Instructions SC & FC/PC3 Pull-Proof Fiber Optic Connectors Termination Procedures for Single-mode and Multimode Field-Mountable Connectors using Epoxy Issue 1, May 1993
Contents: A) Warnings, Recommendations and Overview ................................................................................................ 3 B) Jacketed Cable Preparation .......................................................................................................................... 5 C) Mounting ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 D) Scoring .....................
SECTION A Warnings, Recommendations and Overview 1. Most fibers can be mechanically stripped without the aid of chemicals or heat. If the fiber is not mechanically strippable, contact 3M's Training Department or the cable manufacturer for their recommendations. 2. The recommended cleaning solvent for connectors and tools is isopropyl alcohol (reagent grade, 99% or better). It may be purchased from laboratory supply companies.
SECTION A Warnings, Recommendations and Overview This manual is for terminating the following field mountable connectors: Identification SC Single-mode Product Number Housing (Color) Ferrule Collar Strain Relief Boot 125 ϑm 126 ϑm 127 ϑm 8305 8306 8307 Blue Blue Blue Black Yellow Silver White White White 6306 Beige Black Beige 8202 8203 8204 Gray Gray Gray Black Yellow Silver White White White 6202 Beige Black Beige SC Multimode 125 ϑm FC Single-mode 125 ϑm 126 ϑm 127 ϑm FC Multimode 1
SECTION B Jacketed Cable Preparation This section is for mounting the 3M brand SC and FC/PC3 fieldmountable connectors on 2.4 mm cable and 3.0 mm cable. The process for mounting on 900 ϑm buffered fiber can be found in Section H. 1. TURN THE OVEN ON When the oven is heated to the proper temperature the heater light will go off. 2. ASSEMBLE THE CURING STAND ACCORDING TO FIGURE B11 3. PREPARE CONTAINERS AS LABELED a. Fill one bottle with isopropyl alcohol (reagent grade). b. Fill one bottle with water.
SECTION B Jacketed Cable Preparation 5. SLIP THE STRAIN RELIEF BOOT AND THE CORRECT CRIMP RING ONTO THE CABLE DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS STEP. The boot will not fit over a mounted connector assembly so it is essential that it be slipped onto the cable at this time. Slip the smaller diameter of the boot onto the cable first. Red crimp rings for 2.4 mm cable and black crimp rings for 3.0 mm cable are provided with each connector. Slide the appropriate crimp ring onto the cable, small opening first (Fig. B2).
SECTION B Jacketed Cable Preparation 9. BUFFER REMOVAL With the modified No-Nik tool's arrow pointing in the direction of the stripping, remove the fiber's buffer in small bites, about 3/16" (5 mm). 10. Be sure to remove the stripped material from the tool after each incremental cut. When stripping the last increment, the end of the stripping collar should gently rest against the fiber guide inside of the clearance hole of the No-Nik (Fig. B7).
SECTION C Mounting 1. INSPECT THE CONNECTOR Before mounting, hold the connector up to a light to ensure that the capillary hole of the ceramic ferrule is clear. If the hole is obstructed, blow it clear with air or use a piece of stainless steel wire supplied with the kit. To clear simply insert a wire through the back end of the connector so that the wire forces any debris through the front end of the ceramic ferrule (Fig. C1). 2. Fig.
SECTION C Mounting 4. PREPARE THE SYRINGE AND EPOXY Remove the plunger and protective cap from the syringe and place both parts on a clean convenient surface along with the dispensing tip. The epoxy supplied has been specifically designed for use with fiber optic connectors and is packaged in premeasured 2 gram bi-packs. Fig. C5 - Working time is 45 minutes. Cure time is 20 minutes, in 3M epoxy oven. Cure time is 18 hours at room temperature of 70ϖF (22ϖC). Shelf life is 9 months at 25ϖC.
SECTION C Mounting 8. THREAD THE CONNECTOR ONTO THE FIBER Slide the crimp ring up the cable within 1/2" (13 mm) of the end of the jacket. Hold the cable in one hand directly behind the crimp ring and hold the connector in the other hand. Rest your hands on the table or against each other and carefully thread the connector straight onto the fiber. Slowly rotate the connector between thumb and forefinger in order to ease the funneling of the fiber into the guide hole of the ferrule (Fig. C8).
SECTION C Mounting 11. SECURE THE STRAIN RELIEF BOOT Use the syringe to apply two dabs of epoxy onto the larger half of the crimp ring (Fig. C12). While holding the load adapter, slide the boot up over the crimp ring and rotate it to evenly distribute the epoxy. The boot should cover only the crimp ring, not the plastic body of the connector. Note: Fig. C12 Be sure to wipe away any excess epoxy using a dry lint-free cloth. For SC Connectors 12.
SECTION D Scoring 1. CAREFULLY REMOVE THE LOAD ADAPTER 2. SCORE THE FIBER Hold the connector in a vertical position with the fiber pointing upward. Score the fiber by drawing the scoring blade lightly against the fiber, just above the epoxy bead (Fig. D1). The fiber should merely be touched and not severed. 3. Fig. D1 DETACH THE SCORED FIBER Using your fingers, carefully remove the fiber by pulling straight up from the ferrule.
SECTION E Standard Polishing Process for Single-mode and Multimode Connectors (>30dB) Note: 1. See Section F to achieve >40 dB Return Loss. PREPARE THE 5 ϑm POLISHING SURFACE Clean the surface of the soft polishing pad with a lint-free cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Blow clean both sides of a sheet of brown 5 ϑm lapping acetate. Place the acetate shiny side down onto the soft pad. Note: 2.
