User`s guide

Cleaning Procedures for Lightwave Test and Measurement Equipment General Cleaning Procedure
254 Agilent 81600B Tunable Laser Source Family, Fourth Edition
General Cleaning Procedure
Light dirt
If you just want to clean away light dirt, observe the following procedure
for all devices.
• Use compressed air to blow away large particles.
• Clean the device with a dry cotton swab.
• Use compressed air to blow away any remaining filaments left by the
swab.
Heavy dirt
If the previous procedure is not enough to clean your instrument, use one
of the following procedures outlined in this chapter.
If you are unsure of how sensitive your device is to cleaning, please
contact the manufacturer or your sales distributor.
How to clean connectors
Cleaning connectors is difficult, as the core diameter of a single-mode fiber
is only about 9um. This generally means you cannot see streaks or
scratches on its surface. To be certain of the condition of the surface of
your connector and to check it after cleaning, you need a microscope.
In the case of scratches, or of dust that has been burnt onto the surface of
the connector, you may have no option but to polish the connector. This
depends on the degree of dirtiness, or the depth of the scratches. This is a
difficult procedure and should only be performed by a skilled person, and
as a last resort, as it wears out your connector.
To assess the projection of the emitted light beam you can use an infrared
sensor card. Hold the card approximately 5 cm from the output of the
connector. The invisible emitted light is projected onto the card and
becomes visible as a small circular spot.
Never look into the end of an optical cable that is connected to an
active source.
WARNING