Contaminated end-faces are the #1 cause of fiber cable failure. With data rates increasing over fiber infrastructure, attenuation budgets are getting correspondingly tighter. These lower loss budgets leave less cushion for light loss due to contaminated end-faces at connections. Yet this is an easy problem to prevent when proper inspection and cleaning practices are followed.
While end-face inspection and cleaning are not new to fiber optics, many misconceptions and common pitfalls are still common. What is often overlooked is that the contamination that affects fiber optics is everywhere: floating in the air, on skin and inside connectors’ protective caps. A common misconception is that pre-terminated patch cords or pigtails have clean end-faces when newly opened from a sealed bag and covered with protective caps. In fact, the protective caps themselves can contaminate end-faces with the mold-release compound used in their high-speed production process. An easy mistake is to inspect a patch cord and forget to inspect the port side of the connection.
Over time, proper inspection and cleaning practices have evolved and improved. Field microscopes available today are far easier to use and provide incredibly crisp images for seeing contaminants as small as 1 micron. For cleaning, canned air was once recommended to remove dust, but today it is known that canned air will not work on smaller, static-charged particles. Though isopropyl alcohol was once the standard solvent used to clean end-faces, there are now specialized solvents that are superior in every way.
Use this solutions center to learn about the latest information in fiber optic inspection and cleaning. See what’s available from Fluke Networks to inspect your end-faces, from basic patch cord viewers to rugged and versatile video microscopes. Solve the contamination you find – wherever you find it - with the latest in end-face cleaning solutions from Fluke Networks. Consistent inspection and cleaning up front will avoid unexpected and costly downtime in the future.