Fiber Optic Equipment


The term fiber optics may sound like a high-tech vocabulary word, but in truth these cables are a necessary part of our everyday lives. Fiber optic cables power our telephone systems and keep our television cable systems running. They are used in medical imaging as well as mechanical engineering inspection. They are used in tiny networks and large multinational conglomerates.

Fiber optics, simply put, is a technology that uses glass or plastic threads and fibers to transmit data. As thin as a human hair, a fiber optic cable consists of bundles of glass threads, which are capable of transmitting messages that are modulated onto light waves.

Fiber Optics Composition

Fiber optic cables are actually made up of several parts. These include:
  • Core – the thin glass center of the fiber through which light travels.

  • Cladding - the outer optical material that surrounds the core, reflecting all light back.

  • Buffer coating - the plastic coating that protects the fiber from damage and moisture
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Fiber optic cables come in either single-mode or multi-mode fibers. Single-mode fibers have small cores and transmit infrared laser lights. Multi-mode fibers have larger cores and transmit infrared light from light-emitting diodes.

Advantages of Fiber Optics

Several advantages come with taking the fiber optics route.
  • Fiber optic cables have a much larger bandwidth capability than ordinary metal cables. Extra bandwidth means extra memory capability, which means that the amount of data they transfer is larger, and therefore more cost efficient.

  • Fiber optic cables are less susceptible to interference as opposed to metal cables, leading to increased reliability and functionality. Their immunity to electromagnetic interference also includes nuclear electromagnetic pulses as well as electrical resistance.

  • Fiber optic cables are lightweight and considerably thinner than metal wires and cables, which makes them more compatible with a wider range of usages.

  • Fiber optic cables allow for data to be transferred digitally, as in computer data, rather than analogically
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Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cables

The main disadvantage of fiber optic cables is their cost. Expensive to install and more fragile than their metal counterparts, fiber optic cables are difficult to split as well. This makes them more difficult to work with and install onsite.

Some optical fibers are subject to “fiber fuse”, an occurrence caused when too much light reaches an imperfection in the line that destroys connectivity. “Fiber fuse” can be minimized with detection circuitry at a transmitter. Some fiber optic cables also can't carry electrical power to operate terminal devices, but this feature is becoming passé with the wider availability of mobile phones, wireless PDAs, and other remote devices.

Popularity

The demand for fiber optics remains at an all-time high, especially in regard to local-area networks. Many telephone companies are replacing their traditional lines with the data-intensive fiber optic cables. Almost all communications companies in existence today are utilizing or planning to implement fiber optic cable systems.

By Blaise Morita           


Related Links:

  • Fiber Optics Buyer's Guide
    Site includes a buyer’s guide as well as business opportunities and auctions, all relating to the fiber optics industry.