# fiber-optic converters



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

I had to deal with a bad fiber today which meant calling out my boss from another site as i did not have a light test meter. 

Boss turns up and we do the test and find the bad fiber then switch to a un-used set etc etc. Before he left he gave me a ideal fibermaster 33-937 with the 33-939 light source (hes had it for a long time and it was never used).

First problem is the 33-939 is dual rated for single and multi-mode. It has 2 ports and no instruction manual so im not sure if the ports are designated for certain operations. 

second problem is the meter has a standard 2.5mm with a fc ring (light source has 3 adapters included). We have a mismash of different cables at work so i need to either get adapters for the meter or short patch cables with different ends. 
Most of the adapters i see are single mode and we generally only use multi-mode so im wondering what i should be looking at. Do i look for fc male to lc-st-sc or conversion cables ?.


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

Darn good question!

If I had any idea of what you are talking about I'd give you a darn good answer!

So now I've subscribed to maybe learn something.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

https://www.aaatesters.com/pub/media/datasheets/ideal_33-929_specifications_spec_sheet_4f119.pdf




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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

If you’re doing multi mode get the cables for 50 micron and the older 62.5 micron


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

The light source has two ports, the one on the left is 850 and 1300 (typically used with multimode) and the one on the right is 1310 and 1550 (typically used with singlemode). You want to test with the wavelength of the equipment you're using, but usually if it's good at one wavelength, it's good at the others. I think you just push the power button to step through the wavelengths. 

If you are testing multimode that's terminated in FC connectors, you'll want to install the FC adapter on the light source, probably on the left side, and patch that with an FC-FC patch cord to the patch panel port. You'll use a FC-FC patch cable from the meter to the patch panel. You'll need a FC-FC coupling / barrel to calibrate. 

edit: the patch cords should match the type of fiber you're testing - 62.5 micron or 50 micron if it's multimode.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

Plus get the couplings (or steal them from unused ports in the fiber panels) so you can zero out the patch cables 


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

ok that makes sense. 
Im going to order 2 patch cable fc to fc in both single and multi and get some hybrid fc to lc-st-sc adapters that are meant to be good for both single and multi. I have some experience in testing and installing ends but i was always supervised by a person that set everything up for me and made sure i had the correct parts. 

I really need to find a training course as we have most of the tools and the company is willing to pay for it.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

gpop said:


> ok that makes sense.
> Im going to order 2 patch cable fc to fc in both single and multi and get some hybrid fc to lc-st-sc adapters that are meant to be good for both single and multi. I have some experience in testing and installing ends but i was always supervised by a person that set everything up for me and made sure i had the correct parts.
> 
> I really need to find a training course as we have most of the tools and the company is willing to pay for it.


I did training at AMP down in Harrisburg, PA. You can get training from most manufacturers. 


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## 5kv flash (Jul 15, 2016)

gpop said:


> I had to deal with a bad fiber today which meant calling out my boss from another site as i did not have a light test meter.
> 
> Boss turns up and we do the test and find the bad fiber then switch to a un-used set etc etc. Before he left he gave me a ideal fibermaster 33-937 with the 33-939 light source (hes had it for a long time and it was never used).
> 
> ...


Multi mode is for short runs old school, single mode is used more often now the orange multimode why are people still using fiber like this ,you have power meters right a small scope to see how dirty your connectors are right,O.T.D.R to test fiber lengths and breaks etc..

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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

5kv flash said:


> Multi mode is for short runs old school, single mode is used more often now the orange multimode why are people still using fiber like this ,you have power meters right a small scope to see how dirty your connectors are right,O.T.D.R to test fiber lengths and breaks etc..
> 
> Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Tapatalk


I still see multimode being used a lot. Heck, I did a job with it but that's because I spec'd the 10gig network haha.

Singlemode is better for longer runs though no questions asked. Singlemode is all I see for outside plant cabling, although it can be ordered as multimode...


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

What is a "short distance" in fibre? I know the answer, but my point is that you use what the specs call for. Single mode is being used more simply because the the providers are using ONT for their distribution on a PON. That is a design decision, not a performance decision.

Cheers
John


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## 5kv flash (Jul 15, 2016)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> I still see multimode being used a lot. Heck, I did a job with it but that's because I spec'd the 10gig network haha.
> 
> Singlemode is better for longer runs though no questions asked. Singlemode is all I see for outside plant cabling, although it can be ordered as multimode...


I spent some ten years working with fiber easy to troubleshoot and splice from inside vaults ,data nodes etc, deal with fiber modems,Cisco switchs etc simple stuff every thing now is IP based that I work with ,you need to learn alot on your own, comm wise comm is alot easier to understand than electrical with I have done for 40 years,u remember tellabs copper bridges or dumb d4 channel bank cards,ever use a butt set for comm for polling and answer backs this is your response pair or transmit pair and hand shaking the beginning of polling cycle for me comm is easy just depends on how good one is at troubleshooting just saying..

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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

5kv flash said:


> Multi mode is for short runs old school, single mode is used more often now the orange multimode why are people still using fiber like this ,you have power meters right a small scope to see how dirty your connectors are right,O.T.D.R to test fiber lengths and breaks etc..
> 
> Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Tapatalk



We use a lot of short fiber runs for lightning protection. Gate card readers, small plc panels and a bunch of other stuff would work just as well on cat 6 until the first strike.

Single mode we call in a contractor. Basically i only need the ability to test the fiber at this point in time. 
The company has asked if im willing to learn how to fusion splice, etc and is willing to buy any tool i request but learning a specialized procedure that i will not get to practice on a regular basis can lead to more headaches then its worth.


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## DanBond (Nov 25, 2020)

Dude, I'm really interested in your question. To begin with,I'm using optical time domain reflectometer 930XC. And I can confidently say that he is a better Kula. To begin with, the 930xc optical reflectometer is used on fiber-optic cables or lines to determine their length and the location of a fault that causes increased losses. Such measurements may be required during the installation/commissioning of fiber-optic systems, as well as during Troubleshooting on them. But in theory, everything is not as good as in practice. When I encountered a breakdown I couldn't find the cause and it made me very nervous. I remember even breaking a few pencils on my Desk out of anger. After a little thought, I decided not to waste time and turn to specialists in my field because I could not solve the problem myself. A long search on the Internet helped me find aerial fiber construction and I did not regret that I trusted them. As you know, small events such as macro bends, bad connectors, and poor-quality welds can sometimes be harder to identify.


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