99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176 Phone 781-665-1400 Toll Free 1-800-517-8431 Visit us at www.TestEquipmentDepot.com Back to the Extech FiberMeter Series Page FiberMeter Series Optical Power Meter Operations Manual Firmware Version 2.06a May 23, 2003 Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176 Extech Models FO600, FO610 FAX 781.665.0780 - TestEquipmentDepot.
Table of Contents Preface ii Unit 1 - Introduction Description Applications General Features Keyboard Entry Method Modes of Operation 1-1 1-1 1-2 1-2 1-2 Unit 2 - Simple Meter Overview Operation Power ON Power Units Supported by the FiberMeter Wavelengths Supported by the FiberMeter “Zeroing” the FiberMeter in Simple Meter Mode Monitor Mode Meter Configuration Menu Power OFF Unit 3 - Certification Meter Overview Operation Power ON Fiber Certification Edit a Link Configure a User-Defined Standards Power
PREFACE Why Use A Fiber Optic Power Meter? This question has been asked many times before and will be asked well into the future. The mentality of some cable installers is: "If I hook it up and it works, then my work here is done." However, with network communications becoming so important to organizations, speed and reliability are major priorities being placed on the building's network cabling plant.
UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION Description The FiberMeter is a high accuracy, high resolution, microprocessor controlled, optical power meter. The meter has a wide dynamic range making it ideal for both single and multi-mode fiber testing. It has an attractive handheld case made from high impact ValoxTM plastic, a large, backlit, graphic, liquid crystal display, and 18-key keypad for easy data entry. The universal fiber adapter accepts both ST, SC, and FC connectors.
UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION General Features 1 2.5mm UNIVERSAL ADAPTER PORT - accepts all standard 2.5mm ferrule 1 connectors (ST, SC, FC). 2 2 COMPUTER PORT - port for downloading data from the meter to a PC via serial cable. 3 3 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD) - displays power readings, menus, and information necessary for operation of the meter. The elements of the display are discussed in the appropriate units. 4 FUNCTION KEYS - activate the options on the Function Options Menu.
UNIT 2 SIMPLE METER Overview Simple Meter is a mode within the FiberMeter that allows the user to quickly and easily display the attenuation of a fiber link. This mode is used when only the most basic functions are required: fiber loss measurement, optical power measurement, and fiber link monitoring. Operation Power On 1) Press the ON button. 2) After a few seconds, you will be prompted to choose an operating mode. When “SIMPLE METER” is highlighted press F2 to select.
UNIT 2 SIMPLE METER Operation, cont. Power Units The FiberMeter is capable of displaying power readings in three different units. The user may toggle through these units by pressing F1 : dBm (ABS) - This is an absolute (ABS) power measurement. It shows how much optical power is being received by the photodetector in decibels referenced to a milliwatt (dBm). dB (REL) - This is a relative (REL) power measurement.
UNIT 2 SIMPLE METER Operation, cont. Monitor Mode Monitor Mode sends absolute power measurements in a comma delimited format to the serial port in real time. A terminal program is required to view data in real time. To enter Monitor Mode, press 5 . MNO Meter Config Menu Meter properties can be configured from the Meter Config Menu. Press MENU to enter the menu. COMPANY INFO 1 This option allows the user to change the company name and company telephone number.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER Overview Certification Meter allows the user to store data points for the purpose of certifying fiber links against known industry cabling standards; EIA/TIA 568, ISO/IEC 11801, and Gigabit Ethernet are some examples. A user-friendly link configuration wizard is provided to enter fiber link parameters, which is used to calculate reference values for easy PASS/FAIL readings.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER Fiber Certification, cont. continue to step 5. Otherwise, highlight one of the user-defined standards and press F3 to edit the chosen user-defined standard. CONFIGURE USER-DEFINED STANDARD --Selected wavelengths for user-defined standards are denoted by asterisks. Up to two wavelengths may be selected. NOTE: the same wavelength cannot be chosen twice. 4a) Highlight the first wavelength you wish to use, and press F2 to select.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER Overview Certification Meter allows the user to store data points for the purpose of certifying fiber links against known industry cabling standards; EIA/TIA 568, ISO/IEC 11801, and Gigabit Ethernet are some examples. A user-friendly link configuration wizard is provided to enter fiber link parameters, which is used to calculate reference values for easy PASS/FAIL readings.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER Power Units The FiberMeter is capable of displaying power readings in three different units. The user may toggle through these units by pressing F1 : dBm (ABS) - This is an absolute (ABS) power measurement. It shows how much optical power is being received by the photodetector in decibels referenced to a milliwatt (dBm). dB (REL) - This is a relative (REL) power measurement.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER Store Data Points, cont. Press DONE to continue. 3) The screen at right shows the pertinent information about the data point you are storing. FIBER LINK #2 - the fiber link chosen during Link Wizard. NAME - the fiber label chosen in step 2, with the two digit auto-increment number appended at the end. If you are storing data for multiple wavelengths, this label applies to all wavelengths associated with the chosen standard (e.g. 850nm and 1300nm for TIA-568B).
