Olson Technology OTEB-CW-B - Manual (Page 26)

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ii. Internal optical connectors of the unit may also be inspected and
cleaned. The trays which house the connectors can be slid part way out
after loosening the thumb screws. The internal connectors are plugged
into the optical connector adapters and can be pulled out from the rear.
Gently pull out the adapter, by the body of the connector (never the fiber
or the boot) that needs inspection or cleaning. It can then be cleaned by
the normal cleaning procedures. Be sure to correctly re-mate the optical
connectors to the adapters.
e. Description of EDFA optical connector types.
Depending on which unit type is to be installed there may be one or more opti-
cal connector types to address, the actual connector types may differ from the
ones detailed here due to specific customization of the units at the customers
request:
i. The regular (non-CWDM) version of the multi-port EDFA uses SC/APC
(green/angled) optical connectors exclusively.
ii. The CWDM version of the multi-port EDFA uses both SC/APC
(green/angled) and SC/UPC (blue/flat) optical connectors.
iii. The APC stands for Angled Polished Connector which has an optical
end-face cut/polished to be 8
O
with respect to the direction of the fiber.
The connector bodies are typically green in color.
iv. The (U)PC stands for (Ultra)-Polished Connector which has an optical
end face cut/polished to be 90
O
with respect to the direction of the fiber.
The connector bodies are typically blue or black in color.
v. The blue and green are visual aids to remind end user that the two types
are different.
vi. Caution: Do not mate an angled (APC) connector with a flat (UPC or
PC) connector. This can cause mechanical damage to both connectors
and does not provide correct low loss optical mating. At a minimum
there will be an “air gap” between the two connector end-faces causing
large attenuation (loss) of the optical power. It can also cause damage to
connectors by scratching or cracking the flat connector with the tip of the
angled connector. It is acceptable to mate a flat Polished (PC) and ultra-
polished (UPC) connector since the difference is related to manufactur-
ing quality, not physical end-face angle. However, to minimize optical at-
tenuation it is advisable to not use the lower grade (PC) connectors.
vii. All the connector types (e.g. SC, FC, LC, E2000) have some kind of
alignment key or pin, which only allows one orientation for connector-to-
adapter mating, however this does not prevent mixing of angle and flat
connector types.