Applications of Fiber Optic Cable

Around 4 decades ago, fiber optic cable brought earthshaking changes to the world, especially for the telecommunication industry. Optic fiber cable has right advantage compared to copper cable in terms of bandwidth, distance, security, reliability and etc. Fiber cables, made of very thin strands of pure glass, can travel between 984.2 ft to 24.8 miles while the maximum transmission distance is 9,328 ft. Nowadays, the common fiber cables are use metallic wires instead of traditional approaches of wiring. And they have been applied to many industries, which are mainly described as the following.

Computer Networking

Using fiber optic cables, data transformation between computers in one same building or some nearby places become faster and easier than copper medium. This make computer network users can receive and read information and files just a few seconds, which incredibly saved time and enhanced efficiency.

Cable Television

Over the years, optical fiber cables are widely applied to cable television from the aspect of speed and price. With the higher and great bandwidth and speed, the optical fiber cables are optimal solutions for high definition televisions. Besides, the fiber cables are cost effective choices compared to the same quantity of copper wire.

Internet

Unlike copper cable, fiber optic cables are less bulky, more flexible and carry more data. They can transmit large amounts of data at very high speeds. Therefore, they have been extensively used in Internet cables.

Telephone

Decades ago, we could only communicates with each other by letters, telegraphs, walkie-talkies, that is too time-consuming and would sometimes cause some irreparable losses for the sake of timeliness. By using fiber optic communication, we could talk to anybody at anywhere we like without any delay. We can receive and transmit our information simultaneously. This effectively improved our time on communication.

Mechanical Inspections

Optical fiber cables can also be deployed into inspection of hard-to-reach places. They are especially applied to on-site inspections for engineers as well as inspection of pipes for plumbers.

Surgery and Dentistry

In the field of medicine and research, you would also find the traces of fiber optic cables. Besides, they are widely applied to microscopy and biomedical researched as well. As an paramount part of non-intrusive surgical methods (also known as endoscopy). In the process of such kind of surgery, bright light is used to lighten the wound on the body. In this way, the number and size of incisions could be possibly reduced.

Military and Space Applications

Data security and confidentiality attach great importance to military and aerospace applications, fiber optic cables provide an ideal solution for data transmission in these areas.

Automotive Industry

In the field of automotive industry, fiber optic cables mainly function in the lighting and safety parts. With their superior lighting and narrow spacing, fiber optic cables are widely used in lighting in automotive industry, both in the interior and exterior of vehicles. Moreover, fiber optic cables can transmit signals between different parts of the vehicle at lightning speed and have been deployed in many other vehicles as well, especially the vehicles related to lighting. This attaches great importance in the use of safety applications such as traction control and airbags.

Lighting And Decorations

As we mentioned in the last paragraph, fiber optical cables have been widely deployed into the industry related to lighting. And thus, they could be used for decorations for house, streets, office, almost everywhere you want to decorate. They are easy, economical and attractive solution to lighting projects, especially for celebrating some festivals, birthday parties.

Conclusion

Fiber optic cables provide a convenient, cost-effective and easy solution to many applications of industries, and they have been penetrated almost every walk of life. This article mainly discussed about their main applications—computer networking, cable television, Internet, telephone, mechanical inspections, surgery and dentistry, military and space, automobile, lighting and decorations.

Solutions to Common Issues About Fiber Optic Cable

It is a common sense that the light of optic transmission can travel much longer distances than normal transmission medium. And that is why fiber optic cable is of popularity than copper cable those years. Apart from the higher bandwidth, its very high performance data working and telecommunications has won the good reputation for itself. As it has been used by more and more Ethernet users, some common problems about fibre cable occur. Then how to solve them? This passage would provide a satisfied answer for you.

Fiber Damage

It is reckless to judge whether the fibers within the cable are broken or damaged just by looking at it through the naked eye. In most cases, the fiber damage would not so evident that could be observed by its outer appearance. Under this occasion, a fiber optic tracer can be utilized to trace any faults within the cable. Its operation principle just like a miniature flashlight that uses an LED and can be fitted to the the cable connector for the purpose of checking continuity. If the fibers are all complete and not damaged, you can see the light from the two ends the cable is shone.

Connectors

LC, SC, ST, FC, MPO, MTP…are common connectors of optic cords, and it is paramount to fit correct connectors to the fiber cable. Before you use the fibre cable, you should check each of the connectors to see if they well fitted or not. If not, it is necessary for you to rectify it by inserting them properly. If the issue still happens, you can replace the cable by a cable of spring loaded connectors. In that way, the connectors would fit the cable securely and would not slip out.

Length Problem

Once the a fiber optic cable has redundant length after it has been used for a connection, there are potential risks with the left cable and it would result in permanent damage to the fibers and components within the cable. The potential risks are bending, twisting or winding around the cable itself. Almost every store provides different cable length for meeting the requirement of various length demand, especially the online store, they still offer the service of customizing, and you can get the exact cable length according to your actual demand. Before you look through the online cable store, it is essential for you to get your optimal needing length by using a measuring tape. You can position all the equipment that you intend to connect with the cable, and then measure the distance of them and get the approximate length.

Stretching Problem

If an optical fiber cable being stretched over a range itself, and then the fiber and other components within the cable would be damaged. You can move the cables closer or buy an additional cable with proper length. There is another case would cause stretching. Sometimes, it just occurs when you pulling at the jacket of the cable. You should use the grips at the connectors designed to be used to fit and remove them.

External Damage

It is quite necessary to have a thorough visual inspection of the optical fiber cable from time to time. Because any defects would affect the ability of the cable to work properly and even bring unimaginably consequences. During the inspection, if you find any prominent defect occurs, such as splits or scratches, and then please replace the cable.

Conclusion

It seems that it is an irresistible trend to use optical fiber cables now and future. According to this article, we are cleared that some basic solutions for the some common issues about fibre cables.