OPTICAL FIBRE : TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS.

BY
TX-I FACULTY

A.L.T.T.C;
GHAZIABAD

Main Features and Benefits of Optical Fiber Cables

FEATURES
* Low TX Loss. N/W. * Wide Bandwidth. * Non-inductive. voltage. * Immunity from Electro-magnetic interference. * Small size, bending radius and light weight. * Difficult to tap.

BENEFITS
*Long repeater Spacing or Repeater less

* Larger Chl. Capacity * No damage to Eqpt. due to surge

* No shielding to Eqpt. no X-talk or Signal leakage. * Easy to install, reduction in space needed. * High Security and

System Composition
Electrical Signal Optical Signal Electrical Signal

D D F

Transmitter

E/O Converter

F D F

F D F

O/E Converter

Receiver

D D F

Data In

Application area of Measuring Instruments In Optical Fiber Communication system

Data Out

MAIN TESTS ON OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES

Cable Loss. Splice Loss. Connector Loss. Fibre Length. Continuity of Fiber. Fault Localizations/Break Fault.

INSTRUMENTS REQUIRED
Calibrated Light Source. Optical Power Meter. Optical Attenuator. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR).

CALIBRATED LIGHT SOURCE

Generates Light signals of known power and wavelength (LED or LASER).

Wavelength variations to match Fiber's Wavelength.

OPTICAL POWER METER

Measures Optical Power over wide range (Typically 1 nW to 2mW/-60dBm to + 3dBm) It is never measured directly, but measured through Electrical conversion using Photo Electric conversion. It is known as OPTICAL SENSOR of known Wavelength. The accuracy of the Optical Power meter depends upon the stability of the Detectors power to current conversion which changes with Ageing.

OPTICAL ATTENUATORS
TYPES: Fixed Attenuators. Variable Attenuators.

APPLICATIONS: To Simulate the Regenerator Hop Loss at the FDF. To Provide Local Loop Back for Testing. To measure the Bit Error Rate by varying the Optical Signal at the Receiver Input. (RECEIVER SENSITIVITY)

REQUIREMENTS OF ATTENUATORS
Attenuation Range. Lowest Insertion Loss.

Independent of Wavelength.
Type of Connectors at the Input and Output.

0% Dark Motion

Light Receiver

Fiber Light Source

Fiber

Light Source 100% Dark

(VARIABLE ATTENUATOR)

OPTICAL TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETER (OTDR)

Used for measuring

Fiber Loss. Splice Loss. Connector Loss. Fiber Length. Continuity of Fiber. Fault Localization.

OPERAING PRINCIPLES
One Port Operation. Works on the Principle of Back Scattering (Raleigh Scattering, see Figure ). Scattering is the main cause of Fiber Loss Scattering Coefficient=1/4 An Optical Pulse is launched into one End of Fiber and Back Scattered Signals are detected. These Signals are approximately 50 dB below the Transmitted level. Measuring conditions and Results are displayed.

Scattering in an Optical Fiber

Light is scattered in all directions including back towards the Source in the Fiber.

FRESNEL REFLECTION
It happens when there is a great change of Refractive Index: Break Fault. Connecter Loss. Free Fiber-End. Received reflected signal depends on surface conditions. It is normally 14 db below Transmitted signals.
Break FIBER CORE

BREAK IN FIBER

Fresnel Reflection
n2=1.5 n1=1.0

(n2-n1)2= (1.5-1.0)2 = 0.04 = 4% = - 14dB (n2+n1)2 (1.5+1.0)2

OTDR INSTRUMENT PRINCIPLE

Pulse Generator Fiber Laser

APD

Signal

Trigger

Oscilloscope

Amplifier

BOX CAR AVERAGER AMPLIFIER

It is provided to improve S/N of the RX. Signal in OTDR It is done by sampling the signal at each point in Time, starting at time, t=0. An Arithmetic Average is generated by a Low Pass Filter (LPF). Then a variable delay is used to move to the next point in Time t=1,2,3-------n.
It scans the entire signal. Larger the No. of Samples (n), the smaller the Mean Square Noise Current:i2noise = Constant /n

