air = 1)
The above formula can be used to determine the numerical

aperture of a fibre. This figure, when quoted, will indicate the ease at which it will accept light into itself for transmission along its length. As a comparison SM fibres will have a much smaller NA than MM. The area between Angles of Acceptance. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates
Numerical Aperture
02
Angle of Acceptance
Cone of acceptance NA is a two dimensional representation. In reality we are dealing with three dimensional objects. Therefore the term cone of acceptance may be used to denote the three dimensional NA of a fibre.
Numerical Aperture gives rise to the Cone of Acceptance
NA
Total Internal reflectance (TIR) If we now shine a ray of light into the side of the glass such that it is within its cone of acceptance, we would want it to remain completely within the glass until it reached the far end i.e. no light is lost along the way. This is due to the light hitting the core cladding interface at an angle less than the critical angle which gives 100% reflection and no refraction. This would be termed as total internal reflectance and is the main principle that enables fibre optic transmission.
Light Propagation
Refract Refract Reflect
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Macro bending Occurs when the fibre is bent into a visible curvature. A relatively large-radius bend in an optical fibre may be found in a splice organizer tray or a fibre-optic cable that has been bent.
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Micro Bending In optical fibre, sharp but microscopic curvatures and imperfections in the core/cladding interface are termed microbends One frequent cause is longitudinal shrinking of the fibre buffer. But it also can result from poor drawing or cable manufacturing methods, installation. Only replacement of the fibre will cure this issue.
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Note: A macro bend will result in no significant radiation loss if it is of sufficiently large radius. The definition of "sufficiently large" depends on the type of fibre. Single-mode fibres have a low numerical aperture, typically less than 0.15, and are therefore are more susceptible to bend losses than other types. Normally, they will not tolerate a minimum bend radius of less than 6.5 to 7.5 cm (2.5 to 3 inches). Certain specialized types of single-mode fibres, however, can tolerate a far shorter minimum bend radius without appreciable loss. A graded-index multimode fibre having a core diameter of 50m and a numerical aperture of 0.20 will typically tolerate a minimum bend radius of not less than 3.8 cm (1.5 inches). The fibres commonly used in customer-premises applications (62.5m core) typically have a relatively high numerical aperture, (approximately 0.27), and can tolerate a bend radius of less than an inch (2.5 cm). www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Total Internal Reflectance (TIR)
Micro Bending Small, Intrinsic, Inherent, Lock in during manufacture
Macro Bending Large, External, Induced Can be minimised or eliminated
03
DISPERSION
Dispersion is the term used to describe the spreading of light pulses as they travel in an optical fibre .This effect will be cumulative along the length of any fibre and will have an impact on the bandwidth the system can effectively cope with. If the dispersion is too high the received signals will begin to merge into one another and the receiver will be unable to distinguish one bit of data from another, dispersion is therefore more of a concern on high bandwidth systems Modal Dispersion is only present in multi-mode fibres. Different modes travelling with different paths of propagation have varying path lengths and so a pulse at one end (made up of many modes) would be spread or dispersed at the other end of the fibre due to the slight path length difference of each mode. As distance and frequency increase, so does the likelihood of dispersion occurring.
Input pulse
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Chromatic Dispersion affects singlemode fibres. Called chromatic dispersion due to the difference in wavelength, or colour of the light and the speeds at which they travel causing a pulse to spread.
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Output pulse Graded and Step Index Fibre The paths the light travels down the different fibres is influenced by the dopant configuration within the core i.e. Graded or Step index, which has an affect on bandwidth and distance. Step index can be found in both multi and single mode fibre and refers to the dopant configuration and IOR being a clear step up from the cladding and remaining constant across the core. This can cause dispersion issues with multi-mode systems running at high frequency (smaller gap between pulses) or over a long distance (more time for pulses to spread). Graded index can only be found in multi-mode fibre and refers to the dopant configuration and IOR of the core gradually increasing towards the centre. This ensures all modes arrive at a similar time at the receiver end of the fibre by slightly slowing down the direct modes traveling in or near the centre while slightly increasing the speed of the indirect modes. This greatly reduces dispersion issues and allows increased system frequency and/or distance. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
Attenuation & Bandwidth Optical attenuation in fibre

Attenuation (loss of power over distance) in fibres is due to a combination of effects:Absorption Rayleigh scatter Dopant dependent Waveguide fluctuations Curvature effects Splice loss or connector loss
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Rays of Propagation Input Pulses
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Representative rays (Symmetrical about fibre axis)
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In simplest terms bandwidth is the amount of information a fibre can carry so that every pulse is distinguishable by the receiver at the end. As previously mentioned dispersion causes light pulses to spread. The spreading of these light pulses causes them to merge together. At a certain distance and frequency, the pulses become unreadable by the receiver. The multiple pathways of a multimode fibre cause this overlap to be much greater than for Singlemode fibre. These different pathways have different lengths, which cause each mode of light to arrive at a different time.
Cladding
System bandwidth is measured in megahertz (MHz) at 1 km. In general, when a systems bandwidth is
100MHz.km, it means that 100 million pulses of light per second will travel down 1 km of fibre, and each pulse will be distinguishable by the receiver. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011 Unit 2&3 Module 3 pg. 05 05
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Absorption Rayleigh scatter -
Loss due to difference between two fibres Loss caused by the scattering of light due to differences in refractive index. Dopant dependant Loss due to level of impurities in fibre Waveguide fluctuations - Differences in waveguide parameters causing fluctuations in loss micro bends Curvature effects Macrobends
Fibre Vs. Copper

High Capacity (Bandwidth) Low Loss Span Long Distances Light Weight Compact Noise Immunity Secure Safe Environmentally Friendly Future Proof Cost Effective Capacity Low loss Light weight Compact In excess of 600,000 simultaneous phone calls 1km = 300g
Up to 340 km without regeneration as opposed to 2km for copper Easier to install ideal for high density applications
Secure Safe Green Future proof Cost effective -
Cannot be tapped without detection
Does not carry electrical current, no risk of sparks, safe in hazardous environments. Almost infinite bandwidth, upgrade system by changing electronics at either end Installation cost may be high but cost per voice channel make it the cheapest medium.
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Copper cable with fibre optic equivalent
Fibre also has the advantage of not suffering from Electrolytic corrosion. Electrolytic corrosion is caused by the chemical reaction between air and copper (oxidisation) and can be found at points of contact between copper interfaces (e.g. Batteries) as a build up of powder residue. The immediate effect of this build, will deviate the electromagnetic field, which can lead to electron drift which in turn, for example, increases attenuation and cross-talk on a copper system.
Fibre Optic Draw backs over copper

Capital cost Training Equipment 06 The initial cost of installing a fibre network is more than that of a copper network. Most installation engineers will have to go through a training program to convert their skills to the fibre field. The cost of equipment to install fibres, splicers, cleavers etc. are high. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Noise immunity - Unaffected by: electromagnetic interference radio frequency interference electrical surges crosstalk
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Revision questions
1. What is the main physical difference between single and multi mode fibres?
a. The speed of the signal sent. b. The core diameter. c. The cladding diameter. d. The outer sheaths/armour protection. 2. How can intermodal dispersion be reduced? a. Increase frequency. b. Reduce distance and/or frequency. c. Lower the loss in the system. d. Change wavelength. 3. Which of the following can provide the highest bandwidth? a. Thicknet coax b. Singlemode fibre c. Cat6 d. Multimode fibre
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6. What does the term Refraction relate to within fibre optics? a. The speed of light in a vacuum b. Bending of light c. TIR d. Back reflection
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5. Which wavelength would be the most susceptible to bending losses? a. 850nm b. 1625nm c. 1310nm d. 1300nm
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4. How would you refer to the 2D representation of the Cone of Acceptance? a. Critical angle b. TIR c. Numerical Aperture d. IOR
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Installation Equipment & Safety Planning
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Environmental Considerations
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Equipment List
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Installation & Preparation Considerations
Environmental considerations
Avoid installing in temperatures below 0C and above 70C or during humidity of above 95% at 60 C Obtain installation specifications from cable suppliers. Outdoor applications require protection regarding: Moisture Protection Temperature UV light Chemicals Tensile strength Abrasion Crushing Rodents Just as silica gel is used to absorb water, fibre will react in the same manner altering its optical characteristics. PVC sheath, Loose tube, Waxed paper tape, gel filled cables, Aluminium tape, Hygroscopic powders. and contraction. Effects differing materials within a cable all with varying rates of expansion With all cables UV will cause a deterioration of the cable sheath if not protected UV stabilisers, carbon black, PVC, hytrel. Ever present in the ground may cause deterioration of the cable. Pulling tensions. Strength members; HT steel, glass fibre rods, glass reinforced During duct pulling; high density polyethylene. armoured( externally or internally). plastics, Kevlar braid.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MOISTURE
TEMPERATURE ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
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INSTALLATION FACTORS TENSILE STRENGTH
ABRASION CRUSHING RODENTS ELECTRICAL / LIGHTNING HAZARDS
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Electrical/lightening - Where needed; Non metallic cables possible.
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Cause lots of cable damage each year; Aluminium, steel tapes, HD plastics.
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During storage first coils must withstand remaining cable weight; loose tube,
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FIBRE OPTIC CABLE INSTALLATION Safety Equipment Procedures

