Selecting the correct fiber optic connector “assembly style”, directly effects the quality and cost of the installation. The choices include:

Quick and easy connectors generally reduce fiber optic training expense, but increase component cost. It is important to select the technology that best serves your companies short and long-term goals. The purpose of this article is to take a look at the different solutions available today.

Crimp style connector - This connector is installed using a 3 step process, insert fiber, crimp, scribe and polish. This is also a quick termination connector. Crimp style connectors depend largely on the diameter of the cable for a good crimp and successful termination. Because the diameters of certain cables may vary, and no epoxy is used, crimp style connectors occasionally pull off the cable.

No-epoxy pre-polished connector – A recently popular quick termination connector to be actively used is a no epoxy, pre-polished, mechanical splice connector. When you buy these connectors it’s like buying a factory polished fiber installed into an alignment system in addition to the normal connector. It is understandable that this pre-polished connector with a mechanical alignment sleeve costs at least three times more that the standard epoxy connector. Since no epoxy is used, the tensile strength is half of what is called for in the EIA/TIA standards. Probably the biggest concern with this quick termination style connector is that in a mated pair of connectors you have two splices and a connection point within 3 inches, making failure and loss three times more likely.

Pre-loaded epoxy connector – Preloaded with epoxy or adhesive this connector must be heated for installation. The application of the epoxy step is eliminated but you must still cleave and polish for assembly. This product is marketed as a quick termination solution. The epoxy holds the fiber in place inside the ferrule much like the traditional connectors, therefore the fiber is less prone to breaking due to vibration or abnormal temperature conditions.

Standard epoxy style connectors – These require injected epoxy, crimping and polishing. The majority of connectors today use this approach enjoying improvements that apply to better epoxy and polishing procedures. The tensile strength meets EIA/TIA standards of 20lbs and the installer can polish the ferrule to the desired satisfaction. This connector takes longer to install but costs less.

The technique that serves your needs is dependent upon the skill level of your technicians, the number of connectors at each installation and the number of installation’s you have planned for your company. When a repair is required or a low volume count is needed, a quick termination approach may be your solution. If your company is planning a long term competitive advantage offering the highest quality installation, you will probably find that you are not cost competitive unless you are using the epoxy style connectors.

Selecting the correct connector type for your installation deserves proper attention. It is my recommendation that an epoxy style connector be used in larger count applications for an environmentally stable and cost effective installation. Quick connects are desirable for lower count applications in environmentally stable conditions.

Generally speaking there are two obvious attributes to identify singlemode from multimode fiber optic connectors. Remember it is important for you to keep your connectors in the original packaging from the manufacturer, doing this will eliminate any further investigation and save you some time that could have been better used on something else. If for some reason you are working with loose connectors the first thing you should do is look at the connector boot This can be an obvious indication of the connector type. The second thing you should do in examine the ferrule of the connector.

In most cases you will find standard boots on the connectors. That being said, when examining the connector boots know that singlemode boots are generally blue or white in color. Multimode connector boots are usually beige or black. Looking at the boot color can be the first indication to you of that particular fiber optic connector mode type. You can save yourself further investigation time if you look for these obvious color differences in the boot. Be aware that, fiber optic connector boots can be custom ordered and there is a small chance you could be looking at a special ordered boot and this could throw off your investigation.

The main difference between singlemode and multimode fiber optic connectors is the ferrule of the connector. Singlemode connectors will almost always have a Zirconia (ceramic) ferrule while multimode connectors can be made of stainless steel (Nickel-Silver), composite (plastic), or Zirconia. identifying the material in which these ferrules are made of can also sale you time in investigating your connector types. Lastly, the size of the hole in the center of the ferrule will be the end all determining factor to identify the correct fiber type that the connector is designed for. A standard singlemode Zirconia ferrule will usually have a ferrule hole of about 126 microns, while standard multimode ferrules will be closer to 127-128 microns. The difference is very small, but can make a large impact on insertion loss if the larger multimode ferrule is used on singlemode fiber. We are talking about microns here so it could be hard to accurately identify the diameters of these holes with the naked eye.

If you find yourself faced with the task of identifying fiber optic mode types be sure to follow these steps and it might save you a bunch of time calling around for support or researching for information on the web. Always remember the best way to tell the two connectors apart is to keep them in their original packaging until ready for use.