Laser; General Laser Information - 3Com 3C13612-US - Router 3012 Manual

3Com Router Safety, Regulatory, and Compliance Information
Diagram of wearing electrostatic protection wrist strap

Laser

The laser hazard level of this equipment is Class 1
Warning:
When performing installation and maintenance operations of optical fibers, you should not stand
close to, or look into the optical fiber outlet directly with unaided eyes.

General Laser Information

Laser transceiver/ transmitter are used in optical transmission system and associated test
instruments. The wavelength of the laser is above 780nm, and lower than 1600nm. Because the
laser being transmitted through the optical fiber produces a small beam of light, it has very high
power density and is invisible to human eyes. When a beam of light enters the eye, retinal may
be burned.
The damage mechanism at the wavelengths used in telecommunications is thermal in origin i.e.,
damage caused by heating. Therefore, a specific amount of energy is required for a definite time
to heat an area of retinal tissue.
Lasers used in lightwave systems have a larger beam divergence, typically 10 to 20 degrees.
Inadvertently viewing an un-terminated fiber or damaged fiber with the unaided eye at distances
greater than 150 mm (6 inches) will normally not cause eye injury. However, damage may occur if
an optical instrument such as a microscope, magnifying glass or eye loupe is used to view the
energized fiber end.
In its normal operating mode, a lightwave system is totally enclosed and presents no risk of eye
injury. Additional safety is achieved by the implementation of an Automatic Laser Shut-down
(ALS) of the system. The ALS, however, can be applied for bi-directional transmission only. If the
receiver side does not detect the laser from the transmission side, it will give the transmission
side a signal, so the ALS will shutdown the laser emission in less than 100ms.
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