OTDR Basic Principle

An OTDR sends short pulses of light in the fiber.

Light scattering occurs in the fiber due to
discontinuities such as connectors, splices, bends
and faults.
The OTDR then detects and analyzes the
backscattered signals.
The signal strength is measured for specific intervals
of time and is used to characterize events.
 OTDR Measurements
OTDR used to measure
Link Length
Splice Loss
Connector loss
Fibre loss & attenuation
Connector reflection
System Optical Return Loss
OTDR Settings
 OTDR Trace Basics

Reflective Event

Launch
End/Fault

Non-Reflective
Event

Noise

Distance
Remember that all we see here is BACKSCATTERED lighteverything
you see is JUST different amounts of light coming back to the OTDR!
 Key Setup Parameters

Distance A Basic But Very Important Setting

Resolution Determines Distance Accuracy

Pulse width The Most Useful Control

Averaging Gets You a Better Looking Trace

Wavelength Shows Up Stress In Fibre

 Distance
dB

The Distance Setting is also

known as distance or display
range. It is the setting which Selected Range of 30km is
tells the OTDR how much it just right to see the entire
should test & display on the 25km fibre.
screen. In order to see the
entire length of the fibre under
test, you must select a Range
that is greater than the fibre
length. Selected Range of 13km is too short
to see the entire 25km) fibre.
km
 Pulse Width
Pulse Width is measured in time and/or length. Pulse Width is a measure of the
space a burst (pulse) of light takes up in a fibre. Short Pulse Widths take up only a
small length. Long Pulse Widths can be up to 2kms long!

OTDR

30ns Pulse

A light pulse from the OTDR travels along

10ns = 1m inside the fibre like water through a pipe.

100ns = 10m

10,000ns = 1,000m = 1km

 Pulse Width
Pulse Width controls both the
Dead Zone & measurement

Long PWs
range (Dynamic Range). Worst Dead Zones
but Very Clean Trace 10000ns
In these traces, the same fibre
was measured using 8 different 2500ns
Good Dead Zones 1000ns
pulse widths. The shortest

Med PWs
AND Clean Traces
produces the shortest Dead 275ns
with Medium PWs
Zone, but also gives the noisiest 100ns

Short PWs
30ns
trace. The longest pulse
produces a very clean trace, but Best Dead Zones
10ns
the dead zone is over 1km long! but Noisy Trace 5ns
Pulse Width
The shortest produces the shortest Dead Zone, but
also gives the lowest dynamic range.
The longest pulse produces a very clean trace, and
high dynamic range!
 Dead Zones
Specified as a DISTANCE
Determines how CLOSE to OTDR you can
detect and measure a splice loss
Determines how CLOSE TOGETHER two
events (splices) can be measured
Directly related to PULSE WIDTH: larger
pulse widths produce larger dead zones
 Dead Zone
The effects of Pulse
Width are most noticeable
at the very start of the
trace -- where the fibre is
connected to the OTDR.
965m Long
This Launch area is
where the Dead Zone is 10000ns
320m
the worst. These traces
shows the first part of the Medium
same fibre measured 275ns
using 3 different Pulse 540m
< 100m
Widths. The first splice (at Short
540 m) cannot be seen at 100ns
the longer Pulse Width. It
can be measured at the
medium & short Pulse
widths.
 OTDR specifications & limitations
Dead zones
Dead zone concerns only reflective events
Dead zones result from the huge amount of energy sent back to the
detector by a reflective event.
The detector is temporary saturated therefore it needs some time to
recover from the overload of energy.
As a consequence of this temporary blindness, a part of the fiber located
immediately after the event cannot be seen.

It depends on:
Pulse width
Wavelength
Amount of reflectance
 OTDR Bi-directional Averaging
Each of the unidirectional indications (L) includes the actual splice loss (S)
and the backscatter factor (B)

L1 = S - B L2 = S + B
OTDR bi-directional averaging provides accurate optical loss measurement
(Bs cancel out)

S = (L1 + L2) / 2
 Cleaning/Inspection
Before connecting any piece of fiber optic
technology, you need to clean and inspect the
connector.

WHY?
Dirt increases loss
More loss means transmission problems
Dirt increases optical return loss
ORL destabilizes transmission system, increases errors etc
Dirt build-up means connector will have to be
replaced.
Fiber Inspection Probe
x200/400 Magniification
USB Interface
Multiple Tips Supplied
1.25 mm ferrules
1.25mm ferrules APC
2.5 mm ferrules
2.5 mm ferrules APC
FC/APC
SC/APC
E2000
FC/PC
ST/PC
SC/PC
LC/PC
& more available if needed
Clean connector
Dirty connector
Dirty/scratched connector
 Viewing with the FIP-400
All the usual suspects have FIP options; clarity is the key.
 FIP Options Available
FIP-400 can fit into AXS-110, FTB-150 and FTB-200 OTDR, AXS-200/350_360 directly
via 8 pin adapter:

Can be used with a handheld viewing screen:

:with a USB adapter on your PC

store and save image (except

for handheld) in .bmp or .jpg
THANK YOU