Fiber Optic Patch Cables With Different Fiber Optic Connectors

by www.fiber-mart.com

Fiber optic patch cable can be also classfied by the types of fiber optic connector. For example, LC fiber optic patch cable is named as it is with LC connector. Similarly, there are SC, ST, FC, MT-RJ, E2000, MU and MPO/MTP fiber optic patch cables. What’s more, there are PC, UPC, APC type fiber patch cords, which are differentiated from the polish of fiber connectors.

 

LC Fiber Optic Patch Cable

LC fiber optic patch cable (LC fiber cable)is terminated with LC connector. LC is the short form of Lucent Connector. LC connector is a push and latch structure, with plastic housing and accurate 1.25mm ceramic ferrule. LC type is a popular kind of small form fiber optic patch cable which reduce the space and it is widely used for densely installation. The LC fiber patch cables use a 1.25 mm ferrule, half the size of the ST patch cable. It has good performance and is highly favored for single mode patch cord. LC fiber patch cables comply with IEC, Telcordia, ANSI/EIA/TIA .The connector of LC patch cable is used on 1.6mm/2.0mm as well as 3.0mm cable. There are LC/PC (for multimode), LC/UPC and LC/APC (for single mode) patch cables.

 

SC Fiber Optic Patch Cable

SC fiber optic patch cable is terminated with SC connector. The SC connector was invented by the Japanese company NTT. SC stands for Subscriber Connector or Square Connector or Standard Connector. It is extremely common in datacom and telecom fiber optic market. It has a push and pull type and can be used for 1000 mating cycles. SC fiber optic patch cable is with a locking tab on the cable termination and provides for accurate alignment through their ceramic ferrules. It has an advantage in keyed duplexibility to support sending and receiving channels. SC fiber optic patch cable features low cost, simplicity as well as good durability. It is the most cheapest type, convenient to use and cost saving. SC fiber optic patch cable is widely used in fiber optic networks and can be with zirconia sleeve and plastic housing.

 

ST Fiber Optic Patch Cable

ST fiber optic patch cable (ST fiber cable)is terminated with ST connector. ST stands for Straight-Tip and features a Bayonet twist locking mechanism. ST connector has 2.5mm diameter ferrule as in SC connector. It was developed by AT&T and was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s. ST connector has bayonet-style housing and a long spring-loaded ferrule hold the fiber. It is available in both multimode and single mode versions. Horizontally mounted simplex and duplex adapters are available with metal or plastic housing, with a choice of phosphor bronze or zirconia split sleeve. Although there are plastic housing ST connectors, more and more people tend to use metal housing ST. ST fiber optic patch cable has straight tip type terminations and is easy to insert and remove. If you experience high light loss, try to reconnect it. It is rated for 500 mating cycles. ST fiber optic patch cable is one of the older generations, but it is still widely used for multimode networks, including LANs for buildings and campuses.

 

FC Fiber Optic Patch Cable

FC fiber optic patch cable is terminated with FC connector, a screw type connection. FC stands for Fixed Connector. Same as SC connector, FC is also invented by NTT. FC is with metal housing, screw structure. FC connector ferrule and sleeves used in FC adaptor are both same as SC ones. FC fiber optic patch cable is available in both single mode and multimode versions. It is applied in high-vibration environment and can screw on firmly, but you need to have the key aligned in the slot properly before you tighten it.

 

MTRJ Fiber Optic Patch Cable

MTRJ fiber optic patch cable is terminated with MTRJ connector. MTRJ stands for Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack. MTRJ connector is developed from MT and RJ connectors. It is with plastic housing and plastic ferrule and features two-fiber connection, that is to say, two fiberglass connection within one MTRJ fiber optic connector. MTRJ connectors use molded MT ferrules originated by NTT. Each MTRJ connector houses two fibers (duplex) and the footprint resembles copper RJ45 Ethernet connector. It is half the size of a SC connector and contributes to the price drop per fiber port on fiber-to-the-desktop solutions. MTRJ connectors come in male (with two metal pins) and female (no pins). MTRJ fiber optic patch cable has female type and male type. The difference between them is that the male type is with two pins on each of the MTRJ connector. The MTRJ patch cable is commonly used for networking applications. Its size is slightly smaller than a standard phone jack and is easy to operate.

 

E2000 Fiber Optic Patch Cable

E2000 fiber optic patch cable is terminated with E2000 connector. E2000 connector has a spring-loaded shutter used to protect the ferrule from dust and scratches. With similar structure of SC connector, it is smaller. E2000 fiber optic patch cable is one of the latest style yet one of the most expensive optical patch cord.

 

MU Fiber Optic Patch Cable

MU fiber optic patch cable is terminated with MU connector. MU connector is also the invention of NTT. It is with plastic housing and a push pull structure. MU connector is also a small form-factor connector which features a 1.25mm diameter ferrule as in LC connector. MU connector has the same push-pull locking mechanism as SC connector. MU fiber optic connector is similar size of LC and sometimes named small-SC. MU connectors are used in advanced optical transmission, exchange, and subscriber systems or high speed data application. MU fiber optic patch cable is developed to replace SC in the future.

 

MPO/MTP Fiber Optic Patch Cable

MPO fiber optic patch cable is terminated with MPO connector. The MPO is an high-density multi-fiber connector built around precision molded MT ferrule. It is a push-pull connector compliant IEC 61754-7 and TIA/EIA 604-5A and offers low cost per termination for high density applications. It is usually used in ribbon fiber optic patch cables or ribbon fan out multi fiber assemblies. MPO has multi fiberglass core inside each single connector, that is to say, there are several fiberglass connections in each single MPO fiber optic patch cable, for example, 12 fiber, 24 fiber, 36 fiber, etc. MTP is upgrade version of MPO. MTP fiber optic patch cable allows high-density connections between network equipment in telecommunication rooms. It uses a push-pull latching mechanism for easy and intuitive insertion and removal.

 

MPO patch cord (Ribbon fan out Fiber patch cord, Ribbon mliti cable fan out) use MTP and MPO multi fiber type connectors, each one of the connector are used with ribbon type fiber optic cables which contain multi fiber in one single jacket, so that MPO Fiber Patch Cord greatly save space and are very convenient to use. Based on single ferrule MT technology, the MPO Fiber Patch Cord assemblies provide up to 72 fiber connections in a single point, reducing the physical space and labor requirement, while providing the same bandwidth capacity of a multi-fiber cable with individual fiber connector terminations per cable. Typical MPO fiber optic patch cable assemblies are MPO to 8 LC, MPO to 12 MTRJ, etc. MPO fiber optic patch cable is also available by single mode and multimode, PC and APC polish. fiber-mart MPO fiber patch cables are available in 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 144 fiber versions, PC and APC finishes, and support both multimode and single mode applications.