This article is designed specially for those who want to quickly while without going into details to understand the wide range of fiber patch cable types.
What is fiber optic patch cord?
Fiber optic patch cable, which is often referred to as fiber optic patch cord or fiber jumper, is the segment of fiber optic cable with optical connectors on both ends. It applies in two main areas: a computer work station – the output fiber optic patch panels or optical cross – rapredelitelny center. Optic patch cords are used only indoors.
The most common types of optical patch cords
Fiber optic patch cords can be divided into different types depending on the type of optical fiber structures such as optical connectors, polishing type and cable length.
Fiber type of fiber optic cable
Single-mode optical fiber patch cables (SM): A single mode fiber patch cord consists of a piece of fiber optic cable with a core diameter of 9/125 micron, terminated on both sides of single-mode optical connectors. Sheath-mode fiber optic cable usually has a yellow color.
Multimode fiber patch cables (MM): Multimode optical patch cord consists of a piece of multimode fiber optic cable with a core diameter of 62.5/125 microns or 50/125 microns connectorized on both sides with multimode connectors. The shell of a multimode fiber optic cable, usually has an orange color, and the connectors are gray.
10G multimode fiber optic patch cable (such as OM3, OM4): 10Gib multimode optical fiber patch cable 50/125 micron is specially designed and optimized for laser VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface
Emitting Laser – semiconductor vertical cavity lasers) is based on 10Gig Ethernet. They have backward compatibility with existing network equipment and provide the bandwidth three times larger than conventional optical fibers with a core diameter of 62.5/125nm. 10Gib is targeted at distances up to 300 meters using a wavelength of 850nm. The shell of such a cable is usually celadon.
Structure of the fiber cable:
Simplex optical cords: an optical fiber patch cable has a single fiber cable and one connector on each end.
Duplex optical cables: double optical patch cord has two fibers with two connectors on each end. Each fiber is marked with a marker to indicate polarity.
Ribbon optical cords: ribbon cable has one connector on one side, such as MTP (12 fibers) and other multiple fiber optic cables with connectors SC, LC, FC, etc.
Difference in the types of optical connectors:
Optical cable with identical connectors: the optical connectors on both ends of the optical fiber patch cable is the same.
Transient optical cables: fiber optic patch cord has different optical connectors on the ends of fiber optic patch cord, allowing connection of equipment with different optical adapters.
Difference in the type of polishing
Fiber optic connectors are designed and polished to different shapes. This is done in order to minimize back reflection. This is especially important when using a single-mode optical fiber. Back
reflection depending on polishing can have the following values: -30 dB, -40 dB, -50dB and -60dB.
PC (Physical Contact): Typical back reflection < – 40 dB for single-mode and multimode optical fibers.
UPC (Ultra Physical Contact): Typical back reflection < -50 dB for single-mode optical fiber. (usually connector SC, LC blue, and shanks to the FC and ST – Black)
APC (Angled Physical Contact), angular polishing: Typical back reflection < – 60dB for single-mode optical fiber. (Connector SC, LC and FC shank on ST and green)