SC187 Hands-on Basic Fiber Optics for the Absolute Beginner

Monday, March 22, 2010
1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Dennis Horwitz; Micronor Inc., USA
Level: Beginner (no background or minimal training is necessary to understand course material)


Course Description

This Short Course provides a very practical introduction to fiber optics with extensive show-and-tell and hands-on experiments to help better understand the concepts and industry trends by both seeing and doing. It has proven a popular and useful course to not just engineers but also purchasing, manufacturing, program management, sales, marketing and management. The course provides a practical overview to the essential concepts behind fiber optics, including: single-mode, multi-mode, core, cladding, numerical aperture, attenuation, dB, dBm, dispersion, bandwidth, SONET, DWDM and GbE. We also will discuss the broad range of applications from commercial telecommunications to military and aerospace, from medical to geophysical, and more. Mixed in with the various topics are hands-on test and measurement experiments to help better understand fiber optics and its nuances: visual fault location, optical power, attenuation, insertion loss, return loss and optical time-domain reflectometry. The hands-on experiments help to introduce the participant to popular fiber optic standards used throughout various industries, including TIA fiber optic test procedures (FOTPs) and optical fiber system test procedures (OFSTPs). The participant will also come to understand some of the many variations in testing, the meaning of the results, and important tips when working with fiber.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Explain the fundamental optical differences and applications of single-mode fiber (SMF) vs. multimode fiber (MMF), including the different fiber types and fiber sizes.
  • Identify the different connector types and understand their specific performance features (e.g. E2000, FC, LC, MIL styles, MTP, SC, ST, etc.) plus the various end-face options (i.e., Expanded Beam, NC, PC, SPC, UPC and APC).
  • Test connectors and cable assemblies for insertion loss (IL) and return loss (RL).
  • Measure attenuation differences and bend loss effects in single-mode and multi-mode fiber links.
  • Explain the differences between standard OTDRs and high resolution, short haul OTDRs, as well as their applications.
  • Apply proper handling and cleaning techniques.
  • Explain DWDM concepts and trends in telecommunications as well as Gigabit Ethernet technology driving LAN/WAN applications.
  • Explain limitations of COTS components vs. requirements of harsh/hazardous environments.

Intended Audience

The course is the ideal introduction to fiber optics and is geared toward the engineer or manager just making the transition into fiber optic technology. Every two participants will share a test and troubleshooting set consisting of a visual fault locator (VFL), optical power meter (OPM), LED source, laser source, connector cleaning tools and a variety of test cables to simulate different test scenarios.


Biography

Dennis Horwitz received his MSEE from the University of California at Los Angles and has more than 30 years experience in research and development, product development, sales and marketing of fiber optic test equipment and components. He was co-founder of two successful start-ups in fiber optic test and measurement: Photodyne Inc. (1979–1990, sold to 3M) and Rifocs Corp. (1990–2003, sold to Textron). He is actively involved in fiber optic standards development (ARINC, ISA, SAE and TIA) and has been an OFC Short Course instructor for more than 10 years. He is currently vice president for sales/marketing for Micronor Inc., which has developed and commercialized the first totally passive, fiber optic rotary encoder for motion control applications.