FIELD TESTING

LC OPTICAL FIBER SYSTEMS

TABLE of CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................3
TESTING WITH DUAL SOURCES AND DETECTORS ...........................................................................4

Step 1: ................................................................................................................................... 4
Step 2: ................................................................................................................................... 5
Step 3: ................................................................................................................................... 6
Step 4: ................................................................................................................................... 6
Step 5: ................................................................................................................................... 7
Step 6: ................................................................................................................................... 7
CONCLUSION .........................................................................................................................................7
LC TEST KITS PART NUMBERS ARE BASED ON FIBER TYPE AND TEST METER PORTS ..........8

INTRODUCTION
This paper describes field testing procedures for LC optical fiber systems. TIA/EIA-568, Commercial
Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, currently recommends the one jumper reference
method. This procedure is described in TIA/EIA-526-14A, Method B, Optical Power Loss Measurements
of Installed Multimode Fiber Cable Plant, and TIA/EIA-526-7, Method A1, Measurement of Optical Power
Loss of Installed Single-mode Fiber Cable Plant.
To ensure accurate and repeatable test results, the test jumpers used during the test must be of good
quality and be clean (no end face debris). More often than not, high losses experienced during testing
are a result of poor quality test jumpers. If there is doubt about the cable assembly, or if test results are
erratic or unusually high, replace the cable assembly before conducting any testing. Note: Replacing
assemblies once a reference value has been obtained requires a new reference measurement before
further testing is completed.
Tyco Electronics offers AMP NETCONNECT test kits comprised of quality jumpers in the proper
configurations and fiber types for use with SC, ST, or LC transmit and with LC receive interface test
equipment. These test kits are available to test either standard LC or Tyco Electronics AMP
NETCONNECT LC SECURE systems. Additionally, individual jumpers are available for replacement if
they become damaged or worn after repeated use.
Another important factor in obtaining accurate and repeatable results is the launch condition of the
source. TIA/EIA-568, ISO 11801 and Tyco Electronics all recognize the importance of a conditioned
launch, and thus recommend the use of mandrel wraps during the reference measurement and the
actual test when testing multimode fiber cabling. As stated in TIA/EIA-568, multimode optical fiber may
appear to have higher than expected attenuation due to the power loss in the high-order modes. To
remove the effects of these high-order mode transient losses, the transmit side of the reference jumper
should be wrapped in five non-overlapping turns around a smooth mandrel during the reference
calibration and for all loss measurements. The mandrel diameter depends on the fiber core size and
also the referenced standard. Illustrations of proper mandrel wrap usage are shown below. Maintain this
mandrel wrap during the reference and the test using a cable tie through the center hole of the mandrel
and around the wrapped cable. Ensure that the cable tie is not tightened to the point of compressing the
jumper cable jacket.
Note: Mandrels are not required for single-mode testing.

62.5/125 Fiber Tested to IEC or TIA Standard

50/125 Fiber Tested to the IEC Standard

50/125 Fiber Tested to the TIA Standard

TESTING WITH DUAL SOURCES AND DETECTORS

The procedure below assumes the test equipment has a transmit (Tx) SC, ST or LC port (depending on
the fixed fiber adapter on the transmit port of the meter) and a receive (Rx) LC port on each unit. The
illustrations assume there is a transmit SC port. Each test set manufacturer may have different features
and procedures for storing references, so consult the test equipment manual for details.
Note: AMP NETCONNECT XG 50-micron (850nm laser-optimized 50/125m multimode fiber) test kits
and test leads are for standard 50-micron and 850nm laser-optimized 50/125m multimode fiber (XG)
testing.
For all steps, record power values in dBm and make sure the jumper fiber type (50-micron, 62.5-micron,
or single-mode) matches that of the system under test. Once a system reference measurement has
been taken, do not disconnect the connectors from the transmit ports. Note: Disconnecting the transmit
(Tx) ports will requires a new reference measurement (repeat step 1).

Step 1:
The first step of this procedure acquires a system reference. Verify the two assemblies are clean and in
good condition. For multimode testing, position the correct mandrel near the transmit connector (Tx) and
apply five non-overlapping cable wraps.
Connect the (SC) connectors to the Transmit (Tx) side and the LC connectors to the Receive (Rx) side of
the test meters. Record two power values as R1 and R2 - one for each fiber in the correct direction.
These values are the reference values for subsequent testing.

