Multi-Fiber Connectors As we have previously mentioned, the FOA has been working on a number of new training courses - Fiber Characterization, Fiber to the Antenna (FTTA), and one just announced, Data Centers. Were also working on a CI&M webinar on prefab cable assemblies for Sept 18. Each time we do something new, we find ourselves digging into new topics to fully understand the technologies we cover in these training courses. The FTTA and Data Center courses and the CI&M webinar include a lot on prefab (preterminated) cabling systems. Some data centers also focus on parallel optics using MPO type connectors (but not all, or perhaps not many.) We wonder if there is a disconnect between what you hear in the trade press and advertisements and what is happening in data centers because we hear little about parallel optics using multimode fiber and lots about singlemode fiber using WDM. The biggest problem with parallel optics is probably the cabling complexity; a 100G port needs 20 fibers but ends up using 24 because the connectors are 12/24/36/48 fibers in rows of 12. 40G uses only 8 of the 12 fibers in a connector. Compare a parallel solution to SM CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing) that uses 2 fibers per port. Sure the SM transceivers are more expensive, but the fiber is much, much cheaper - you only need less than 10% as many fibers for a 100G system, a massive savings in fibers per rack. The second problem is the connector itself. If you search the web, you will find discussions of the problems with polishing the large connector ferrule flat and higher loss in fibers away from the center of the ferrule (Belden app note: info.belden/multi-fiber-connectivity-digital) But the biggest problem may well be the simplest one - polarity. The TIA 568 standard devotes approximately 21 pages to polarity options - even more would be included but another option from Corning was refused inclusion at the last TIA meeting. The problem with polarity is the connectors are fixed male (with pins) or female (without pins) and key-up or key-down. A single patchcord can have 16 different configurations! Somebody was not thinking straight when this connector was designed. But somebody came along and did think straight, but it was an FOA school instructor, Craig Bowden at FiberNexx in Concord, NY who told us about the PanMPO, Panduits MPO introduced last year that has options in one connector change one connector to make it male (with pins) or female (without pins) and key-up or key-down. With the PanMPO connector, you can remove the connector outer body and flip it to change to key-up or key-down. While the connector body is off, you can use a special tool to slide the pins back or forward to change the male (with pins) or female (without pins) gender. What a brilliant idea! If they licensed this idea to all the other MPO manufacturers, we should be able to reduce the size of TIA 568 by about 21 pages and make the MPO a much more attractive option in cabling. Be sure to watch the Panduit Video on the PanMPO on YouTube: youtube/watch?v=I40qJgz-ISc Here is more data on the connector. panduit/ccurl/17/47/D-FBFL02--SA-ENG-PanMPO-Flyer-W.pdf Webinar: thefoa.org/foanewsletter.html#Webinars
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:48:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015