SECTION E Standard Polishing Process for Single-mode and Multimode Connectors 3. PERFORM THE 5 ϑm FINISH While holding the polishing jig in your hand, insert the connector so that the ferrule end does not protrude past the bottom of the polishing jig. This is to ensure that the extended fiber from the ferrule will not be broken off below the epoxy level upon initial contact with the lapping film. Note: The ferrule must be inserted straight into the jig hole.
SECTION E Standard Polishing Process for Single-mode and Multimode Connectors 4. PREPARE TO PERFORM THE 1 ϑm FINISH Using an isopropyl alcohol dampened lint-free cloth, clean the ferrule, the polishing jig, and the 5 ϑm lapping acetate. Blow all pieces dry with compressed air. Clean a sheet of the green 1 ϑm lapping acetate and place it shiny side down directly on top of the 5 ϑm acetate which remains on the polishing pad. Place three to four drops of water on the 1 ϑm acetate (Fig. E5). 5. Fig.
SECTION F Polishing Process for Single-mode Connector Return Loss >40dB Wear Indicator (3 Places) This process will need to be used for single-mode finishes with a reflection requirement of 40dB or better. This specification is outlined in Bellcore TR-NWT-00326 Issue 3. 1. PREPARE THE POLISHING SURFACE Clean the surface of the soft polishing pad with a lint-free cloth moistened with isopropyl alcohol. Blow clean both sides of a sheet of brown 5 ϑm lapping acetate.
SECTION F Polishing Process for Single-mode Connector Return Loss >40dB 4. PERFORM THE 5 ϑm FINISH While holding the polishing jig in your hand, insert the connector so that the ferrule end does not protrude past the bottom of the polishing jig. This is to ensure that the extended fiber from the ferrule will not be broken off below the epoxy level upon initial contact to the lapping film. Note: The ferrule must be inserted straight into the jig hole.
SECTION F Polishing Process for Single-mode Connector Return Loss >40dB 6. PERFORM THE 1.5 ϑm FINISH Insert the ferrule into the jig and lower it gently onto the 1.5 ϑm acetate. Using medium pressure (equivalent to 1 lb of force), perform four figure 8 strokes. Rotate the ferrule in the jig 180ϖ(Fig. F6) and perform another four figure 8's. Continue to follow this sequence rotating 180ϖevery 4 strokes until 6 sets of 4 figure 8's (24 total) have been performed. Note: Fig.
SECTION F Polishing Process for Single-mode Connector Return Loss >40dB 7. PREPARE TO PERFORM THE FINAL POLISH Using an isopropyl alcohol dampened lint-free cloth, clean the ferrule and the polishing jig. Clean a sheet of the final polishing film and place it shiny side down onto the clean polishing pad. Section the film into four (4) quarters. Mark the section 1, 2, 3 and 4. Place a few drops of water on section 1 of the film (Fig. F9). 8. Fig.
SECTION G Final Cleaning 1. BLOW THE DUST CAP WITH COMPRESSED AIR 2. WIPE THE CERAMIC FERRULE WITH AN ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL DAMPENED LINT-FREE CLOTH (Fig. G1) Be sure to wipe the entire length of the ferrule and the ferrule tip. Note: Carefully follow safety, health and disposal information on container label or Material Safety Data Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used. 3. BLOW THE FERRULE WITH THE COMPRESSED AIR 4. IMMEDIATELY COVER THE FERRULE WITH THE DUST CAP Fig.
SECTION H Mounting Unjacketed/900 m Buffered Fiber 7. THREAD THE CONNECTOR ONTO THE FIBER Slide the strain relief tube with the crimp ring within 1/2" (13 mm) of the buffer. While holding the fiber directly behind the strain relief tube, slowly thread the connector straight onto the fiber until the buffer seats at the base of the ferrule (Fig. H5).
SECTION I Connector Assembly and Installation 1. CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Once the SC connector has been mounted and polished, the housing can be installed onto the body. A. Standard Density Applications While holding the connector firmly by the boot, align the chamfers on both the connector and housing and snap into place (Fig. I1). A positive click will be heard when the housing is fully engaged. Fig. I1 B.
SECTION I Connector Assembly and Installation 4. SC CONNECTOR - HIGH DENSITY MATING Installation A. Clean the connector and coupling as described above. B. Hold the connector by the boot. Fig. I5 C. Align the connector chamfers with the coupling (Fig. I5) and push into place. Removal Note: This connector requires a tool to remove it from a coupling. A. Depress the buttons on the tool to raise pulling fingers. B. Position tool prongs over connector and insert into the coupling. Fig. I6 C.
SECTION J 3M brand SC and FC/PC3 Epoxy Field Termination Kits DESCRIPTION QTY PRODUCT # 3M brand SC and FC/PC3 Epoxy Field Termination Kit (110V) 1 8350 3M brand SC and FC/PC3 Epoxy Field Termination Kit (220V) 1 8351 KIT COMPONENTS QTY PART # Scissors Cable Stripper Modified No-Nik Stripper (175 m) Scribe - blade Fiber View Scope with Adapter Lint Free Cloths (Pkg.) Ferrule Connector Polishing Jig Alcohol Bottle Water Bottle Pipe Cleaners (Pkg.