Reference Measurement
Mandrel on
Transmit side for
Multimode Fiber

Connector Type is
Determined by Fixed
Tx Port on Meter

SC

LC

SC Port on Tx

LC Port on Rx

Tx

Mandrel on
Transmit side for
Multimode Fiber

Rx

LC

SC

LC Port on Rx
SC Port on Tx

Tx

Rx

Step 2:
Disconnect the LC connectors from the test equipment receive ports (Rx).

LC
LC

SC

Do Not Remove (SC) Connectors

from Transmit (Tx) Ports

Tx

Rx

SC

Tx

Rx

Step 3:
Connect one end of an LC to LC assembly (3rd assembly) to the receive (Rx) port of one test meter and
one end of another LC to LC assembly (4th assembly) to the receive (Rx) port of the other test meter.
Clip the two unconnected LC connectors from each test meter with a duplex LC clip, making sure to
position them so that the test meter Receive (Rx) port is placed in Position A of the clip. This will ensure
the test meter Transmit (Tx) port is placed in Position B of the clip.

Clip Position A

Clip Position B

Tx
Rx
Clip Position A

SC

LC

Tx

Rx

LC Connectors with
Duplex Clip

Installed
System
under Test

Rx
Tx
Clip Position B

LC

SC

Tx

Rx

Step 4:
Connect the clipped LC connectors to the fiber link under test. Record two power values, P1 and P2 one for each fiber in the correct direction.

Step 5:
Calculate system loss (Psystem) for each direction (each fiber) by subtracting the system power values (P1
and P2) from the system reference values (R1 and R2) from step 1. Record one Psystem power value for
each fiber to get two Psystem values for each duplex link.
P1system = R1 - P1 (one direction)
P2system = R2 - P2 (other direction)
Step 6:
Calculate the maximum allowable system loss by summing the maximum cable attenuation, maximum
connector attenuation and maximum splice loss for the link under test.
P system max = Loss cable max + Loss connector max + Loss splice max
Where:
Loss cable max = Cable Attenuation Coefficient [dB/km] Cable Length [km]
Maximum Attenuation Coefficient for Cable
3.5 dB/km @ 850 nm for multimode (50/125 and 62.5/125)
1.5 dB/km @ 1300 nm for multimode (50/125 and 62.5/125) for TIA 568
1.0 dB/km @ 1300 nm for multimode (50/125 and 62.5/125) for ISO 11801
0.5 dB/km @ 1310 nm for single-mode outside plant cable
0.5 dB/km @ 1550 nm for single-mode outside plant cable
1.0 dB/km @ 1310 nm for single-mode inside plant cable
1.0 dB/km @ 1550 nm for single-mode inside plant cable
Loss connector max = Number of Connector Pairs 0.75 dB
Loss splice max = Number of Splices 0.3 dB
Note: To be eligible for the 25-year warranty, the system loss calculated in Step 5 must be less than or
equal to the maximum allowable system loss published in the current Tyco Electronics AMP
NETCONNECT Performance Warranty.

CONCLUSION
The procedure described tests LC system link attenuation and verifies polarity using common test
equipment interface connections.
The key to testing LC SECURE product is the use of universal LC test assemblies. These assemblies
will connect to any color LC SECURE adapter as well as standard (non-SECURE) LC adapters. A list of
test kits follows.

LC TEST KITS PART NUMBERS ARE BASED ON FIBER TYPE AND TEST METER
PORTS
Note: 50-micron test kits use XG fiber these kits are appropriate for testing standard 50-micron or XG
(850nm laser-optimized 50-micron) fiber links

50um and 50um

XG Multimode

62.5um
Multimode

Single-mode

Comments

1828869-1

For Use with Dual Fiber

Testers with SC Transmit
Ports and LC Receive
Ports

1828869-2

For Use with Dual Fiber

Testers with ST Transmit
Ports and LC Receive
Ports

1828869-3

For Use with Dual Fiber

Testers with LC Transmit
Ports and LC Receive
Ports

(See Note Above)

1828867-1

1828868-1

LC Standard
System Test Kits
1828867-2

1828867-3

LC SECURE
System Test Kits

LC Standard Test
Kit Replacement
Parts
Mandrels

1828868-2

1828868-3

Contact AMP NETCONNECT Customer Service or your local Sales Engineer for
the Correct Part Numbers Specific to Your Installation

*50um and 50um

XG Multimode

62.5um Multimode

Single-mode

1435119-1

14351181

N/A

LC Duplex Clips

1754371-2

Transmit Side
Only
6 clips

SC to LC Simplex
Assembly

1907490-3

1907491-3

1907489-3

ST to LC Simplex
Assembly

1907493-3

1907494-3

1907492-3

LC to LC Simplex
Assembly

1907496-3

1907497-3

1907495-3

Comments

3 meters

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