SAFETY Personal Personal - Fibre and cable safety regarding personal injury. COSHH, electrical, underground - gas testing, guarding of manholes, PPE (hats, gloves, boots, high-vis jackets) sign posting, weils disease. Third party Third party - Ensure safety of those you work with and those in the general vicinity of your work area. Diversions if necessary Property & Equipment Property and equipment - ensure safe condition of equipment and has valid calibration and safety certificate. Any discrepancies should be reported immediately. UNDERGROUND INSTALLATIONS CABLE LAYING PULLING METHOD
Rodding Draw Rope -
To be considered
Preparation for a cable installation Installation rules and procedures Cable variants Plenum & LSZH Indoor cables consideration OM1, OM2, OM3 & OS1 Outdoor cables consideration G652, G653, G655 or G657
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Cable Jack Pump Roller Gas Tester Cable Sock Swivel Fused Swivel Comms Link -
Hold cable drum to allow free movement. Clear manholes of any standing water. Guides cable into ducts and reduce friction and sheath damage. To detect poisonous and asphyxiating gases as well as explosive. To grip the outer sheath of the cable, and allows the cable to be drawn. Connects between the cable sock and the draw rope to prevent cable twist. Coupled between draw rope and cable to ensure not to exceed pulling tension. To enable contact between the pulling team and the drum team so correct pulling speed may be maintained and stopped if a problem arises. Used for short lengths instead of draw rope or to install draw rope. To pull the cable though the ducts. Must duct systems will already have draw ropes installed.
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EQUIPMENT LIST
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EQUIPMENT LIST PRETEST NEED TO SITE EQUIPMENT ACCORDINGLY CABLE SPECIFICATIONS
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Written installation program to include: Risk Assessment & Method Statement.
Junction boxes (1.5 - 2.5mtrs) Pit boxes (5-15mtrs Cable) Management/Splice trays (primary coated fibre 1.5 - 2.5 meters) End equipment
Ensure you leave sufficient fibre to maintain minimum bend radius and spare fibre to allow reworking or changes.
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Leaving extra cable/fibre Leave cable slack at all Termination cabinets (allow up to 3m) for panels or cabinets which require relocating.
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Avoid sharp bends (Flattening of Tubes) Use curved cable trays and conduits Lay cables on flat surface Avoid laying heavy objects on cables Avoid kinks and twists during pulling Lay directly off reel Note installation radius and long term radius For a single pull have no more than three 90 changes of direction
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General Installation Rules Inspection of cable: Physical damage; damage in transit etc. Correct cable specifications; correct cable type, components etc. Do not exceed minimum bending radius (Static or Dynamic) provided by manufacturer.
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Pre cable testing (see Stage1 & Stage 2 Testing) Logistics Locations of pulling equipment Precise description of pit box, termination cabinet and splicing tray locations Cable sizes, types, makes etc. Conduit sizes, types, makes etc. Cable tray requirements Cable routes Timetables Road works with Signing and Guarding Responsibilities for team members
03
Always Survey and expect the unexpected Survey all routes and Comms rooms as you may expect one of these (fig.1) but end up with one of these (fig.2). Planning is a vital part when undertaking installation of telecom cable or equipment, allowing identification of any problematic or hazardous routes and the suitability of existing cable management and containment (fig.3).
Fig.1
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Fig.2
Cabling subsystems: Backbone cabling Horizontal cabling
Backbone subsystem (Fibre) Backbone cables
Main cross-connects Horizontal cross-connects Mechanical terminations Patch cords

Horizontal subsystem (fibre or copper) Horizontal cables
Mechanical terminations Patch cords Zone outlets or consolidation point (optional)

04 Unit 2&3 Module 4 pg. 04 www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Spaces: Computer room Telecommunications room Entrance room Main distribution area Horizontal distribution area Zone distribution area Equipment distribution area
Fibre Distribution Frame Features: Bend Radius management
Cross-connect solution On Frame splicing Jumper/patch lead slack storage FC/PC or SC connectors
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Fig.3
10 Gbps Performance Compared

Conventional vs. Laser Optimised 50um Fibre
controlled DMD performance
State of the art 10 Gigabit Ethernet using serial 850nm VCSEL technology: 600m
Low cost sources: 850nm & 1300nm LEDs 850nm lasers at 1 &10 Gbps Lower cost packaging Low cost connectors (flat polish) Higher fibre cost Lower installation cost Lower system cost Higher loss, lower bandwidth Distance to 2km
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Multimode Vs. Singlemode
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High cost sources: 1310nm & 1550nm lasers at 1

&10 Gbps
Higher cost connectors (FC, APC etc.) Higher installation cost Lower fibre cost Higher system cost Lower loss, higher bandwidth Distance to 60km +
Best for Long haul, MANs and WANs
Best For Data centres, premises and LANs
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Conventional multimode fibre limited to 25-82 metres at 10Gbps Conventional fibre bandwidth 200-500 MHz/km Laser Optimised fibre bandwidth 950-4900 MHz/.km Advanced cabling processes yields maximum attenuation typically of 3.0 dB/km with tightly
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1000 Gbps with DWDM Higher cost packaging
05
Revision questions
1. What is the recommended amount of spare fibre to leave at a splice point/management trays?
a. b. c. d. 1.5 - 2.5m 5- 10m 10 - 20m .25 - .5m
2. What equipment ensures you do not to exceed cable pulling tension? a. Use a draw rope b. A swivel c. Rollers d. Fused Swivel/Link 3. For which of the following environmental factors would you consider the use of armour protected cable? a. UV light b. Chemical c. Rodents d. Moisture 4. When routing/installing cable through walls within a building, what must you ensure? a. Fire Stopping b. Air circulation c. EMI protection d. Minimum bend radius 5. When routing/installing fibre optic cable, what main issue may induce unnecessary losses in the system? a. EMI b. Bending c. WDM d. COSHH
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Fibre Optic Tooling
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Fibre Tooling & Fibre Preparation
Cable laying planning

Carried out by the design engineers Rodding Draw rope To ensure the duct will take the cable. This need only be done if there is not one already installed.
Drum setting - This must be in a secure and stable position as well as providing a smooth route for the pre-tested cable to the duct. Pulling in Test Fixing Test Ensuring pulling tensions are not exceeded and all safety aspects are followed. Ensure the cable was not damaged during pulling. Joint the cable were necessary and fix enclosures and cables securely to manhole brackets.
permanently recorded for future reference. Cable Specification Pulling tension
When pulling in a cable two parameters must be known:
Maximum bend radius There are two figures for bend radius:
Static - The max bend after installation without causing degradation to system Dynamic - Max bend during installation without causing damage to system Cable preparation The starting point for any cable preparation is the stripping of the outer sheaths. Although various tools can be used it is always good practice to use a dedicated sheath stripper. Before stripping sheath check the blade depth. Exceeding the sheath depth will damage the internal components and possibly the fibres themselves.
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All tensions should be calculated prior to installation at the planning stage as the cable selection will depend on the layout of the duct system being utilised.
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All cable will have a specified maximum pulling tension provided by the manufacturer, which should NOT should be exceeded otherwise permanent damage could occur. Hand pulling is unlikely to exceed this tension. Where mechanical winches and pulling equipment is used, ensure a fusing is provided between both winch and cable to avoid exceeding max pulling tension.
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Ensure the completed installation complies with all planned specifications and
01
Above: Stripping internal cable with a generic stripper.
Below: Stripping external cable with a Kabifix stripper.
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Fig.5
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Fig.1: Check blade depth is correct, then a circular cut is made about 6-8inches from the end of the cable. Fig.2: By firmly pulling the stripper up the cable a vertical cut is made to the end,. The sheath can then be peeled away. Fig.3 6-8 inches is stripped from the end to reveal the rip cords and lets you double check the blade depth by looking for any signs of damage to the inner components. By removing just the top 6-8 inches of sheath, any damage caused before final blade depth is set can simply be ignored as there should be sufficient slack to pull through. Fig.4. After making a second circular cut at the desired strip length, pull the ripcord towards the second circular cut. Fig.5. The sheath should now easily peel away, if not the second rip cord (if available) can be used.
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Fig.3 Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
Kevlar (aramid yarn) scissors The correct cutting tool should be used when removing Kevlar yarn. Special Kevlar scissors or cutters are available and are either specially sharpened or have a special coating on the blades to allow them to cut the Kevlar without blunting the blade. Normal cutter will blunt very quickly when used.
Left: Generic secondary coat stripers.
Primary Coat Strippers Essential they are kept clean and not used on any other materials i.e. copper, that will damage the grooves, this in turn can damage the cladding, When stripping, angle the strippers away from you as this will aid the primary coating stripping process, and close the hole gap on worn strippers. Remember this tool removes down to the cladding, NOT the cladding as some trainees misinterpret, as removal of the cladding would be impossible. Left: Miller strippers, one of the most common types of stripper.
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Right: Stripping with tri-hole strippers using the 250m hole.
Right: Stripping with tri-hole strippers using the 125m hole. www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011 Unit 2&3 Module 5 pg. 03 03
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Secondary coat strippers The tool of choice for 250m, 400m and 900m coatings, although some engineers utilise the primary coated tool for an all in one removal of secondary and primary in one go. This is not best practice for all secondary coated fibres from different manufacturers, and may induce additional tension on fibre causing macro or micro bending issues.
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Loose tube cutter When using a loose tube cutter it is important to check and set the blade depth to the tube being cut. The blade should not cut all the way through the tube but just far enough to enable it to break easily. This ensures the fibres within the tube will not be damaged by the blade..
Revision questions
1. What should be checked prior to using either a sheath or loose tube stripper? a. Cable type b. Blade depth c. Blade thickness d. Cable weight 2. When pulling cable, what are the main considerations an installer needs to know? a. Refractive Index b. Critical Angle c. Bend radius & Pulling Tension d. WDM 3. Select two secondary coating sizes from below? a. 900m b. 125m c. 250m d. 400m
04
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5. Which tools would you use to prepare various loose tube cables? a. Primary Coat Strippers, Secondary Coat Strippers, Sheath Strippers, Loose Tube Cutters ,Aramid Yarn Scissors (Kevlar) b. Primary Coat Strippers, Secondary Coat Strippers, Sheath Strippers, Loose Tube Cutters. c. Primary Coat Strippers, Sheath Strippers, Loose Tube Cutters ,Aramid Yarn Scissors (Kevlar) d. Primary Coat Strippers, Secondary Coat Strippers, Loose Tube Cutters ,Aramid Yarn Scissors (Kevlar)
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4. What is the purpose of the rip cords within a cable? a. To suspend the cable from fixings b. To strip sheath coating c. To tie back excess cable components d. Securing of cable into joint/enclosure
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G651, G652, G653, G655 & G657
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Fibre Types & Fibre ITU Standards
OM & OS fibre types

(Optical Multimode & Optical Singlemode) In all the standards the OM/OS system applies to cabled optical fibre within the premises. Here are the cabling standards dealing with cables and connecting hardware. Even though they call the OM/OS scheme OF types, ISO/IEC 11801 and 24702 make it clear that the designation OM1, OM2, OM3, OS1 and OS2 relate to cable transmission performance. The BS EN 50173 series describes the OM/OS scheme as optical fibre cable categories
Category
Maximum Attenuation 850 nm
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Maximum Attenuation
1300 nm 1.5dB/km 1.5dB/km 1.5dB/km
OM1 OM2 OM3 Wavelength nm
3.5dB/km 3.5dB/km 3.5dB/km
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OS2 0.4 dB/km 0.4 dB/km 0.4 dB/km
1310 1383 1550
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Max Loss (dB/km) 3.5 1.5 3.5 1.5 3.5 1.5 3.5 1.5
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OFL-BW 200 500 500 500 1500 500 3500 500 850 1300 850 1300 850 1300 850 1300
Not specified 1.0 dB/km
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EMB NA NA NA NA 2000 NA 4700 NA
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Bandwidth MHz/km
Fibre Type
Wavelength (nm)
OFL - BW OverFilled Launch BandWidth (LED driven) EMB Effective Modal BandWidth (Laser driven) LO = Laser Optimised
OM1 62.5um OM2 50um OM3 LO 50um OM4 LO 50um
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Multimode Link Distance Support

