Maintaining clean ports, jumpers and splices in every fiber network.
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Transcript:
Contaminated connections remain the number one cause of failure in a fiber network, and as the demand for faster and more reliable networks increases.
Inspecting and cleaning each and every connection is now more important than ever before. You should never assume that a fiber connector is clean, and even a brand new cable assembly should be inspected and cleaned before it is added to the network. The protective cap you will find on the new cable is there to prevent damage to the fiber end face.
It is not there to protect against dust. To highlight the negative impact contamination will have on the performance of a fiber optic connector. The examples you will see are from a study by industry standards group iNEMI. The image on the left is a connector pair. Prior to contamination, test results showed an insertion loss of 0.25 DB and a back reflectance of 50 DB.
After contamination was applied, the insertion loss jumped to 1.84 DB and the back reflectance dropped to 16 DB. A second example from the same study shows pre contamination figures of 0.08 DB insertion loss and 53 DB reflectance. After contamination was applied, the insertion loss spiked to 0.63 DB and the reflectance loss dropped down to 24 DB. Now that we've covered why contamination creates a problem and you have seen how a contaminated connector produces a spike in insertion loss and degradation to the return loss.
Let's now look at the products you have available to combat this. And the good news is that by using your new Stick+ fiber optic cleaning kit, you will be able to guarantee that the connections and splices you make will be perfectly clean. The splice and connector cleaning fluid you will find inside your kit is non-flammable and non-hazardous, so it can be used in any environment and is completely travel safe.
It also dries almost instantly, leaves no residue and is safe on all surfaces, including plastics. The fluid can be dispensed in three ways. Use the side port to wet cleaning sticks. Open the LED to wet cleaning wipes and attach the straw to flush out any stubborn contamination around the connection. The product can be used to clean bare fibers in preparation for fusion splicing, as well as wet to dry cleaning of heavily contaminated connectors.
The 2.5mm clean click, a 750, will clean connectors both inside the adapter as well as the fiber patch cord. It can be used to clean SC, FC and opt it up. Connector types, and both APC and UPC variations. The 2.5 mil clean click, a 750, can be identified by its blue label and distinctive packaging. The 1.25mm clean click, a 750, has a green label and should be used to clean LC connectors.
Again, the product can clean both inside the adapter as well as the fiber patch cord. You should always clean and inspect both ends of a connector pair. Otherwise, you risk cross contamination as the dirt on the unclean connector will transfer over to the Clean Connector when mated. The sticklers MPO cleaner is designed to clean both male and female connectors.
You will find the male connectors, including guide pins, inside the adapter, panel or transceiver. The female connectors without guide pins will be used on the cable itself. The cleaning device is keyless and can be used both facing up or down. Great when working in confined spaces or when the connector is partially obstructed. The Sticklers Cleaning station you will find inside your kit are designed to clean inside the adapter of a 2.5mm connector.
You should always use a stick over a mechanical cleaning tool when faced with heavy contamination. When used correctly, a cleaning stick will not only clean a greater surface area on the end face, but will also remove dust from inside the adapter sleeve. The Sticklers Clean wipes can be used to clean their fibers in preparation for fusion, splicing, as well as the connector interface.
Each box has a series of color coded slots so you can clean multiple fibers on a single wipe. The colors also match the different fiber cable colors, and each slot has been designed to perfectly fit the various cable types. The metallic film you will find on the top of the box is engineered to eliminate the buildup of static charge, often the cause of contamination.
To recap, the cleaning process for all connector types remains the same. Inspect. Clean. Inspect and if you follow this simple process, you will have perfectly clean connectors and splices every time.
