Fiber Optics

Fiber Optic Test Equipment – Where to Find It

May 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you are already running a fiber optic networking you know that it can be a very technical operation, and that the most important of all the tools you need are the fiber optic test equipment. This importance of these tools grows from the need and sensitivity of digital data to be clear and precise to provide customer satisfaction.

Using Fiber Optic Test Equipment
You can find several specialized pieces of fiber optic test equipment, and as you are already well aware it is important to know the type of plant in order to determine the type of equipment you need. However in any case there are certain basics that are fundamental.

Among some of the basic fiber optic test equipment pieces you will find what is called “the source and power meter”. The tool is extremely important to your business because the power meter is calibrated to the source and thereby it is allowing to determine the quality of transmission of the fiber optics in between the transmitter and the receiver.

Not only will this be important to the final transmission quality, but it will also protect the technician’s eyes. The most sources you will find are safe to use but there are certain CATV and telecom applications in which the source so powerful that is can cause damage to the retina if the eye is unprotected. It is therefore always extremely important to know what strength is being dealt with to determine the level of protection needed and better safe than sorry.

There are other important pieces of fiber optic test equipment that are carefully matched the reference test cables. The equipment works with adapters to connect the lines with the test equipment and sources to be tested. Not having the correct ones can bring an entire test session to a complete stand still and will in worst case be rendering all the rest of the specialized fiber optic test equipment useless.

One of the last pieces in the basic kit of fiber optic test equipment is the visual fault detector or fiber tracer. Although it seems like a normal pen light and it has a regular or LED visual light source attached to it, the end of the fiber optic tool will send light through to the other end. This is of course a simplification, because in reality the sources are typically bright enough to reveal the leak as well. You can see it because it is shining through the orange or red covers or the black or gray jackets used.

There are many more tools for testing and these are in no way the sum total of all pieces of fiber optic test equipment. Even on the basic level there are many more tools needed. Based on the specifics of the plant being worked on you will need to put together your own set. A universal that you definitely need is the fiber optic microscope that is used to visually inspect the quality of the polish on the ends of the connections used. Now, there you have it. The basics to start a fiber optic tool kit without being robbed.