SC291 Hands-on Fiber Optics for Engineers Designing for Military, Aerospace, Shipboard and Industrial Harsh Environmental Applications

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Dennis Horwitz; Micronor Inc., USA
Level: Intermediate (prior knowledge of topic is necessary to appreciate course material)

Course Description

This Short Course provides a very practical and interactive experience for the engineer involved in designing fiber optic components and systems for deployment in harsh environments. Whether military, aerospace or industrial in nature, a harsh environment application encompasses one or more attributes (temperature, vibration, shock, etc.) that exceeds the “benign environment” baseline associated with commercial telecom/datacom oriented BELLCORE or IEC standards. (The military design might also refer to these commercial products as COTS—commercial off the shelf—which largely dominates the OFC/NFOEC exhibition floor.)

The course takes the engineer through a quick, practical overview of fiber optics and then demonstrates a 10-step methodology for designing a fiber optic system for a harsh environment application. At each step the application as well as misapplication of COTS technology will be discussed, including lessons learned from similar programs. From soup to nuts, the course takes the participants through a generic system design and offer guidelines and background to assist decision making at each step: defining the system architecture and lifecycle requirements; choosing the right fiber, cable and connectors; designing the cable plant; selecting active/passive components; establishing proper installation practices; performing system testing and certification; developing proper maintenance /restoration methodology; establishing training standards; and evaluating system reliability. Throughout the course, the participants will also perform some hands-on fiber optic test and measurement experiments to best understand the nuances of working with optical fiber, interpreting test standards and basic troubleshooting techniques. Opportunity will also be provided for open discussion of experiences and problems faced by the participants—to show how the course's materials and 10-step methodology can be applied.

Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Explain the difference between MIL-SPEC and COTS/BELLCORE as applied to fiber optic components selected for Harsh Environment applications.
  • Determine the relevant environmental, operational, maintenance, reliability and lifecycle requirements of the application for proper system design and planning.
  • Explain pro/cons of DWDM vs. GbE, FC and other optical transmission techniques.
  • Explain the fundamental differences and applications of single-mode fiber (SMF) vs. multimode fiber (MMF), including the different fiber types and fiber sizes.
  • Identify the different optical connector and cable types and understand their specific advantages/disadvantages plus suitability for various applications.
  • Operate basic fiber optic test and troubleshooting equipment plus measure attenuation and return loss of optical cable plant cable to understand issues associated with launch condition and installation.
  • Discuss lessons learned from a variety of military, aerospace and industrial programs.
  • Understand basic reliability and failure mode issues specific to fiber optic applications.

Intended Audience

The course is intended for engineers, technicians or program managers who are involved in the design and deployment of fiber optic systems intended for harsh environment applications—whether military, aerospace or industrial. At least a few years experience and basic understanding of fiber optics and harsh environment attributes is necessary to understand the course material.

Biography

Dennis Horwitz received his M.S.E.E. 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.