LO = Laser optimised fibre Transceiver 10/40/100 Gb/s 10GBaseSR 10GBase-LX4 10GBase-LRM 40GBase-SR4 (draft) 100GBaseSR10 (draft) Wavelength 850nm Serial VCEL 1300/1310 nm CWDM Laser 1300nm Serial Laser 850nm Parallel VCEL array 850nm Parallel VCEL array OM1 62.5m 33m 300m* 220m* NA OM2 50m 82m 300m* 220m* NA OM3 LO 50m 300m 300m 220m 100m OM4 LO 50m 550m 300m 220m 125m OS1 8-10m NA 10,000m NA NA
Why not just use Single-mode

Although singlemode cabling costs less than multimode, the total link can cost over three times higher due to the active equipment (Laser/APD transceivers).
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40Gb/s @ 250m
* Mode conditioning patch leads
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NA 100m
XR 40G-SR4 12 fibre OM4 40G-lR4 2 fibre Singlemode
125m
NA
Active Equipment Installed Cable
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Relative Cost
10G-SR 2 fibre OM3
10G-SR4 8 fibre OM3
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ITU (International Telecoms Union) Fibre types & standards

Multimode Fibre with a 50 micron Core (G.651) The ITU-T G.651 is an MMF with a 50m nominal core diameter and a 125m nominal cladding diameter with a graded refractive index. This fibre is optimized for use in the 1300nm band. It can also operate in the 850nm band. Standard Singlemode Fibre (G.652) SMF The ITU-T G.652 fibre is also known as standard SMF and is the most commonly deployed fibre. This fibre has a simple step-index structure and is optimized for operation in the 1310nm band. It has a zero dispersion wavelength at 1310nm and can also operate in the 1550nm band, but it is not optimised for this region. (G.652 is available in different variants to suit requirement) Dispersion-Shifted Fibre (G.653) DSF Conventional SMF has a zero-dispersion wavelength that falls near the 1310nm window while DSF has been shifted to around the 1550-nm wavelength where the attenuation is minimum. The DSFs are optimized for operating in the region between 1500 to 1600nm. 1550nm Loss-Minimized Fibre (G.654) The G.654 fibre is optimized for operation in the 1500nm to 1600nm region. This fibre has a low loss in the 1550nm band. Low loss is achieved by using a pure silica core. G.654 fibres can handle higher power levels and have a larger core area. These fibres have a high chromatic dispersion at 1550nm. The G.654 fibre has been designed for extended long-haul undersea applications. Non-zero Dispersion Shifted Fibre (G.655) NZDSF fibre has the zero-dispersion wavelength shifted to outside the 1550nm operating window. The practical effect of this is to have a small but finite amount of chromatic dispersion at 1550nm, which minimizes dispersion issues which are seen in the dense wavelength-division multiplexed (DWDM) systems without the need for costly dispersion compensation. Compliant Bend Insensitive Fibre (G.657) G.657 fibres are the new comers in the market, but became a super hit in the FTTH market. More and more installers are looking for G.657 fibres. As the name indicates, the bend insensitive fibres are suitable for applications where multiple bends will be present. Insensitivity to bends makes them suitable for installation at home and office environment. G.657B can be bend at 7.5mm radius and less for some manufacturers.
Bandwidth
100Gbps
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GI 550m 1Km
10Gbps
1Gbps
Multimode
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Singlemode G.655 Singlemode G.652 G.653
10Km
Transmission Distance 03
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Multi-fibre cables
Individual fibres in a multi-fibre cable are often distinguished from one another by colour-coded jackets or buffers on each fibre. The identification scheme used by manufacturers is based on EIA/ TIA-598, "Optical Fibre Cable Colour Coding." EIA/TIA-598 defines identification schemes for fibres, buffered fibres, fibre units, and groups of fibre units within outside plant and premises optical fibre cables. This standard allows for fibre units to be identified by means of a printed legend. This method can be used for identification of fibre ribbons and fibre subunits. The legend will contain a corresponding printed numerical position number and/or colour for use in identification.
Fibre # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Jacket colour Blue Orange Green Brown Slate White Red Black Yellow Violet Rose Aqua 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Fibre #
Jacket colour Blue with black tracer Orange with black tracer Green with black tracer Brown with black tracer Slate with black tracer White with black tracer Red with black tracer Black with yellow tracer Yellow with black tracer Violet with black tracer Rose with black tracer Aqua with black tracer
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Revision questions
1. Which of the following is a NZDS fibre? a. G.653 b. G.652 c. G.656 d. G.655 2. Multimode fibre with a 62.5m core is which new fibre type? a. OM1 b. OS1 c. OM3 d. OM4
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5. What is the loss of a OS2 fibre operating at 1550nm? a. 0.35dB/Km b. 0.20 dB/Km c. 0.4 dB/Km d. 0.15 dB/Km
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4. What is the size and fibre type of a OM3 fibre? a. 50/125 single-mode b. 9/125 single-mode c. 62.5/125 multi-mode d. 50/125 multi-mode
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3. 1310nm is a wavelength used with which type of fibre? a. OM1 b. OS1 c. OM2 d. OM4
Notes
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Understanding Cable Uses and Purposes
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Cable Elements - Fibre Elements
INDOOR CABLE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

ATTRIBUTES SIZE
FLEXIBILITY & WEIGHT HORIZONTAL INSTALLATIONS VERTICAL OR RISER INSTALLATIONS FIRE RETARDENT (LSZH) LOW SMOKE ZERO HALOGEN EASE OF TERMINATION LABELLING
Flexibility Horizontal Vertical Type of strength member, coatings used. Lightweight construction All types suitable Avoid loose tube or gel filled as gravity will take over
LSZHTermination -
Remember that internal cables are going to encounter more bends and less environmental issues (moisture & crushing) so they require less protection than exterior cables but do need to be lightweight and flexible to negotiate the route though a building.
BARE FIBRE SECONDARY COATED FIBRE RIBBON FIBRE SINGLE RUGGEDISED STRANDED SECONDARY COATED OR DISTRIBUTION CABLES BREAKOUT CABLES LOOSE TUBE CABLES ARMOURED CABLES
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BASIC CABLE AND FIBRE TYPES
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Labelling -
A suitable colour scheme, usually utilising the red/green mode as for loose tubes.
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Low smoke zero halogen. Prevent injuries and deaths as a result of being overcome by toxic fumes from the fire. Internal cables must have a low smoke output and zero halogen. Either pre-terminated cables (which can be costly and the exact length of the installation must be known prior to installation), splicing of pig tails or field installable connectors.
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Fire retardant - Internal cabling regulations stipulate all cables must be fire retardant for a specified duration of exposure to enable fire crews to arrive and prevent the spread of fire along the cable to adjoining areas.
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Size -
Number of fibres, type of coatings ( primary, secondary or tight jacket.)
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Distribution Any cable that goes from point to point to provide connectivity. Typically to distribute fibre between floors and to the TOs within an internal environment via patch panels/ODFs (Optical Distribution Fame). Can be loose tube (top) or tight buffered (bottom). Breakout The term breakout refers to the use of the cable to change type (external - internal/loose tube - tight buffered) and/or fibre count (1x72cores to 3x24 cores) of another. Any cable type can be broken out, to service various areas within an installation, therefore it refers more to the use than the cable type. Tight buffered Secondary coated fibre typically found in an internal environment. The secondary coat (buffer) is tight to the primary coat. Good examples of tight buffered fibre are pig tails and patch cords.
Single Ruggedised Flexible, durable, individual Aramid yarn/Kevlar protection and designed to be frequently handled. Patch Cords are the best example of ruggedised cables
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Loose tube Primary coated fibre within a gel filled tube. Gel provides moisture protection and is typically petroleum based. The primary coated fibres allow for a high fibre count. Cable of choice for external use but can be used internally providing the gel is non-flammable and service loops are added when rising (vertical installations) between floors to provide strain relief and to reduce gel migration. The cable to the right is a double sheathed, SWA (Steel-WireArmour) external loose tube cable.
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Loose tight buffered Similar to tight buffered except that the secondary coat (buffer coating) is loose over the primary coat, this is to minimise macro/ micro bending issues when bending is applied which will apply pressure to the fibres.
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Cable Construction
Fibre Protection Strength Members Moisture Barriers Armour Types
Sheath Materials Fibre Protection Two Basic Styles Tight buffer Loose tube Strength Member Types Aramid yarn Steel Glass rod (RBG)
Interstitial gel Water Blocking Tape Water Blocking Yarn Non Metallic MB (PE)
Steel tape armour Steel wire braid Glass yarn
Nylon (chemical resistant) Sheath Materials Halogenated Materials
Traditional cable sheath - PVC
Low Smoke, Zero Halogen Materials
Flame Retardant LSF/0H cable sheath for indoor and universal cables Polyethylene
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Steel wire armour (SWA)
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Metallic MB AL/PE Armour Types
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Glass yarn Moisture Barriers
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Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011 Unit 2&3 Module 7 pg. 03 03
Loose Tube Cables Multiple Loose Tube
Central Strength Member Six or more gel filled tubes or fillers laid around the centre Up to 144 fibres
Uni-tube - One gel filled tube Strength member around central tube 24 fibres maximum
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Revision questions
1. Which cable type is most suited to meet regulations for internal use? a. LSZH b. OPGW c. ADSS d. Blown Fibre Bundles 2. Loose Tube Cable contains which fibre type? a. Tight buffered b. Primary coated c. Loose tight buffered d. Single ruggedised 3. Which cable type is predominantly used externally? a. Tight Buffered b. Ruggedised c. LSZH d. Loose Tube
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5. Select the elements you may find within an external fibre optic cable? a. Armour, Loose Tube, Aramid Yarn, Aluminium Foil, PVC Sheath, High Tensile Strength Member b. Armour, Loose Tube, Aramid Yarn, Secondary Coating, PVC Sheath, High Tensile Strength Member c. Armour, Loose Tube, Gel, Aluminium Foil, PVC Sheath, High Tensile Strength Member
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4. Prior to removal of cable from a drum it is recommended by the standards to? a. Reduce insertion loss, check internal/external characteristics, attenuation and max. pulling tension b. Check cable length, internal/external characteristics, attenuation and reduce refractive index c. Check cable length, internal/external characteristics, attenuation and max. pulling tension d. Check cable length, back reflection value, attenuation and max. pulling tension
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In-door Distribution and splice closures
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Enclosures, ODFs & Patch panels
Internal Enclosures
Patch panel/ODF Requirements:
Point of Entry with Cable Gland: Provides strain relief and anchors the cable. Fibre management: Containment for the fibres to maintain acceptable bend radius and position. Splice management/brace: Holds splices in place. Bulkheads/adapters/uniters: Provides interfaces. Laser Safety/Radiation labels: Indicates class 2 and above light source hazard.
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www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011 Unit 2&3 Module 8 pg. 01 01
Fibre Cabinets & Racks

Features to look for: Patch, Splice cassette and trunk cable support
Expanded front and rear access Bi-directional fibre management trays Patch cord management, hook/loop lances Large chassis for improves fibre organisation High capacity splice trays Accessible and reusable labelling
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External Enclosure
External enclosures come in three basic types:
INLINE - (TRUNK) MULTI (TRUNK OR BRANCH JOINT) CAP ENDED - (TRUNK)

