Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

The Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector is an essential tool used to test the integrity of fiber optic cables, which can be applied to evaluate the length of fiber cables, measure transmission and connection attenuation and to detect the fault location of fiber links as well. Based on these functions, it is commonly employed to fiber optical cable maintenance and construction.

Moreover, Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector are most effective when testing long cables or cable plants with splices by illustrating where the cables are terminated and confirming the quality of the fibers, connections and splices.

Working Procedure of Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

1. Comparing with those sources and power meters which measure the loss of the fiber optic cable plant directly, the Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector which works indirectly. By duplicating the transmitter and receiver of the fiber optic transmission link, the source and meter make the measurement correlate well with actual system loss.
2. However, the Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector uses a unique optical phenomena “backscattered light” to make measurements along with reflected light from connectors or cleaved fiber ends, thus to measure loss indirectly.
3. During the process of Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector testing, the instrument injects a higher power laser or fiber optic light source pulse into a fiber from one end of the fiber cable, with the Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector port to receive the returning information.
4. As the optical pulse is transmitted through the fiber, part of the scattered reflection will return to the Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector. Only useful information returned could be measured by the Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector which acts as the time or curve segments of fibers at different positions.
5. By recording the time for signals from transmission to returning and the speed of transmission in fibers, the distance thus can be calculated. The following picture shows exactly how an Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector works for fiber optic testing.

Application of Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

• Medical : Used as light guides , imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries.
• Defense/ Government : Used as a hydrophones for seismic waves and SONAR , as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles and also for field networking
• Data Storage : Used for data transmission
• Telecommunications : Fiber is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes
• Networking : Used to connect users and servers in verify of network settings and help increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission
• Industrial/ Commercial : Used for imaging in hard to reach areas , as wiring where EMI is an issue , as sensory devices to make temperature, pressure and other measurements, and as wiring in automobile and in industrial settings
• Broadcast / CATV : broadcast/ cable companies are using fiber optic cables for wiring CATV , HDTV , internet , video on-demand and other applications.
• Can use to test a fiber link node length and fault location.
• With a memory function, and can store 1000 data, you can import the data into a computer.
• Integrated visual fault locator system, can be easily detected in the blind spot fiber fault location.
• The use of large-capacity lithium-ion battery, long working hours, suitable for long field operations.
• Test fiber length, determine fault location. 2.Testing Fibers distance between two nodes. 3.Fiber repair status detection.

Types of Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

Optical Fiber breakpoint detector can be classified into various types in terms of different standards, such as fiber cable mode, transmission mode, connector type and application.

• Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable

With a core diameter of 8-10 µm, single mode optic fiber allows only one mode of light to go through, therefore, it can carry signals at much higher speeds with lower attenuation, which makes it suitable for long distance transmission. The common types of single mode optical cables are OS1 and OS2 fiber cable.

• Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

With a larger diameter of 50 µm and 62.5 µm, multimode fiber patch cable can carry more than one mode of light in transmission. Compared to single mode fiber optic cable, multimode optical cable can support shorter distance transmission. Multimode optical cables include OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, OM5.

• Classified Based On Fiber Counts

According to fiber counts, there are simplex and duplex fiber patch cable. Simplex patch detector has one fiber inside and one simplex connector on each end while duplex fiber cable has two fibers inside and one duplex connector on each end.

Accessories and Components are Available For Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

• Media Converters: Economically extend the distance of Ethernet network nodes by connecting Cat5/6 UTP cables to single mode or multimode fiber. For example, a converter allows you to connect 10BaseT/100BaseT UTP Ethernet to 100BaseFX Fiber Ethernet.
• Couplers Provide a simple and easy way to link two fiber optic cables, even if they have different connector types.
• Fiber Cable Tester Combination power meter/light source tester/visual fault locator allows you to test fiber optic cables for breaks, insertion loss and optical power loss.
• High-Density Copper/Fiber Cassette Solutions Tripp Lite’s new patch panel solutions offer cassettes for both copper and fiber cabling, allowing the user to interconnect any combination of 10Gb, 40Gb and 100/120Gb network equipment in a simple, elegant and highly flexible way.

Buyers Guide to Buy Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector

Choosing the appropriate fiber-optic tester for your installation can be confusing, especially when there are so many of these devices on the market. It can be expensive if you select a tester with more functions than you need, as well as frustrating for installers to use. Conversely, if the tester does not perform all the tests you require, it can lead to extended downtime

To determine which tester is the best for your needs, first decide how much you can spend. Next, identify the tests you will be performing most often, and then compare each test procedure against the different types of testing devices.

• Procedure

The first question is, “How much can you spend?” A full-sized optical time-domain reflectometer, or Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector, with different wavelength ports, disk drives, built-in printer and both single mode and multimode capabilities will cost at least $25,000. A miniature Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector costs approximately $10,000.

You will pay the least amount– $7500 or so–for a fault locator; however, this device basically only finds breaks in the cable, and you cannot use it for acceptance or insertion-loss testing on your fiber-optic cabling system. A visual fault locator is available for almost $1000 but is only useful for finding breaks in very short fibers or patch cords.

•  Identify

The tests you will be forming most often and compare this list against the functions of the different types of testers. Some of the tests are listed below, with an indication of which type of tester to use:

• Determining continuity to fiber end

To determine if light is successfully traveling from the transmitter to the receiver, you can use an optical power meter to check for light at the receiving end of the fiber-optic cable, an Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector to determine the overall length of the fiber, or a fault locator/visual fault locator to check continuity.

• Locating a break in fiber-optic cable

If the cable is hidden from view, use an Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector or fault locator to detect any breaks. However, if the fiber is visible and the breaks are close to the cable ends, you can use a visual fault locator.

• Locating a break between equipment sites

If a break occurs between equipment sites, use an Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector, mini-Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector or fault locator.

• Measuring fiber loss (end-to-end attenuation)

This loss includes normal loss in fiber, connector loss and any losses from splices, defects or excessive bends in the fiber-optic cable. To measure overall loss accurately, use a stable light source and an optical power meter.

An Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector or mini-Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector will also measure overall loss, but you need to use a launch box to include connector losses accurately (the “dead zone”).

• Documenting results

You will most likely document any new fiber-optic installations and, when performing system maintenance, you may need to compare the new data with the original records of the cable losses to determine if any part of the system is degrading.

An optical fiber breakpoint detector with loss test set capability and a built-in disk drive (for data storage) is one way to archive test data. Another way is to use a software program that emulates an Optical Fiber Breakpoint Detector and stores the information in a database on a personal computer. You can then analyze the test data or print detailed records and reports.

• Try out several testers

Lease or rent them–to find the appropriate one for your needs.

Conclusion: