Detection and cleaning method of fiber jumper end face

The end face of the fiber jumper refers to the flat section at the end of the connector with different shapes and structures at both ends of the fiber jumper.

It can be known from the optical principle that this will cause signal attenuation to increase, resulting in network failure. For example, during an intermittent packet loss network troubleshooting process, when an OTDR was used to check the optical path status, it was found that the intermediate jump point of one of the cores had a large attenuation, reaching 2.2dB at a wavelength of 1300mm. After inspection, the abnormal attenuation at this place was caused by the unclean end face of the fiber jumper. After cleaning, the optical path attenuation value returned to normal, and the OTDR test was successfully passed. The intermittent packet loss phenomenon of the original fault disappeared, and the network communication returned to normal.

Inspection of the end face of optical fiber jumper

How to detect and clean the end face of optical fiber jumper?

One end surface dirt inspection method

1.1 Visual inspection

Pick up the fiber jumper and face the light, and check whether the end face is clean and smooth by observing whether the refraction of the end face to the light is bright. If the reflection of light on the end of the fiber is smooth and bright, it is considered to be relatively clean. If the reflection of the light on the end of the fiber is not bright and smooth, it is very likely that there is dirt or scratches on the end face. Such an end face will be serious. Affects the quality of light transmission. Of course, checking the end face with the help of the instrument can more comprehensively understand the details of the end face.

1.2 Instrument Inspection

At present, there are many inspection tools and instruments for fiber end face, among which fiber microscope is the most widely used professional inspection instrument. In general, a fiber optic microscope for multimode shows a magnification of 200 times, while a fiber microscope for single mode shows a magnification of 400 times.

Two-end surface dirt cleaning method

2.1 No professional tools to assist in cleaning the end face

Materials to be prepared are anhydrous alcohol, cleaning cotton balls, and lens paper. The cleaning steps are as follows.

I. Hold the cleaning cotton ball in one hand, and then drop anhydrous alcohol on the cotton ball, the alcohol should not be dripped too much;

II. Wipe the end face with a cotton ball with anhydrous alcohol in the same direction, and the number of times depends on the degree of dirt on the end face of the fiber;

III. Wipe the end face that has been wiped with alcohol on the lens paper folded more than 3 layers in the same direction until the alcohol is completely dry and the end face is refracted and dazzling;

IV. Carefully check the light reflection at each part of the end face and whether there is any fiber debris left on the end face. If necessary, repeat the above 1~3 steps until the fiber end face is clean.

2.2 Professional tools to clean the fiber end face

At present, there are many manufacturers producing professional optical fiber end face cleaning tools, and Jiangsu Jixing is one of them. Optical fiber cleaning tools include optical fiber cleaning cloth, optical fiber cleaning pen, optical fiber cleaning box, etc.

1. Optical fiber cleaning cloth

Wipe the end face of the optical fiber connector with lint-free paper or lint-free cloth and anhydrous alcohol. The dust-free paper is made of virgin wood pulp with special processing, which has high water absorption, high oil absorption, and high dust absorption, and will not scratch the surface of the wiped. The cleaning cloth is strong and soft, does not produce lint, does not contain any chemical impurities, does not cause allergic reactions, and is not easy to fluff and fall. This method is characterized by simple operation and low cost.

2. Optical fiber cleaning pen

The fiber-specific cleaning pen is specially designed to clean the inside of fiber optic adapters, or to clean the hard-to-reach ferrule end faces inside the adapter. It's shaped like a pen with one end that goes inside the adapter's ceramic sleeve. The working principle is either the cotton swab plus anhydrous alcohol method, or the strong viscose method. Jiangsu Jixing optical fiber cleaning pen has two specifications of 1.25mm and 2.5mm. 1.25mm is used for cleaning LC type connectors, and 2.5mm is used for cleaning FC/SC/ST connectors.

3. Optical fiber cleaning box

The optical fiber cleaning box adopts a special roll-up wiping tape, which is installed in a rollable shell. Since its principle is to use strong adhesive to stick off the dirt on the end face of the connector, there is no need for alcohol, and each cleaning is very effective. . The disadvantage is that sometimes the adhesive itself will remain on the end face of the connector, and the adhesive tape is a consumable item, and the wiped area cannot be reused.

As for which cleaning method to choose, it is recommended that you take into account your own product performance requirements, the site environment you are in, and the cost you spend, so as to choose a cost-effective cleaning method.