REQUIREMENTS
MEANS OF CABLE SEALING
enclosure that when closed provide enough pressure to form a water tight seal.
In some circumstances the enclosure can be filled with an inert gas or pressurised air to provide a pressure seal. FIBRE MANAGEMENT Fibre management is required to store (dress) the excess fibre neatly within the joint/enclosure. Typical length of excess fibres should be around 2.5m. This provides enough extra fibre for repairs/reworks and for the installer to work comfortably and neatly in the available work space.
Bend limiting fibres by routing through bend limiting polyethylene tubing. Fibre organisation units - trays. Framework to route tubes.
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Intumescent seals: A seal that expands in excessive heat to prevent spreading of fire.
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the enclosure.
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Resin potting: A moisture resistant resin is used to seal the entry points of the enclosure. Heat shrink sleeves: A rubber sleeve is heat shrunk with a heat gun around the entry points to seal
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Environmental sealing of enclosure. Method of entry. Sealing of cables. Anchoring of cables. Bend limiting of fibres. Fibre organisation. Splice management and organisation. Labelling of hazards e.g. laser warnings
Examples of External enclosures/joints
Multi Entry Enclosure 1.
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In-Line Type Enclosure 3.
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Multi Entry Enclosure 2. In-Line Type Enclosure 4. Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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The enclosures above show good and poor dressing of the fibres, you may be asked to provide your views on the above.
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Revision questions.
1. What is the preferred length of spare fibre within a joint/enclosure? a. 10m b. 1.5 - 2.5m c. .3 - 5m 2. Which of the following are requirements for an joint/enclosure? a. Resistant to EMI b. Rip cord anchor c. Connector housing d. Fibre/splice management and organisation
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6. Why should you consider leaving additional Cable / fibre within Joints, ODFs & Cable Pits? a. To avoid damage when the cable contract and expands due to environmental changes b. To provide addition spare for reworks, changes & ease of work c. To induce loss in the system, so less power is received at the Photo-Diode d. To assist in cable identification
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5. When completing a joint or ODF what must you ensure, with regards to safety labels? a. Time and date installed b. Fragile components inside c. Laser classification and /or Radiation warning d. Meter marks
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4. To avoid the cable moving within the joint you must; a. Ensure the loose tubes are fitted correctly b. Ensure the strength members is secured c. Ensure there is sufficient management trays d. Ensure the splices have low loss
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3. When dressing fibres into the management trays what would you consider? a. Bend radius b. Sealing c. Correct refractive index is used d. Back reflection
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Types of Fusion Splicer
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Mechanical Splices
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Fusion Splicing & Splice Issues
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Splicing
Splicing
What is splicing? Simplest terms - the joining of two fibres. Why do we splice? To join cables
To repair damaged cables permanently or temporarily To join cables to pre-terminated connectors To provide a low loss connection between two fibres
Types of splicing Mechanical Mechanical Splices Areas of application
Mechanical Splice types
Temporary These type are typically used for testing purposes and are easily reusable.
Additional Information Temporary repair or test a bare fibre. The general consensus is mechanical splices are a temporary solution, due to the use of the gel which is used to mimic the cores index i.e. 1.4648 to minimise back reflection and improve performance. This gel is however a liquid and will be affected more or less by the environment i.e. heat, ageing and moisture etc. and will degrade with time. 01
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The Elastomeric Splice is one of the best type used for testing, see the diagram below and its simplicity and value for money become apparent. For mechanical splices you prepare the fibre in the same way as you would for fusion splicing, with cleave lengths varying between manufacturers.
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Semi-permanent -Used for temporary repairs or areas in which fusion splicing may not be possible. Typically will not be easily reusable as they will be crimp sealed in order to provide a stronger splice .
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Confined Areas Where You Cannot Fusion Splice Explosive Areas Testing non-terminated Fibres Temporary Repairs
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Fusion
Fusion Splicing
Ideal for Single-mode fibre due to true core alignment More expensive than cladding alignment splicer's Ideal where cores in fibre are not concentric (centred)
2.Cladding Alignment
Fusion Splices will always be the preferred choice being:-
Cheaper, smaller and more reliable

And having:
Losses below 0.03dB are easily achievable by modern Core to Core alignment fusion splicer's
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Low loss, Less Back reflection and Core Alignment
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Note: All losses provided by fusion splicer's are only estimated. The user should also visually assess the splice using the splicers video screen.
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Ideal for multi-mode fibre where the core diameter is large Less expensive than core alignment Can splice multi and single mode, but in cladding alignment
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Fusion Splicer's typically come in two types: 1. Core Alignment
Splicing and Cleaving Issues

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE GOOD RESULTS, ITS ESSENTIAL FIBRES ARE PREPARED PROPERLY AND THE ENDS ARE SQUARE AFTER CLEAVING STEPS FOR FUSION SPLICING CLEAN FIBRE STRIP FIBRE CLEAN FIBRE CLEAVE FIBRE FUSE FIBRES PROTECT
Warning:- never clean after cleaving fibre, unless you have touched or contaminated the cleaved fibre prior to splicing. Contamination is the main cause of bubbles when fusion splicing fibres. Cleaving issues Good cleave Bad cleave/High angle Hackle/Bur Dirty fibre
Coating left on
Bubble
Separation
Too Thin
Too Fat
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Splicing issues
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Differences in core diameters Light travelling from a larger diameter fibre to a smaller diameter fibre. But no loss with the reverse scenario
For 50 m fibres +/- 3 m possible Mismatch 53 m to 47 mm gives 21 % (1 dB) loss 62.5 m to 50 m gives 35% (1.9 dB) loss
V-Grooves
PAS Alignment System The fibres are aligned by viewing the real and virtual image with the use of a CCD and mirror. This method can adjust for fibre core concentricity issues (Core Centred within cladding).
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Electrodes
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Revision questions
1. Where would you not use a fusion splicer? a. Dusty Environment b. Where there is flammable/explosive gases c. Direct Sunlight d. Windy Conditions 2. What would most likely cause a bubble when fusion slicing fibres? a. Bad angle b. Contamination on the end of the fibre c. Coating left on d. Hackle/Bur
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5. You are splicing a single mode fibre, the losses are constantly high what might be the problem? a. The splice protector heater is set incorrectly b. The cleave length is incorrect c. The splice mode setting is set to multimode (Cladding Alignment) d. The primary coating is left on
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4. Which of the following describes the process for splicing? a. Clean, Cleave, Clean, Splice, Protect b. Clean, Strip, Clean, Cleave, Splice, Protect c. Clean, Strip, Cleave, Splice, Protect d. Strip, Cleave, Clean, Splice, Protect
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3. Which method is used when fusion splicing multi-mode fibre? a. Core to Core alignment b. Mechanical c. Cladding alignment d. Coating alignment
Notes
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Notes
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Connectors Adapters Polish Variations
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Connector, Adapters & Polishes
Connector types
ST Connectors & Adapter Applications Local Area Networks (LANs) Data Processing Networks Premise Installations Instrumentation Features Bayonet style housing for easy termination Epoxy and epoxy-less versions High precision alignment Relatively low insertion loss and back reflection
The SC/PC connector incorporates a Physical Contact (PC) curved polish ferrule end-face that greatly reduces loss and back reflection over a ferrule with a flat end-face. Connector Description The Subscription Channel (SC) Connector is known for its locking mechanism which gives a audible click when pushed in or pulled out. This push-pull design prevents rotational misalignment. The SC Angled Physical Contact (APC) connector combines a curved ferrule end-face with an 8o angle which virtually eliminates all back reflection.
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Applications CATV Metro Active device termination Test equipment Telecommunications networks Local Area Networks (LANs) Data processing networks Premise installations Wide Area Networks (WANs) Industrial, medical & Military
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SC Connectors & Adapters
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Connector Description The ST (Straight Tip) connector has a bayonet-style housing and a long spring-loaded ferrule to hold the fibre. The ST is one of the older generations of connector but is still widely used for multimode networks including LANs for buildings and campuses. Also available in epoxy free versions for quick field termination. ST simplex adapters are available with metal housing, with a choice of phosphor bronze or zirconia split sleeve. The duplex is available in either metal or plastic housing. Mount style is horizontal.
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FC/PC Face Contact/ Physical Contact Applications CATV Metro Active device termination Test equipment Telecommunications networks Local Area Networks (LANs) Data processing networks Premise installations Wide Area Networks (WANs) Industrial, medical & Military Features Low insertion loss and back refection One piece construction and pull-proof design Free floating ceramic ferrule Precision anti-rotation key Corrosion resistant body (Nickel plated brass) FC/APC
FC/PC
Features Compact, pull-proof design Low insertion loss & back reflection High precision alignment Behind the Wall (BTW) style short connector & boot Description The LC family of single and multimode connectors are small form factor (SFF) and are ideal for high density applications. A Behind the Wall (BTW) version is available with short connector body and boot for ultra compact requirements. The LC has a ferrule diameter of 1.25mm and can be polished to a PC or APC end-face for optimum reduction in loss and back-reflectance. The LC adapters are available in simplex and duplex configurations and feature self adjusting panel latches and a choice of mounting orientations. 02 Unit 2&3 Module 10 pg. 02 www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011
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Applications Gigabit Ethernet Video Active Device Termination Premise Installations Telecommunications Networks Multimedia Industrial Military
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LC Connector
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Description The FC/PC connector incorporates a Physical Contact (PC) curved fibre end-face that greatly reduces backreflection over the regular FC connector with a flat end face ferrule. The FC/PC connector is available in both sing le and multimode versions. The FC/APC (Angled Physical Contact) connector combines a curved end-face with a 8o angle which virtually eliminates backreflection.
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Connector variants
Fibre-Optic Cable Termination There are many types of optical connectors. The one you use depends on the equipment you are using it with and the application you are using it on. The connector is a mechanical device mounted on the end of a fibre-optic cable, light source, receiver, or housing. The connector allows the fibre-optic cable, light source, receiver, or housing to be mated to a similar device. The connector must direct light and collect light and must be easily attached and detached from equipment. A connector marks a place in the premises fibre-optic data link where signal power can be lost and the BER can be affected by a mechanical connection. Of the many different connector types, those for glass fibre-optic cable and plastic fibre-optic cable are discussed in this chapter. Other considerations for terminations are repeatability of connection and vibration resistance. Physical termination density is another consideration. Commonly used fibre-optic connectors are discussed in the following subsections. Fibre-Optic Connectors FC Connectors These connectors are used for single-mode and multimode fibre-optic cables. FC connectors offer extremely precise positioning of the fibre-optic cable with respect to the transmitter's optical source emitter and the receiver's optical detector. FC connectors feature a position locatable notch and a threaded receptacle. FC connectors are constructed with a metal housing and are nickel-plated. They have ceramic ferrules and are rated for 500 mating cycles. The insertion loss for matched FC connectors is 0.25 dB. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for FC connectors. SC Connectors SC connectors are used with single-mode and multimode fibre-optic cables. They offer low cost, simplicity, and durability. SC connectors provide for accurate alignment via their ceramic ferrules. An SC connector is a push-on, pull-off connector with a locking tab. Typical matched SC connectors are rated for 1000 mating cycles and have an insertion loss of 0.25 dB. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for SC connectors. ST Connectors The ST connector is a keyed bayonet connector and is used for both multimode and single-mode fibre-optic cables. It can be inserted into and removed from a fibre-optic cable both quickly and easily. Method of location is also easy. ST connectors come in two versions: ST and ST-II. These are keyed and spring-loaded. They are push-in and twist types. ST connectors are constructed with a metal housing and are nickel-plated. They have ceramic ferrules and are rated for 500 mating cycles. The typical insertion loss for matched ST connectors is 0.25 dB. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for ST connectors. LC Connectors LC connectors are used with single-mode and multimode fibre-optic cables. The LC connectors are constructed with a plastic housing and provide for accurate alignment via their ceramic ferrules. LC connectors have a locking tab. LC connectors are rated for 500 mating cycles. The typical insertion loss for matched LC connectors is 0.25 dB. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for LC connectors. MT-RJ Connectors MT-RJ connectors are used with single-mode and multimode fibre-optic cables. The MT-RJ connectors are constructed with a plastic housing and provide for accurate alignment via their metal guide pins and plastic ferrules. MT-RJ connectors are rated for 1000 mating cycles. The typical insertion loss for matched MT-RJ connectors is 0.25 dB for SMF and 0.35 dB for MMF. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for MT-RJ connectors. MTP/MPO Connectors MTP/MPO connectors are used with single-mode and multimode fibre-optic cables. The MTP/MPO is a connector manufactured specifically for a multi-fibre ribbon cable. The MTP/MPO single-mode connectors have an angled ferrule allowing for minimal back reflection, whereas the multimode connector ferrule is commonly flat. The ribbon cable is flat and appropriately named due to its flat ribbonlike structure, which houses fibres side by side in a jacket. The typical insertion loss for matched MTP/MPO connectors is 0.25 dB. From a design perspective, it is recommended to use a loss margin of 0.5 dB or the vendor recommendation for MTP/MPO connectors.
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REGARDLESS OF TYPE:- ALL CONNECTORS ARE MADE UP OF THREE BASIC PARTS 1. Back end /Boot - provides strain relief and bend limiting 2. Body - provides a locking/latching mechanism to adapters or active equipment interfaces.
3. Ferrule - precision alignment of the fibre
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Connector polishes
Type
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The finish of the end of the ferrule is called the polish and can come in a variety of forms to suit different performance situations. Insertion Loss dB Typical area of application
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Back End
Body
Ferrule
Flat/Straight
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Common MM connector. Short Haul telephony & data > 0.5dB Common SM connector Medium/long haul telephony & data
> -14dBm
PC (Physical Contact)
< -30dBm
0.1 - 0.3dB
APC (Angled Physical Contact) <-60dBm > 0.3dB
High Speed telecoms, CATV and video. Typically used in SM only.
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Performance parameters
Insertion Loss
The magnitude of loss introduced on insertion of a connector. This attenuates the incoming
signal the stated amount
A small dB value indicates better performance.