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER FIBER LINK MENU, Cont. 850nm and 1300nm have reference values set for this link. DELETE LINK - allows the user to clear out the properties and all data points set for the selected link. PRINT LINK - sends the link properties to the serial port in a printable format. STORED READINGS MENU Once you have your data stored in the meter’s memory, there are several things you can do with them. We have already discussed downloading the data into our Reporter software.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER STORED READINGS MENU - OPTION 2: PRINT RANGE Selecting 2 from the STORED READINGS menu brings you to the PRINT RANGE screen. This screen allows you to print selected data to the serial port in a printable format. DEF ACME - fiber link name. NAME: - fiber label name. PRINT ALL F1 - prints all data points. After this command is executed, you will be returned to the STORED READINGS menu. PRINT F2 - print all data points pertaining to the current run label.
UNIT 3 CERTIFICATION METER STORED READINGS MENU - OPTION 4: DOWNLOAD, Cont. 1) Connect the meter to your PC via the supplied download cable. 2) Open a terminal program on your PC. You will need to configure the COM settings, and set the program for data capture. Consult the appropriate manual for instructions. 3) Once the PC is connected and configured for text capture. Press F1 to begin the download. 4) The terminal window will display the data as it is downloaded.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix A - Decibel Review Your FiberMeter meter has a decibel(dB) range that spans 75dB. The whole purpose of your meter is to measure light energy in decibels. But what exactly is a decibel? It is not uncommon for a technician to be using an optical power meter and not understand what a decibel really is. If you struggle a little with this review, you will find the concept not so threatening.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix A - Decibel Review, cont. There are other decibels to consider. The decibel we previously described is”dB” is called relative. This is because it is a ratio as was explained. With ratios there is no way to tell what absolute value we had at the start or end of a link. To solve the problem we can always reference our optical power to a fixed value of one milliwatt (1 mW). One milliwatt of power will replace the denominator of our equation.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix C - Glossary, cont. Bandwidth. The transmission capacity of a system. Buffering. 1. A protective material extruded directly on the fiber coating to protect the fiber from the environment (tight buffering). 2. Extruding a tube around the coated fiber to allow isolation of the fiber from stresses on the cable (loose buffered) Buffer Tubes. Loose-fitting covering over optical fibers used for protection and isolation. Bundle.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix C - Glossary, cont. Equipment Room. A centralized space for telecommunications equipment that serves the occupants of the building. Equipment housed herein is considered distinct from a telecommunications closet because of its nature or complexity of the equipment. Frequency. Of a periodic wave, the number of identical cycles per second. Usually expressed in Hertz. Fresnel Reflection.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix C - Glossary, cont. Multi-mode Fiber. A type of optical fiber that supports more than one propagating mode. Numeric Aperture (NA). The number that expresses the light-gathering ability of a fiber. Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR). A method of evaluating optical fibers based on detecting backscattered (reflected) light. Used to measure fiber attenuation, evaluate splice and connector joints, and locate faults.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix D - FiberMeter Specifications Detector Type:----------------------------------NIST Traceable Wavelengths:---------------------Factory Calibrated Wavelengths:-----------------Measurement Range:------------------------------Accuracy:---------------------------------------Resolution:-------------------------------------Battery Life:-----------------------------------Connector Type:---------------------------------Operating Temperature:--------------------------Storage Temperature:-
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix F - Cleaning and Care Instructions The FiberMeter is a sensitive piece of scientific equipment. Great care should be taken when handling and cleaning it. HANDLING TIPS 1) Do NOT drop any piece of scientific equipment, e.g. the FiberMeter. Damage may occur to the case or electronic components on the circuit board may become dislodged, and inaccuracy may occur. 2) Keep the meter in its neoprene case when not in use.
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix G - Supplies MULTI-MODE LIGHT SOURCES Dual OWL Dual Wavelength ST Multi-mode Light Source 850 OWL 850nm ST Multi-mode Light Source LE220ST LE200ST SINGLE MODE LIGHT SOURCES Laser OWL Dual Wavelength ST Single Mode Laser Light Source Laser OWL Dual Wavelength SC Single Mode Laser Light Source Laser OWL Dual Wavelength FC Single Mode Laser Light Source 1310 OWL 1310nm ST Single Mode Laser Light Source 1310 OWL 1310nm SC Single Mode Laser Light Source 1310 OWL 1310nm FC Single Mo
UNIT 4 APPENDICES Appendix I - Link Budget Calculation Worksheet Operating Wavelength Fiber Type Passive Cable System Attenuation Fiber Loss at Operating Wavelength (Distance x Fiber Loss) Total Cable Distance Individual Fiber Loss (at operating wavelength) Total Fiber Loss Connector Loss (Connector Loss x Connector Pairs) Individual Connector Loss Number of Connector Pairs Total Connector Loss Splice Loss (Splice Loss x Splices) Individual Splice Loss Number of Splices Total Splice Loss km dB/km dB dB
UNIT 3 4 APPENDICES Appendix J - Reference jumper setup Your test jumpers must be cleaned and inspected prior to using them for fiber link testing. You should have one jumper for the power meter side of the test, and one jumper for each of the connector ports on your light source. Make sure that these patch cords match the fiber under test (i.e. same fiber type, same core/cladding size, same connector type).
UNIT 3 4 APPENDICES Appendix K - Tone Detection and Auto Wavelength Feature Many fiber optic light sources are able to send modulated optical signals into optical fibers. Modulated signals are useful for two purposes: tone detection and automatic wavelength switching. Tone Detection - A detector equipped to sense a modulated signal can alert the user to the presence of a modulated signal in the fiber.
