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Maintenance
Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
Today, advances in measurement capabilities make connectors and connection techniques more
important than ever. Damage to the connectors on calibration and verification devices, test ports,
cables, and other devices can degrade measurement accuracy and damage instruments. Replac-
ing a damaged connector can cost thousands of dollars, not to mention lost time! This expense
can be avoided by observing the simple precautions presented in this book. This book also con-
tains a brief list of tips for caring for electrical connectors.
Choosing the Right Connector
A critical but often overlooked factor in making a good lightwave measurement is the selection of
the fiber-optic connector. The differences in connector types are mainly in the mechanical assem-
bly that holds the ferrule in position against another identical ferrule. Connectors also vary in the
polish, curve, and concentricity of the core within the cladding. Mating one style of cable to
another requires an adapter. Agilent Technologies offers adapters for most instruments to allow
testing with many different cables.
ical connectors.
The system tolerance for reflection and insertion loss must be known when selecting a connector
from the wide variety of currently available connectors. Some items to consider when selecting a
connector are:
• How much insertion loss can be allowed?
• Will the connector need to make multiple connections? Some connectors are better than others,
and some are very poor for making repeated connections.
• What is the reflection tolerance? Can the system take reflection degradation?
6-8
Figure 6-2 on page 6-9
shows the basic components of a typ-
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