Back Reflectance
This gives a value of the amount of light that is reflected by the connector. A large negative dBm value indicates better performance.
Fibre connector of the straight type, such as FC/PC
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Insertions loss of 0.1dB to 0.3dB Return Loss/Back reflectance of up to 45dBm
The main requirements for a good connector are: - Insertion loss - Return loss - Repeatability - Durability/Reliability
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Fibre connector of the angled contact-type type, such as FC/APC
8 degree angle on polished face Insertions loss of 0.2dB to 0.5dB Return Loss/Back reflectance of 60dBm or more.
- Straight contact - Straight non contact - Angled contact - Angled non contact
There are some general groups of connectors:
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Back Reflectance 1 face
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Glass to Air to Glass (GAG) With connectors not only is there reflection from the first glass air interface but also from the second. If this back reflectance is of sufficient power it may cause the source to become unstable and your system will become unreliable. You can minimise back reflection by using different types of polish Back Reflectance 2 faces
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Connector back reflectance
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Common connector problems

Core Diameter Mismatch
Lateral/Concentricity Misalignment
Core diameter mismatch. Numerical aperture

mismatch.
A variation of 5um causes a loss of 1dB. Angular Misalignment
Surface Finish
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Lateral misalignment. End face separation. Angular misalignment. Surface finish. Concentricity problems.
A variation of 5um causes a loss of 0.6dB.
For every 10 of misalignment a loss of 0.2dB is induced. End Face separation
For pitted surfaces, losses in excess of 1dB my be induced.
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Each air/glass, glass/air interface induces a 0.17dB loss. For every 5um of separation a loss of 0.1dB is induced.
The adapter can become contaminated, or connectors incorrectly inserted which affects mating
alignment.
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Addition to Connector Loss The uniter, adapter , bulkhead or in-liner to mention a few names given to the interface device used to join two connectors, the most common name is the adapter. The adapter can be equally responsible for high losses when mating connectors.
Connector problems & identification
Visual Inspection Criteria As can be seen on the diagram below the ferrule on a terminated connector is split in two for the purpose of visual inspection. The inspection will be made with the use of hand held microscope with at least 200x magnification. Outer cladding Any scratch chip or imperfection that appears in this area is acceptable so long as it does not cover in excess of 25% of the circumference of the ferrule. Inner Cladding and Core Any imperfection that falls within the bounds of the inner cladding will mean an immediate fail. Further polishing will be required or the connector removed and a new termination made.
Connector Boot
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Blue Physical Contact (PC), 0 Green Black Grey, Beige White Red
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Comment
mostly used for single mode fibres; some manufacturers use this for polarization-maintaining fibre. not available for multimode fibres multimode fibre connectors High optical power. Sometimes used to connect external pump lasers or Raman pumps.
It is also possible that a small part of a connector is additionally colour-coded, e.g. the leaver of an E-2000 connector or a frame of an adapter. This additional colour coding indicates the correct port for a patch cord, if many patch cords are installed at one point.
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Field Installable Connectors Hot cure epoxy and polish (pot & polish) Cold cure/anaerobic Hot melt UV cured Crimp and cleave Pre-stubbed Factory terminated and spliced onto main cable
The connector is the beginning and end of the fibre, the most important part of the system and where a high percentage of problems occur providing bad launch and high losses.
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Machine Polished Connectors in pigtail or patch cords achieves a low loss and back reflection values, and prepares the super, angled and super angled connectors types.
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Cleaving Field Installable Connectors preparing for hand polishing methods typically only deployed for Multi-Mode systems due to only flat polish achievable by hand polishing methods, not advisable on single mode systems or where connected to lasers, as the high back reflection by a flat polish can be as high as 10dBm, which can compromise the lasers performance.
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Hand polishing
Although pigtails are the preferred method for terminating fibres, hand polishing is still a useful skill. Note: Only multimode systems should be considered for hand polishing due to the type and quality of the polish which can be achieved.
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Fig. 4 Forth stage, how the connector will look when you inspect the end face after polishing with a fine grade paper, Check that no scratches are visible within the core and inner cladding region
Fig. 5 This image demonstrates pitting and scratching to the connector ferrule and fibre. Always check the inner cladding region for any damage. This connector may be repairable buy polishing with a medium paper then finish with the fine (finishing) paper. This damage is also evident with patch cords due to excessive use and again may be repairable.
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Fig. 3 Third stage, how the connector will look if you were to inspect the end face after polishing with a medium grade paper. Check that none of the deep scratches from the previous stage are visible before going to the last stage 4. If any deep scratches remain or appear then check your polishing film and surface for any contamination or imperfections.
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Fig. 2 Second stage, how the connector will look if you were to inspect the end face after using the same course grade as the air polish, this will polish the fibre close to the connector end face..
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Fig. 1 First stage, how the connector will look if you were to inspect the end face after an air polish where you remove the small stub of protruding fibre with a course grade of polishing film.
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Revision questions
1. Which part of a connector provides the interfacing of two connectors? a. Backend b. Ferrule c. Body d. Boot 2. Which of the following connector types would best suit a video system? a. ST b. APC c. FC/PC d. LC
7. Which of the following polishes can be achieved with a field installable connector? a. Angled b. Flat c. Super d. Super angled 8. Which of the following would be acceptable in a visual inspection of a connector? a. Large scratch on the outer cladding b. Small scratch on the inner cladding c. Mark/imperfection on the core d. Small scratch on the outer cladding
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6. Which statement is true? a. The best connector will provide the lowest dB loss and lowest negative dBm value b. The best connector will provide the lowest dB loss and highest negative dB value c. The best connector will provide the highest dB loss and highest negative dB value d. The best connector will provide the lowest dB loss and highest positive dBm value
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4. What is the name given to the device which allows the interfacing of two connectors? a. Ferrule b. Coupler c. Adapter/Uniter d. Body
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3. When inspecting a connector with a microscope, which two regions are regarded as the most important? a. Inner cladding b. Ferrule c. Outer Cladding d. Core
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Visible Light Source Testing Insertion Loss Testing OTDR Testing
Transmission Equipment Testing
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Fault Finding / Testing & Commissioning
FIBRE TESTING AS PER BS EN 50173