Explanation of the Z/2 uncertainty of the OTDR Signal

BACKSCATTERING

t= t1+ t

from pulse tail

direction of pulse propagation

Z-Z/2

Z/2

from pulse front

z
z

T= t1 backscattering from pulse front

Calculation of Pulse Length in Fiber

For 100ns Pulse width Z = Pulse Width (W) x Group Velocity = W x Speed of Light/Refractive Index. = 100x 10-9 x 3 x108/1.5 = 20m. Z/2=10m i.e. 5m For 1000ns Pulse Width: Z = Pulse Width (W) x Group velocity = W x Speed of Light / Refractive Index. = 1000 x 10-9 x 3 x 108/1.5 = 200m. Z/2=100m i.e. 50m For 1000ns Pulse Width: Z = Pulse width (W) x Group velocity. = W x Speed of Light/Refractive Index. = 4000x10-9x3x108/1.5 = 800m. Z/2 = 400m i.e. 200m

The amount of light scattered back to the OTDR is proportional to the backscatter of the fiber, peak power of the OTDR test pulse and the length of the pulse sent out.

Length of OTDR Pulse in the fiber

OTDR pulse Increasing the pulse width increases the backscatter level.

OTDR Trace Information

Reflections show OTDR Pulse Width and Resolution

Connectors show both Loss and Reflections

Slope of trace shows Fiber Attenuation Coefficient Splices are usually not Reflective.

Splices Loss

Typical Display on CRT of OTDR

2.0 km/DIV 4.0 db/DIV
Start point of Measurement

DR=36km

Shifted distance 0.000 km

0 Starting point 0.000

LOSS----(LSA) Total loss =4.00 db Distance = 4.000 km Loss/km=1.00 db/km

10.000 km --End point of Measurement Wavelength= 1.31, SM Type of fibre under test PW=100ns Pulse setting for transmission REF= 1.5000 Refractive Index of Core under test Gain= 5.0db Gain of Amplifier inside OTDR

General Waveform Analysis

Fresnel Reflection at Splice near end connector Fresnel Reflection at Far-end or fault

Loss (dB) Backscattered Light

Fresnel Reflection at connection

Distance (km)

Reason for Dead Zone

Y

Dead Zone X

Dead Zone depends on Pulse Width

100ns

1s

Splice Loss Measurement Principles

The trace waveform at the Splice Point should be displayed as the dotted line in the figure below, but is actually displayed as the solid line. The waveform input to the OTDR shows a sharp falling edge at the splice point, so the circuit cannot respond correctly. The interval L gets longer as the pulse width becomes longer.

Splice Point

Therefore, the Splice Loss can not be measured correctly in the Loss Mode.

In the Splice Loss mode, two markers are set on each side of the Splice Point and the lines L1 and L2 are drawn as shown below. The part of the straight line immediately after the splice point is the forward projection of the straight line, L2

The Splice Loss is found by dropping a vertical line from the Splice Point to this projection of L2, and measuring the level difference between the Splice Point and the intersection.

L1 x1

Splice Point

Splice Loss x2 L2

x3
x4

Approximation Methods
At Loss Measurement and Splice Loss Measurement, the loss is found by drawing an imaginary line between two set markers. There are two methods for drawing the line.

Least Square Approximation Method (LSA). Two Point Approximation Method (2PA).

LEAST SQUARE APPROXINATION METHOD (LSA) In this method, the line is drawn by computing the least square of the distance from all the measured data between the two markers.

X1

X2

Two Point Approximation Method(2PA)

This method draws the line linking the two measured data points at the two markers.

X1

X2

Measurement of Splice Loss by Least Squares Method

L1
X1 X2

Splice

*
Splice Loss X3 X4

L2

Splice Loss Measurement by Two Point Approximation

Splice

X1
True Value

Measured Value

Loss Errors in OTDR Measurements

a. same fiber spliced
actual loss
error caused by fiber characteristics

b. high loss fiber spliced to low loss fiber

actual loss error caused by fiber characteristics

c. low loss fiber spliced to high loss fiber can cause an apparent gain at a splice.

Visual Inspection:Visible Light Source

Eye

Optical Fibre

Continuity Test:Sensor

Light Source
Optical Fibre

Optical Power Meter

Receiver Sensitivity Test

BER Test Set

Transmitter

Variable Optical Optical Power Attenuator Splitter

DUT Receiver

OF Patch Cords Power Meter

Thank You
Any Questions & Suggestions, please.