Appendix I Cleaning Fiberoptic Connections - Foxcom Satlight 7310 Installation And User Manual

7310 Installation and User's Guide

Appendix I Cleaning Fiberoptic Connections

7. Appendix I Cleaning Fiberoptic Connections
The unit has an FC/APC (or other optional) angle polished optical connector for
very high optical return loss performance. The units are specified into singlemode
fiber i.e. 9/125 micron core diameter. Full performance is specified only for low
return loss optical plant - meaning that the fiber must be fusion spliced and all
connections or splices must have a return loss greater than -60 dB. With these
guidelines in mind, link lengths beyond 20 kilometers (DFB based products) can
be achieved with high performance. Specific performance and/or design assistance
is available by request from Foxcom.
If there is low/no signal or noisy signal at a Foxcom module, the connector should
be cleaned. Dirt on the inside connector tip can impair the flow of light causing
problems in signal transmission. Foxcom modules are sealed but dirt can
occasionally enter during installation and alignment.
The input and output optical ports of all OnePath Networks equipment are known
in the fiber optic world as bulkhead ports. The two bulkhead types used on
Foxcom equipment are either the FC/APC or SC/APC type.
The purpose of this document is to define the cleaning procedure for the SC/APC
and FC/APC bulkhead fiberoptic ports and for the SC/APC and FC/APC fiberoptic
connectors which are connected to the bulkhead ports.
The following materials are representative of the types of cleaning materials that
should be used for cleaning the fiberoptic ports and connectors. They are available
from several suppliers.
Description Manufacturer
Kimwipes Kimberly Clark
Cletop Automatic Connector Cleaner Cletop
Fiberoptic Swab Cletop or FIS
Fiberoptic Compressed Air Chemtronics
Wiping clothes should be made of lint free alcohol free nonabrasive materials.
Swabs should have a tightly wrapped tip and be talcum free. For removing dust
from receptacles, a canned compressed gas is recommended. Do not use
commercial compressed air because of risk of contamination.
Foxcom Proprietary Information 40
Document No. 93-005-39-A1