Pre Cable Installation Considerations To include the first part of the two Stages as per BS EN 50173 STAGE 1a: Acceptance Testing This test is provided while still on the drum and ensures no damage has occurred during transit, or storage. Without test results at this stage, no responsibility can be accepted by the manufacturer. Attenuation Coefficient. Physical Acceptance. Damage: internal construction
external construction
Cable specs:
Its important to check that the cable is of the correct specification and fit for its purpose. Length - This can either be measured using an OTDR as long as the fibres exact refractive index is used. However this can be inconsistent to the cable length as excess fibre is used in construction to offer protection from installation and temperature.
Physical acceptance - It should be inspected to ensure the cable meets the installation criteria. Internal - no. and labelling of elements, water barrier, strength member all present and of correct type Transportation should be checked, cable drum is stable and safe for movement. STAGE 1b: Laid cable into trench or duct systems still , prior to splicing of cable section the test required are for the following:Test Equipment:Light Source & Power Meter and or OTDR Insertion loss:Of the fibre due to excessive pulling tension or excessive bending ILM testing:One direction would be adequate. Test Wavelength:Single fibre testing at 1310 & 1550nms to highlight macro bending issues Documentation:To have this documentation will ensure that no damage occurred during installation and will save costs, when completing system. STAGE 2:- Final Testing of the completed system with all cable section completed, where the customer requires full and final test results to include OTDR and Loss Testing kits (ILM Kit). Test Equipment:Light Source & Power Meter and or OTDR Insertion loss:Of the fibre due to excessive pulling tension or excessive bending ILM testing:Both directions on all fibres. Test Wavelength:Single fibre testing at 1310 & 1550nms to highlight macro bending issues OTDR Testing:Tests must be in both directions at both 1310 & 1550nm with all traces and results pertaining to the fibre characteristics test. Documentation:Providing all traces and ILM test results, with refractive indexs, cable length also fibre to cable length adjustments with referencing index where fibre length = cable length this will assist when damage to fibre occurs to pinpoint exact length to fault. External - diameter, condition of sheath, markings
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The OTDR will also identify any specific variances along the fibres length which should be reported and if necessary a new cable obtained.
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The stated attenuation coefficient (e.g. 3.5dB/km for 850nm) can be checked using the OTDR or a loss test set.
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01
Standards covering design, installation & testing for fibre and copper systems
Open Office wiring introduced
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Defines Channel and Permanent Link
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Centralised Optical Architecture introduced Cat 3, Cat 4 and 150 ohm cable removed
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Cat 5, Cat 6 and Cat 7 cables and components described, but will be replaced by IEC 61156 and IEC 60603 Classes A to F defined Testing is now IEC 61935 3 new optical channels defined 4 classes of optical fibre defined
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ISO 11801 2nd Ed - changes
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BS EN 50173
Cable system design standard Classes A to F Optical fibre classes 2nd edition published 2003 very similar to ISO 11801 2nd Edition for use within the EU especially when
using public money EN50173 2nd Ed. referenced Standards
EN 50174 Installation EN 50346 Testing EN 61280 optical testing EN 50310 Earthing IEC 61935 copper testing
02
Introduction to Fibre optic testing

Several methods of testing exist, the most common being: 1. Visible Light Source / Fault Locator. 2. Loss Test Set. (Light Source and Optical Power Meter) 3. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR). Summary Benefits and Drawbacks of all methods VLS: Visible Light Source (635 or 650nm) Benefits Red visible glow where a fault exists High lights connector issues Continuity testing (under 2-3Km) Cheap Light Source and Power Meter (ILM Kit) Benefits Absolute Power Loss Highlights Bending Issues Simulates the system which will be used Relatively cheap test equipment Good for testing active equipment power
Visible Light Testing Operating at either 635nm or 650nm in the red part of the visible light spectrum, visible light testing is one of the cheapest and most important tests which shows continuity issues at either end of the system, where the system is no more than 2 - 3 Km, damaged connectors and splice/bending issues. If light leaks from the ODF due to excessive bending, you can be sure it will be higher loss at the higher wavelengths as demonstrated by the diagram below.
635nm
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850nm
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OTDR Benefits One person can test the system Highlights individual issues within the fibre Provides a graphical representation of the system Highlights Bending Issues
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1310nm
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Drawbacks Typically tests 2-3 Km max. Cannot show damage through the cable sheath Doesnt provide any figures
Drawbacks Only provides a value of total loss Cannot measure individual event losses Cannot hi-light damage Requires two persons typically
Drawbacks Expensive Require a good knowledge to analyse and interpret
Examples of two handheld VLSs
03
Worst Case Design Approach

A power budget for a singlemode fibre optic network based on a worst case design approach is shown in the table below. By using the loss calculations, the maximum allowable loss has been worked out and allocated to specific areas of the system.
Power Mean Launch Power Receiver Sensitivity -4dBm -40dBm
Loss Budget
36dB
System Design Penalties
Margin for Age & Temperature Dispersion Penalty Cable Loss Splice Loss Connector Loss Margin
Total Losses
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0dB 36dB Patching or Ref. Lead
Transmitter Power -3dBm 0.5mW Patching or Ref. Lead Patching or Ref. Lead
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3dB 3dB 0dB Receiver Sensitivity -40dBm 0.0001mW
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Procedures prior to Loss, ILM or OTDR testing

Clean The importance of cleaning cannot be stated enough. Contamination will not only give false or incorrect readings, but in some cases damage uniters/adapters also the lenses in ILM, Loss test kits and OTDRs.
Importance of cleaning connectors Clean undamaged connectors are essential to ensure performance.
injected into the far connector. Using a videoscope will remove this risk. Check Connector Ferrules for Damage Always check connector with a visible light source
Check for a strong light emerging from the core Check for light showing from the side of the ferrule Check for excessive light emerging from the rear of connector Check for light emerging from the pigtails and splice within the ODF (Optical
Distribution Frame)
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Check for scratches, chipping and pitting Check for adhesives , grease and contamination Do not check connectors without someone at the opposite end ensuring no light is
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Check Connectors and Adapters Always check connector end face with a microscope
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Turn of the light source Inspect connectors, if damaged. Exchange Clean using proven procedures. E.g. IPA and lint free tissues
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Clean Connector with IPA and Lint Free Wipes/Tissues etc. Clean Adapters/Uniters with lint free cotton buds or clean air etc. Clean the side of the ferrule as well as the face
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Understanding Loss Testing

Loss Testing In order to produce relevant results with a light source and power meter a reference level must first be set. In order to achieve this the following procedure should be followed. Firstly check the equipment to ensure all relevant calibration and safety certificates are valid and in date. Then switch on the test equipment and allow to warm up. This is more important for the light source as its wavelength and output power could fluctuate under unstable temperature conditions. The equipment will then need to be connected together using one or two patch cords (minimum 2m) dependant on the tests being carried out.
Ensure that both light source and power meter are set to the same wavelength. Check that the light source has been set for continuous wave and not a modulated output. Allow
light source to stabilise (reach optimum output level) power meter can be zeroed.
This having been done a reference level can be set or recorded and if this function is available the
The last check is to ensure stability of readings throughout the disconnect reconnect cycle required to carry out the tests. To do this you must disconnect the connections and reconnect them and ensure the reading comes back to the reference level set.
Loss Tess/ILM Kit
Disadvantages. Does not identify fault locations. Personnel and equipment needed at both ends of installation. Does not identify losses due to individual events -( gives a total loss figure). Repeatability dependant on many factors - User, test leads, etc.
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Advantages. Tests complete installation from one end to another. Including connectors, splices, fibre and any faults. Relatively inexpensive. Representative of operating system. Lightweight, portable units are available.
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The following checks should then be made:
Insertion Loss Measurement (ILM)

Examples of setup and system under test The diagram below shows the test equipment being setup/referenced using two reference leads. Using two leads allows us to zero off the power metre and remove the loss of the leads being used to connected the equipment to the system from the displayed loss on the power metre. Note: Mandrel wrap, used on multimode fibre only
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Uniter/Adapter
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Reference Lead 2
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System End B
The above diagram shows the system under test (in this example the system is represented by a patch lead with a uniter at each end)
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Setup steps for good test procedures 1. Clean Connectors and Adapters 2. Connect Reference Leads to Kit 3. Switch on Light Source and Stabilise 4. Set wavelength on LS and PM 5. Wait until meter stabilises 6. Set Reference or take Reference
Steps to Good ILM Testing Procedures 1. Clean connectors on system 2. Connect LS and PM to system 3. Take reading 4. Disconnect and Reconnect PM reference lead connected to system three times and average readings, 5. ALL CONNECT/DISCONNECTS SHOULD BE DONE AT THE UNITER/ ADAPTER POINTS ONLY. 6. Test both ways at both wavelengths
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Mandrel Wraps & Cladding Modes

Mandrel Wraps Used when ILM testing multimode only.
Sometimes referred to as a mode conditioner Located in the Light sources reference lead. Basically acts as a filter, using controlled macrobends to trap and remove High order modes of light. Prevents High order modes (modes of light reflecting a high number of times within the fibre) from
entering the system/test equipment.
High order modes, due to their indirect path within the fibre, will travel a greater distance in total so
Cladding Modes Due to an overfill at the transmitter or between interfaces, some modes of light enter and travel along the cladding. The cladding isnt designed to carry transmitted light, any modes propagating along the cladding will have an increased attenuation. Cladding modes that do reach the receiver have a similar effect as high order modes, causing the pulse to widen and providing erratic loss values. To prevent cladding modes from reaching the receiver/test equipment use 2m patch cords, the increased distance will attenuate any modes propagating in the cladding.
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loss.
Examples of high and low order modes
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upon arriving at the receiver they would of incurred more loss, reducing their power and leading to a broadened pulse and higher loss figures. High Order (Yellow & Green lines) High number of internal reflections.
Indirect paths within the fibre. Light travels a longer distance in total. Less power remaining, gives higher
Low Order( Red & Black lines) Lower number of internal reflections. More direct paths within the fibre. Light travels less distance in total. More power remaining
Optical Time Domain Reflectometer.

Principle of Operation Incident light Fibre core
OTDR operation
Internal operation Laser/ LED
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Coupler Detector
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Bend
OTDRs receive and display not only signals from events but also from the fibre itself. This signal from the fibre is known as backscatter. As light travels down a fibre it is attenuated by an effect known as Raleigh scattering. This is caused by small changes in the Index of Refraction of the glass and it occurs continuously along the fibre. Some of the scattered light is in a direction back towards the OTDR; this is backscatter. The receiver of an OTDR is made to be very sensitive so that it can detect this very small signal. (It is typically 40 to 80 dB lower in power than the launched power).
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Pulse Generator
Analysing Circuitry & Display Intelligence
Example link and OTDR trace Front-end connector Fusion Splice Connector Mechanical Pair Splice Crack Fibre End
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Dopant & Backscatter
Attenuation Splice losses Connector insertion loss and reflectance Return loss Fibre length Location of splices and connectors.
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What Can You do With an OTDR
Verify and document the quality of a link. Locate and analysis faults
The OTDR can measure:
OTDRs are used for:
The loss of an event.. The reflection of an event. The end to end loss of a link.
With this information important characteristics of the link are determined: Distance: Loss: Attenuation: Reflection: The location of features on the link, the end of the link or a break. Such as the loss of an individual splice or the total end-to-end loss of the link. Of the fibre in the link. The size of the reflection (or return loss) of an event, such as a connector.
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OTDR measures the returned signal versus time. The time values are multiplied by the velocity of light in the fibre to calculate distance. Thus, the OTDR displays the relative power of the returned signal versus distance.
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OTDRs launch pulses of light from a laser diode source into a fibre. Back reflected light from events within the fibre itself return back to the OTDR. The back reflected light is routed through a coupler to the receiver where it is converted to an electrical signal and finally analysed and displayed on the display as a trace.
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OTDRs are the primary tool for installing and maintaining fibre optic links. They allow a link to be measured from one end.
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The OTDR will automatically locate and measure all the events on a link
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The location of events on a link. The attenuation of the fibre in a link.
Installation and commissioning. Maintenance. Fault location and analysis. Fibre identification. Remote fibre tests systems.
Understanding and analysis of the OTDR

