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Fiber Optic Services And Products
EYE ON FIBER
April
2003
Part 1: Test Report For the Panduit
SC Opti-Crimp Connector
Executive Summary
Pearson Technologies evaluated the Panduit SC, no adhesive, no polish connector. Insertion losses and yield were acceptable for training. Pearson Technologies interprets these results to support the expectation that field results for trained and experienced installation personnel will be acceptable. This is the first cleave and leave product which Pearson Technologies has been able to qualify for use in its training programs.
Introduction
Pearson Technologies Inc.
provides fiber optic technical and market consulting and fiber optic training
programs. We qualify every
connector prior to use in our installation training programs. We consider a product qualified when the
connector meets two requirements: it exhibits its stated power loss, in
dB/pair,[1] and it can be installed with a training yield
of at least 75 %.[2]
Prior to this evaluation,
we were unable to qualify any no polish, no adhesive connector, hereafter, cleave
and leave, because no connector met these two requirements. For example, insertion losses ranged
from 0.3 dB/pair to greater than 15 dB/pair. In addition, yields were consistently less than 50 %.
Out of frustration, we
replaced the typical, low cost cleaver[3] in the cleave and leave tool kits with an expensive
Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. (AFL) cleaver, model CT07.[4]
In addition, we used visible light sources[5] to tune the connectors for lowest loss. In spite of these steps, we were unable
to qualify any cleave and leave connector.
Our conversations with
installers who had used these products indicated similar results. In a few cases, we provided clients
with training on these unqualified connectors. As we expected, and regardless of manufacturer or product
design, such training produced cleave and leave results inferior to those in
our laboratory, with low yields and high insertion losses.
Product and Evaluation Procedure
In August of 2002, we
evaluated the SC version of the Panduit Opti-Crimp connector, part number
FSCMM. We used tight tube cable with the 62.5 µm core fiber.[6]
The fiber had excellent geometric specifications,[7] low loss,[8] but no bandwidth specification. We used the AFL CT07 cleaver instead of
that in the Panduit tool kit, because of the superior cleave angles of the CT07
and improved consistency relative to the standard kit cleaver.[9]
We began by installing one
connector on the end of a long reel of cable.[10]
With the exception of the CT07 cleaver, we followed the manufacturer
instructions. We checked the 850
nm loss of this first end with an OTDR (Figure 1). We took this first test to obtain the most data from the
small sample size.[11] The launch cable had a length of 32 m.
Figure
1: OTDR Check of First Connector
We cut approximately 48
feet of cable from the reel. We installed a second connector on the opposite
end. We measured the insertion
loss in both directions at both 850 and 1300 nm by Method A of
ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-14 (Table 1).[12] We used the same reference cables for both
wavelengths.
|
|
62.5 |
|
850 |
850 nm |
insertion loss |
|
directional |
|
1300 nm |
insertion loss |
|
directional |
|
wavelength |
|
test # |
PM @ connector
# |
reverse |
loss, OTDR |
|
reverse |
|
difference |
|
|
reverse |
|
difference |
|
difference |
|
0 |
|
|
0.83 |
replaced |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
data lost |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
1 |
|
-0.62 |
-0.53 |
|
-0.09 |
|
-0.35 |
-0.78 |
note 1 |
0.43 |
|
-0.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
retest |
retest |
|
|
|
retest |
retest |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
-0.66 |
-0.56 |
|
-0.10 |
|
-0.62 |
-0.62 |
|
0.00 |
|
0.01 |
|
3 |
3 |
1 |
|
-0.77 |
-0.70 |
|
-0.07 |
|
-0.77 |
-0.68 |
|
-0.09 |
|
-0.01 |
|
4 |
2 |
4 |
|
-0.38 |
-0.34 |
|
-0.04 |
|
-0.40 |
-0.34 |
|
-0.06 |
|
0.01 |
|
5 |
1 |
5 |
|
-0.81 |
-0.81 |
|
0.00 |
|
-0.93 |
-0.84 |
|
-0.09 |
|
0.08 |
|
6 |
2 |
6 |
|
-0.36 |
-0.30 |
|
-0.06 |
|
-0.34 |
-0.43 |
|
0.09 |
|
0.06 |
|
7 |
3 |
7 |
|
-0.83 |
-0.78 |