FROM:Peter Morcombe

DATE:November 11, 2014

SUBJECT:About Fiber Optics Test Equipment

Overview

When it comes to buying fiber optic test equipment for use in local networks and LANs I prefer simple to complex. Paying tens of thousands of dollars for “Mighty Wurlitzers” can be problematic if the equipment has to be returned for factory servicing.

Simple fiber optic test equipment is now so inexpensive one can afford to buy redundant units to ensure that testing capability is maintained at all times. Thus I am inclined to recommend simple test equipment such as OWL (Optical Wavelength Laboratories) rather than complex solutions offered by Anritsu or Fluke. It is simply a matter of adequate performance at an affordable price. The prices quoted below were taken from this web site:

Multimode

Dual 850/1300 nm source...... $330

This source has SC connectors. Other connector options are available.

Power meter (ZOOM 2) calibrated at 850, 1300, 1310 and 1550 nm...... $206

Singlemode

Dual 1310/1550 nm source...... $930

This source has SC connectors. Other connector options are available.

Power meter (ZOOM 2) calibrated at 850, 1300, 1310 and 1550 nm...... $206

VFL

You can buy some of the above instruments with a built in VFL. I recommend keeping things as simple as possible by having a separate VFL such as this one:

PCVFL-1...... $211

Microscope

Fiber Optic Inspection Scope (ST, SC and FC)...... $130

OTDRS

High performance OTDRs costing tens of thousands of dollars are still essential when building long haul fiber optic systems. However, the growth opportunities in fiber optics have shifted to the local network where much lower performance is needed. OTDRs costing less than $4,000 will usually be adequate:

Fusion Splicers

FITEL (Furukawa) splicers represent excellent performance at a reasonable price. The FITEL cleavers such as the S326A ($868) are worldwide best sellers because they consistently produce near perfect cleaves.

Termination Kits

When hand polishing will be used it may make sense to buy termination kits that include microscopes, VFLs etc:

Stability

When making measurements using sources or power meters, accuracy depends on the stability of those items. The OWL equipment generally specifies 0.2 dB drift over an 8 hour working day. Is this a “downhill with the wind behind you specification” or is it realistic? In an effort to answer this question I calibrate my sources and power meters every six months. Here is a table showing the drift of the devices used in BDI training courses showing the change in calibration between February 14, 2014 and August 5, 2014:

Single mode sources Wavelength (nm)

ModelSerial # 1310 1550

LO2LO13361 0.01 0.00

LO2LO13555 0.13 -0.19

LO2LO13558 -0.08 -0.11

WS-SDWSC10075 0.01 0.00

WS-SDWSC10096 -0.17 -0.15

LO2LO13556 -0.01 -0.02

LO2LO23322 0.02 NA

LO2LO14006 0.60 -0.16

Multimode sources Wavelength (nm)

ModelSerial # 850 1300

DO2DO14369 0.43 0.01

DO2DO23637 -0.06 NA

DO2DO14371 -0.18 0.10

WS-MDWSB10180 -0.13 0.16

WS-MDWSB10372 0.09 -0.06

Power Meters Wavelength (nm)

ModelSerial #850130014901550

ZO2ZO14737 0.49 0.47 -0.07 0.06

ZO2ZO15122 0.04 0.00 -0.08 -0.08

MO2MO13054 0.03 0.05 -0.04 0.04

ZO2ZO13969 0.09 0.14 -0.04 -0.07

ZO2ZO14838 -0.04 0.00 -0.12 -0.08

ZO2ZO16416 0.02 0.05 -0.16 -0.04

ZO2ZO16417 0.02 0.00 -0.19 -0.04

ZO2ZO16418 0.00 0.00 -0.05 0.09

ZO2ZO16419 -0.17 -0.12 -1.03 -0.05

Considering that this equipment has been subjected to abuse by hundreds of students over a six month period, the stability is impressive. Only four of the calibrations, highlighted in red, drifted by more than 0.2 dB over six months!

Comment

Even low cost fiber optic test equipment has stability far better than is really needed for installation work. Thus it makes no sense to pay ten times as much for the (admittedly superb) equipment available from the top vendors such as Anritsu.

P.H.Morcombe, Rainsville, November 11, 2014