Optical, Time. Domain, Reflectometer Basic OTDR terms
Back scatter: Light reflected back to the OTDR by the impurities/dopants within the fibre. Index Of Refraction (IOR): Refers to the speed of light in a vacuum (Cvac) against the speed of
Non-Reflective Events: These are events/components within a system that only increase loss, with
Reflective Events: These are events/components within a system that cause back reflection and
contribute to the loss, with the exception of a Ghost/Echo which has no loss. 1. Mated pair of connectors 2. Cracks and chips 3. Mechanical splices 4. Fibre end 5. Dead Zone 6. Ghost Understanding OTDR traces The OTDR plots the backscatter results as optical power against distance. A perfect continuous length of fibre will exhibit attenuation due to Rayleigh scattering and loss of light into the cladding. The result, called a trace, is displayed on the OTDR as a straight line with a gradient dependant on the fibres attenuation.
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La Ls La Lc Distance (Km)
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no back reflection. 1. Fusion splice 2. Macro bends 3. Micro bends
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light in any given medium (Cmed). Typical fibre IOR is between 1.4 and 1.5. When OTDR testing this figure is very important as it forms part of the speed, time, distance calculation that the OTDR works on. This figure can also be adjusted to achieve cable length rather than fibre length
Fusion Splice
Fibre End
Ls = Loss due to splice Lc = Loss due to connector La = Loss due to fibre attenuation
Optical Power (dB)
Reflectance of connector Reflectance of Fibre end face
Noise Floor
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Averaging & Ghosting Averaging Sometimes the backscatter received by the OTDR has too much noise to produce a clean accurate trace. To correct excessive noise the OTDR takes multiple samples which will produce a more accurate/cleaner trace by averaging out all the peaks and troughs over a set period of time, the averaging time.
Actual Signal Received

Optical Power dB
True Backscatter Level
Distance Km
Ghosts are relatively easy to identify:
They have no loss. The ghost will be twice the distance from the OTDR than the initial event.
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Ghosting Ghosting typically occurs due to a frontend connector exhibiting poor loss. This results in a high amount of back reflection which can ping pong back from the OTDR and strike the faulty connector again, in turn reflecting back and re-entering the OTDR causing the image of the connector to appear twice.
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Backscatter
It is very important that the OTDR be able to measure backscatter because changes in the backscatter level determine the loss of events along the link. Backscatter levels for a single-mode fibre are typically in the range -48 to -52 dBm at 1310 and 1550 nm, and in the range -31 to -38 dBm for 850 nm and 1300 nm multimode fibres.
Index Of Refraction (IOR)
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Backscatter is the small part of the Raleigh scattering which returns to the OTDR
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Fibre End
The IOR for the fibre under test must be accurately know and entered into
the OTDR.
The IOR lies typically between 1.4 and 1.5 The exact value is supplied by the cable manufacturer
The Index of Refraction is a number, shown as n, used to express the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium/fibre.
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Non-Reflective events
Gainer phenomenon
Viewing from A: Apparent gain A
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A gainer is cause by a splice with a fibre mismatch which can be one of two types, either a core (differences in core diameter) or a index (difference in fibres index of refraction) mismatch. Both cause a change in the backscatter received by the OTDR resulting in either a step up or exaggerated step down. True loss of the splice can be calculated by taking the loss of the event in one direction (Loss AB), adding it to the loss in the opposite direction (Loss B-A) and dividing it by two to average the result.
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(-0.2dB + 0.4dB = 0.2dB)/2 = 0.1 dB
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Both fusion splices and bends in the fibre cause loss, but they generally do not cause reflections. On the OTDR display they appear as a sudden drop in the backscatter level. The vertical change is the loss of the event. Because of their similar effects both fusion splices and macro bends will appear identical on a OTDR trace. Further analysis would be required to identify the event as a splice or bend.
Reflective events
Measuring Insertion Loss and reflectance of the first connector
Either an external or built in launch fibre can be used so that the first connectors insertion loss and reflectance can be measured
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Reflections are typically cause by an air gap (GAG) or large change in IOR in a fibre. Mechanical splices, connectors and cracks cause both reflections and loss. Because of this their signatures are similar on an OTDR display.
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Fibre End
There are two possible scenarios for the end of the fibre.
(cleaved or polished) there will be a 4% reflection, commonly referred to as a FRESNEL reflection. this case the displayed signal simply drops from the backscatter down to the noise floor of the OTDR. However, it is possible for a broken end to cause a reflection, but it may not have as large an amplitude as a cleaved end or connector due to the nature of the damage or contamination of the end face by the gel within the cable.
OTDR Advantages.
Tests complete installation from one end to another. Lightweight, portable units are available. Will identify most fault locations. Personnel and equipment only required at one end of the installation. Will provide a graphical representation of the complete system. Provides an As-Built baseline to which future tests can be compared.
Disadvantages.
Relatively expensive. Skilled operator required for correct interpretation of data.
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Secondly, if the fibre end is a break, the irregular end may disperse the light, causing no reflection. In
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OTDR Optical Power, when choosing a model Dynamic Range Wavelength 850nm 1300nm 1310nm 1550nm 1625nm Wavelength 850nm 1300nm 1310nm 1550nm 1625nm Wavelength 850nm 1300nm 1310nm 1550nm 1625nm OTDR Power 3.5 1.5 0.35 0.2 0.15 OTDR Power 3.5 1.5 0.35 0.2 0.15 dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km 26 7.43 26 74.29 130 dB Km Km Km Km Km 30 8.57 30 85.71 150 200 40 11.43 40 114.29 200 266.67 50 14.29 50 142.86 250 333.33 dB Km Km Km Km Km dB Km Km Km Km Km dB Km Km Km Km Km
dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km dB/Km
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OTDR Power 3.5 1.5
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Typical Loss Budget Fibre Km Splices Connectors
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The above values are based on fibre loss alone, against OTDR Power
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173.33 35 dB/Km dB dB
dB
Km Km Km Km Km dB Km Km Km Km Km
= = = OLB Total
35 2.5 1 38.5
dB dB dB dB
The above loss budget calculates fibre + connectors + splices against the optical OTDR Power i.e. 38.5dB require an OTDR with a min optical power of 40dB or more especially when other issues contributing to the loss in the fibre will have and effect i.e. design, ageing and bending losses.
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Revision questions
1. Which Optical Tester would be the least expensive for proving continuity on fibre lengths of less than 2Km? a. ILM b. OTDR c. VLS d. Fibre Identifier 2. What is the name given to the first reflective event within an OTDR trace? a. Backend b. Dead zone c. Microbend d. Ghost / Echo 3. What must you ensure when setting up a light source and power meter ? a. Stabilise power meter, Set Wavelength & Reference b. Stabilise Light Source, Set Wavelength & Set Reference c. Stabilise Visible Light Source, Set Wavelength & Reference d. Stabilise Light Source, Set Wavelength & Set Back Reflectance 4. What benefit does the launch lead & tail lead provide? a. Testing of the complete system b. A lower loss in the system c. Better launch power into the system d. Reduces backreflection
6. When measuring the whole system via the cursors on a OTDR trace, what must you included? a. The launch lead b. The Dead zone c. The connector interfaces at each end d. The tail lead
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5. What determines a GHOST within a system? a. An event which is twice the distance of a non reflective event, has no insertion loss b. Where the loss two different fibres c. An event which is twice the distance of a reflective event, has no insertion loss d. Where there is a coupler in the system
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Notes
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Glossary
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AC/DC: Alternating Current/Direct Current Adapter: Another name for a Uniter Absorption: That portion of fibre optic attenuation resulting of conversion of optical power to heat. Analogue: Signals that are continually changing, as opposed to being digitally encoded. Attenuation Coefficient: Characteristic of the attenuation of an optical fibre per unit length, in dB/km. Attenuation: The reduction in optical power as it passes along a fibre, usually expressed in decibels (dB) per kilometre (dB/km). See optical loss. Attenuator: A device that reduces signal power in a fibre optic link by inducing loss. Average power: The average over time of a modulated signal. Alternating: Constantly changing state from positive to negative. Back reflection, optical return loss: Light reflected from the cleaved or polished end of a Fibre caused by the difference of refractive indices of air and glass. Typically 4% of the incident light. Expressed in dB relative to incident power. Backscattering: The scattering of light in a fibre back toward the source, used to make OTDR measurements. Bandwidth: The range of signal frequencies or bit rate within which a fibre optic component, link or network will operate. Bending loss: microbending loss: Loss in fibre caused by stress on the fibre bent around a restrictive radius. Bit-error rate (BER): The fraction of data bits transmitted that are received in error. Bit: An electrical or optical pulse that carries information. Buffer: A protective coating applied directly on the Fibre. Cable: One or more fibres enclosed in protective coverings and strength members. Cable Plant, Fibre Optic: The combination of fibre optic cable sections, connectors and splices forming the optical path between two terminal devices. CATV: An abbreviation for Community Antenna Television or cable TV. Chromatic dispersion: The temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide caused by the wavelength dependence of the velocities of light. Cladding: The lower refractive index optical coating over the core of the fibre that "traps" light into the core. Connector: A device that provides for a demountable connection between two fibres or a fibre and an active device and provides protection for the fibre. Core: The centre of the optical fibre through which light is transmitted. Coupler: An optical device that splits or combines light from more than one Fibre. Cutback method: A technique for measuring the loss of bare fibre by measuring the optical power transmitted through a long length then cutting back to the source and measuring the initial coupled power. Cut-off wavelength: The wavelength beyond which singlemode Fibre only supports one mode of propagation. dBm: Optical power referenced to 1 Milliwatt. Decibel (dB): A unit of measurement of optical power which indicates relative power on a logarithmic scale, sometimes called dBr. dB=10 log ( power ratio) Detector: A photodiode that converts optical signals to electrical signals. Digital: Signals encoded into discrete bits. Dispersion: The temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide. May be caused by modal or chromatic effects. EDFA: Erbium-doped Fibre amplifier, an all optical amplifier for 1550 nm SM transmission systems. Edge-emitting diode (E-LED): A LED that emits from the edge of the semiconductor chip, producing higher power and narrower spectral width. End finish: The quality of the end surface of a fibre prepared for splicing or terminated in a connector. Equilibrium modal distribution (EMD): Steady state modal distribution in multimode Fibre, achieved some distance from the source, where the relative power in the modes becomes stable with distance.
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ESCON: IBM standard for connecting peripherals to a computer over fibre optics. Acronym for Enterprise System Connection. Excess loss: The amount of light lost in a coupler, beyond that inherent in the splitting to multiple output fibres. Fibre Amplifier: an all optical amplifier using erbium or other doped fibres and pump lasers to increase signal output power without electronic conversion. Fibre Distributed Data Interface, FDDI: 100 Mb/s ring architecture data network. Ferrule: A precision tube which holds a Fibre for alignment for interconnection or termination. A ferrule may be part of a connector or mechanical splice. Fibre tracer: An instrument that couples visible light into the Fibre to allow visual checking of continuity and tracing for correct connections. Fibre identifier: A device that clamps onto a Fibre and couples light from the fibre by bending, to identify the fibre and detect high speed traffic of an operating link or a 2 kHz tone injected by a test source. Fibre optics: Light transmission through flexible transmissive fibres for communications or lighting. FO: Common abbreviation for "Fibre optic." Fresnel reflection: back reflection, optical return loss: Light reflected from the cleaved or polished end of a Fibre caused by the difference of refractive indices of air and glass. Typically 4% of the incident light. Fusion splicer: An instrument that splices fibres by fusing or welding them, typically by electrical arc.
Jacket: The protective outer coating of the cable. Jumper cable: A short single Fibre cable with connectors on both ends used for interconnecting other cables or testing. Laser diode, ILD: A semiconductor device that emits high powered, coherent light when stimulated by an electrical current. Used in transmitters for singlemode Fibre links. Launch cable: A known good Fibre optic jumper cable attached to a source and calibrated for output power used used as a reference cable for loss testing. This cable must be made of Fibre and connectors a matching type to the cables to be tested. Loss Test Set or Loss Testing: A optical loss test set consisting off light source and power meter, measures the loss of all components in a system i.e. connectors, splices, interfaces and fibre etc. regarded as the most important test for absolute loss testing. Light-emitting diode, LED: A semiconductor device that emits light when stimulated by an electrical current. Used in transmitters for multimode Fibre links. Link, Fibre optic: A combination of transmitter, receiver and Fibre optic cable connecting them capable of transmitting data. May be Analogue or digital. Long wavelength: A commonly used term for light in the 1300 and 1550 nm ranges. Loss, optical: The amount of optical power lost as light is transmitted through Fibre, splices, couplers, etc. Loss budget: The amount of power lost in the link. Often used in terms of the maximum amount of loss that can be tolerated by a given link.
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Index of refraction (IOR): A measure of the speed of light in a material. Index matching fluid: A liquid used of refractive index similar to glass used to match the materials at the ends of two fibres to reduce loss and back reflection. Index profile: The refractive index of a fibre as a function of cross section. Intumescent: As in intumescent seals. A material/seal that expands when subjected to excessive heat, either expanding to fill a gap or constrict to close off a pipe/duct. Provides fire sealing. Insertion loss: The loss caused by the insertion of a component such as a splice or connector in an optical Fibre.
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Graded index (GI): A type of multimode fibre which used a graded profile of refractive index in the core material to correct for dispersion. GAG: Glass Air Glass, referring to the interface between connectors that causes a reflection.
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Patch Panel: Means of terminating fibre link. Provides access to link for Tx and Rx. Photodiode: A semiconductor that converts light to an electrical signal, used in Fibre optic receivers. Pigtail: A short length of fibre attached to a fibre optic component such as a laser or coupler. Plastic optical Fibre (POF): An optical fibre made of plastic. Plastic-clad silica (PCS) Fibre: A fibre made with a glass core and plastic cladding. Power budget: The difference (in dB) between the transmitted optical power (in dBm) and the receiver sensitivity (in dBm). Power meter (Fibre optic): An instrument that measures optical power emanating form the end of a fibre or active equipment. Preform: The large diameter glass rod from which fibre is drawn.
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ODF: Optical Distribution Frame - Patch Panel OLB: Optical Loss Budget Optical amplifier: A device that amplifies light without converting it to an electrical signal. Optical Fibre: An optical waveguide, comprised of a light carrying core and cladding which traps light in the core. Optical loss test set (OLTS): An measurement instrument for optical loss that includes both a meter and light source. Optical power: The amount of radiant energy per unit time, expressed in linear units of Watts or on a logarithmic scale, in dBm (where 0 dB = 1 mW) or dB* (where 0 dB*=1 microwatt). Optical return loss, back reflection: Light reflected from the cleaved or polished end of a Fibre caused by the difference of refractive indices of air and glass. Typically 4% of the incident light. Expressed in dB relative to incident power. Optical switch: A device that routes an optical signal from one or more input ports to one or more output ports. Optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR): An instruments that used backscattered light to find faults in optical fibre and infer loss. Overfilled launch: A condition for launching light into the fibre where the incoming light has a spot size and NA larger than accepted by the fibre, filling all modes in the Fibre.
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Nanometre (nm): A unit of measure , 10-9 m, used to measure the wavelength of light. Network: A system of cables, hardware and equipment used for communications. Numerical aperture (NA): A measure of the light acceptance angle of the Fibre.
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Margin: The additional amount of loss that can be tolerated in a link. Mechanical splice: A semi-permanent connection between two fibres made with an alignment device and index matching fluid or adhesive. Micron (m): A unit of measure, 10-6 m, used to measure wavelength of light. Microscope, Fibre optic inspection: A microscope used to inspect the end surface of a connector for flaws or contamination or a fibre for cleave quality. Modal dispersion: The temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide caused by modal effects. Mode field diameter: A measure of the core size in singlemode fibre. Mode filter: A device that removes optical power in higher order modes in fibre. Mode scrambler: A device that mixes optical power in Fibre to achieve equal power distribution in all modes. Mode stripper: A device that removes light in the cladding of an optical fibre. Mode: A single electromagnetic field pattern that travels in Fibre. Multimode Fibre: A Fibre with core diameter much larger than the wavelength of light transmitted that allows many modes of light to propagate. Commonly used with LED sources for lower speed, short distance links.
Receive cable: A known good fibre optic jumper cable or reference lead attached to a power meter used as a reference cable for loss testing. This cable must be made of fibre and connectors of a matching type i.e. core diameter to the fibre to be tested. Receiver: A device containing a photodiode i.e. PIN or APD and signal conditioning circuitry that converts light to an electrical signal in fibre optic links. Refractive index: A property of optical materials that relates to the velocity of light in the material. Repeater, regenerator: A device that receives a fibre optic signal and regenerates it for retransmission, used in very long fibre optic links. Scattering: The change of direction of light after striking small particles that causes loss in optical fibres. Short wavelength: A commonly used term for light in the 665, 790, and 850 nm ranges. Singlemode Fibre: A Fibre with a small core, only a few times the wavelength of light transmitted, that only allows one mode of light to propagate. Commonly used with laser sources for high speed, long distance links. Source: A laser diode or LED used to inject an optical signal into Fibre. Splice (fusion or mechanical): A device that provides for a connection between two fibres, typically intended to be permanent. Splitting ratio: The distribution of power among the output fibres of a coupler. Steady state modal distribution: Equilibrium modal distribution (EMD) in multimode Fibre, achieved some distance from the source, where the relative power in the modes becomes stable with increasing distance. Step index Fibre: A multimode fibre where the core is all the same index of refraction. Surface emitter LED: A LED that emits light perpendicular to the semiconductor chip. Most LEDs used in data communications are surface emitters. Talk set, Fibre optic: A communication device that allows conversation over unused fibres. Termination: Preparation of the end of a fibre to allow connection to another fibre or an active device, sometimes also called "connectorisation". Test cable: A short single fibre jumper cable with connectors on both ends used for testing. This cable must be made of fibre and connectors of a matching type to the cables to be tested. Test kit: A kit of fibre optic instruments, typically including a power meter, source and test accessories used for measuring loss and power. Test source: A laser diode or LED used to inject an optical signal into fibre for testing loss of the fibre or other components. Total internal reflection: Confinement of light into the core of a fibre by the reflection off the core-cladding boundary. Transmitter: A device which includes a LED or laser source and signal conditioning electronics that is used to inject a signal into fibre.. VCSEL: vertical cavity surface emitting laser, a type of laser that emits light vertically out of the chip, not out the edge. Visual Fault Locator: A device that couples visible light into the fibre to allow visual tracing and testing of continuity. Some are bright enough to allow finding breaks in fibre through the cable jacket operates at 635 or 650nm, limited typically to 2 - 3 Km. Watts: A linear measure of optical power, usually expressed in milliwatts (mW), microwatts (*W) or nanowatts (nW). Wavelength: A measure of the colour of light, usually expressed in nanometres (nm) or microns (*m). Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM): A technique of sending signals of several different wavelengths of light into the fibre simultaneously. Working margin: The difference (in dB) between the power budget and the loss budget (i.e. the excess power margin).
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Additional information
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EN 50174 pt 2- Cable Separation
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3667 Course Book 2011

