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Making Measurements
Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
Visual inspection of fiber ends
Visual inspection of fiber ends can be helpful. Contamination or
imperfections on the cable end face can be detected as well as cracks
or chips in the fiber itself. Use a microscope (100X to 200X magnifica-
tion) to inspect the entire end face for contamination, raised metal, or
dents in the metal as well as any other imperfections. Inspect the fiber
for cracks and chips. Visible imperfections not touching the fiber core
may not affect performance (unless the imperfections keep the fibers
from contacting).
WARNING Always remove both ends of fiber-optic cables from any instrument,
system, or device before visually inspecting the fiber ends. Disable all
optical sources before disconnecting fiber-optic cables. Failure to do
so may result in permanent injury to your eyes.
Cleaning Connectors
The procedures in this section provide the proper steps for cleaning
fiber-optic cables and Agilent Technologies universal adapters. The ini-
tial cleaning, using the alcohol as a solvent, gently removes any grit
and oil. If a caked-on layer of material is still present, (this can hap-
pen if the beryllium-copper sides of the ferrule retainer get scraped
and deposited on the end of the fiber during insertion of the cable), a
second cleaning should be performed. It is not uncommon for a cable
or connector to require more than one cleaning.