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City & Guilds 3667-02 Units 1, 2&3

Level 2 Award in Communications Cabling (3667-02)

Fibreplus Training Centre Locations

Lancaster (North West)

Westbury, Wiltshire Main Centre

Kingston, Surrey London

Course Progression and Transferal of Credits

Further available courses delivered by Fibreplus Ltd.

Fusion Splicing Fibre Preparation Toolkit

All prices exclude VAT

E70-5001 KEV-01 LTC-01 MS-02

BUD-01 Carry Case

Fibre Tools for training candidates only

KABIFIX FK 28 Optical Fibre Cable Stripper

Tri-Hole Fibre Optic Strippers

Aramid (Kevlar) Yarn Scissors

3667-02 Unit 1,2&3 Training schedule AM

09:30 - 11:00 Unit one paperwork Assessment of understanding Unit1.

09:00 - 10:15 Q&A Review of unit 2&3 theory question sheets

10:15 - 11:00 Theory covering Modules 6 to 8

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

09:00 - 10:00 Q&A Review of theory question sheets Modules 6 - 10

10:00 - 10:15 Tea Break

14:45 - 17:00 Theory covering modules 9 -11

09:00 - 10:00 Q&A Review of theory question sheets Modules 10-11

10:00 - 10:15 Tea Break

14:30 - 14:15 Tea Break

Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011

09:0010:30 Q&A Review

10:30 - 10:45 Tea Break

14:45 - 15:00 Tea Break At learners discretion (15 mins)

15:00 - 17:00 Practical Exercise 1 External joint splicing

13.15- 13.30 Tea break

13.30 - 15.30 Unit 2 & Unit 3 exams

15.30-17.00 Exam results & allocated time for resits

3 hrs + 2hrs prep

Note: This plan is open to change and is adaptable to class requirement

Allocation of exam marks

12% 28% 8% 20% 16% 16%

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011

Description Health & Safety and Hazards & Regulations

Electrical theory & SI units

Telecommunications, Fibre & Copper

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

Electrical Theory & SI Units

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

City & Guilds 3667-02 Unit 1 Basic Principles of Telecommunications Module 1

Regulations and Health & Safety

PPE and PUWER Fibre and IR light hazards

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

Electrical safety and PAT testing

Health & Safety act 1974

Health & Safety

www.fibreplus.co.uk for updates

Fibreplus Ltd. copyright 2011

Unit 1 Module 1 pg. 01

Unit 1 Module 1 pg. 02