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cleaning.book Page 2 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM Notices © 2002 Agilent Technologies, Inc. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and written consent from Agilent Technologies, Inc. as governed by United States and international copyright laws.
cleaning.book Page 3 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM WA R NI NG CA U TI ON 3 A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury or death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met. A CAUTION notice denotes a hazard.
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cleaning.book Page 6 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 1 Cleaning Procedures for Lightwave Test and Measurement Safety Precautions The following Cleaning Instructions contain some general safety precautions, which must be observed during all phases of cleaning. Consult your specific optical device manuals or guides for full information on safety matters. Please try, whenever possible, to use physically contacting connectors, and dry connections.
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cleaning.book Page 9 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM Cleaning Procedures for Lightwave Test and Measurement Equipment Pocket Guide 2 Why is it important to clean optical devices ? In transmission links optical fiber cores are about 9 µm (0.00035”) in diameter. Dust and other particles, however, can range from tenths to hundredths of microns in diameter. Their comparative size means that they can cover a part of the end of a fiber core, and thus degrade the transmission quality.
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cleaning.book Page 12 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 3 What materials do I need for proper cleaning? Standard Cleaning Equipment Before you can start your cleaning procedure you need the following standard equipment: • Dust and shutter caps • Isopropyl alcohol • Cotton swabs • Soft tissues • Pipe cleaner • Compressed air Dust and shutter caps All Agilent Technologies lightwave instruments are delivered with either laser shutter caps or dust caps on the lightwave adapter.
cleaning.book Page 13 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM What materials do I need for proper cleaning? 3 the alcohol is evaporated. You should therefore first remove the alcohol and the dust with a soft tissue, and then use compressed air to blow away any remaining filaments. If possible avoid using denatured alcohol containing additives. Instead, apply alcohol used for medical purposes. Never drink this alcohol, as it may seriously damage your health.
cleaning.book Page 14 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 3 What materials do I need for proper cleaning? We recommend that you do not use normal cotton tissues, but multi-layered soft tissues made from non-recycled cellulose. Cellulose tissues are very absorbent and softer. Consequently, they will not scratch the surface of your device over time. Use care when cleaning, and avoid pressing on your optical device with the tissue.
cleaning.book Page 15 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM What materials do I need for proper cleaning? 3 It is essential that your compressed air is free of dust, water and oil. Only use clean, dry air. If not, this can lead to filmy deposits or scratches on the surface of your connector. This will reduce the performance of your transmission system. When spraying compressed air, hold the can upright. If the can is held at a slant, propellant could escape and dirty your optical device.
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cleaning.book Page 17 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM What materials do I need for proper cleaning? 3 Only use isopropyl alcohol in your ultrasonic bath, as other solvents may cause damage. Warm water and liquid soap Only use water if you are sure that there is no other way of cleaning your optical device without causing corrosion or damage. Do not use water that is too hot or too cold, as this may cause mechanical stress, which can damage your optical device.
cleaning.book Page 18 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 3 What materials do I need for proper cleaning? With the help of this card you are able to inspect the shape of the laser light beam emitted. The invisible laser beam is projected onto the sensor card The light beam, at infrared wavelength is reflected at visible wavelengths and thus becomes visible to the eye as a round spot. Take care never to look into the end of a fiber or any other optical component when they are in use.
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cleaning.book Page 21 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM Cleaning Procedures for Lightwave Test and Measurement Equipment Pocket Guide 4 Preserving Connectors Listed below are some hints on how to keep your connectors in the best possible condition. Making Connections Before you make any connection you must ensure that all cables and connectors are clean. If they are dirty, use the appropriate cleaning procedure.
cleaning.book Page 22 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 4 Preserving Connectors Immersion Oil and Other Index Matching Compounds Wherever possible, do not use immersion oil or other index matching compounds with your device. They are liable to impair and dirty the surface of the device. In addition, the characteristics of your device can be changed and your measurement results affected. Cleaning Instrument Housings Use a dry and very soft cotton tissue to clean the instrument housing and the keypad.
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cleaning.book Page 24 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? 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.
cleaning.book Page 25 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Which cleaning procedure do I use for this optical device? The chart below will allow you to select the appropriate cleaning method for your optical device. Each cleaning method contains cleaning guidelines according to the device charactersistics. In addition, the risks of each cleaning method are clearly outlined, along with suggested alternatives. Where products have similar names, a wildcard * is used.
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cleaning.book Page 29 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? 5 Procedure A 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 the surface. To be certain of the condition of the surface of your connector and to check it after cleaning, you need a microscope.
cleaning.book Page 30 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? 4 Holding the connector interface against the tape, rotate the interface at about 180, and then slide it across the surface of the tape strip. Alternative Procedure Use the following procedure on most occasions. 1 Clean the connector by rubbing a new, dry cotton swab over the surface using a small circular movement. 2 Blow away any remaining lint with compressed air.
cleaning.book Page 31 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? 5 Procedure B How to clean optical head adapters Some adapters have an anti-reflection coating on the back to reduce back reflection. This coating is extremely sensitive to solvents and mechanical abrasion. Extra care is needed when cleaning these adapters. When using optical head adapters, periodically inspect the optical head’s front window.
cleaning.book Page 32 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure C How to clean connector interfaces CA U TI ON Be careful when using pipe cleaners, as the core and the bristles of the pipe cleaner are hard and can damage the interface. Do not use pipe cleaners on optical head adapters, as the hard core of normal pipe cleaners can damage the bottom of an adapter. Preferred Procedure Use the following procedure on most occasions.
cleaning.book Page 33 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure D How to clean bare fiber adapters Bare fiber adapters are difficult to clean. Protect from dust unless they are in use. CA U TI ON Never use any kind of solvent when cleaning a bare fiber adapter as solvents can: • damage the foam inside some adapters; • deposit dissolved dirt in the groove, which can then contaminate the surface of an inserted fiber.
cleaning.book Page 34 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure E How to clean lenses and instruments with an optical glass plate Some lenses have special coatings that are sensitive to solvents, grease, liquid and mechanical abrasion. Take extra care when cleaning lenses with these coatings. Some instruments, for example, the Agilent Technologies optical heads have an optical glass plate to protect the sensor.
cleaning.book Page 35 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure for Stubborn Dirt Use this procedure when there is greasy dirt on the lens. 1 Moisten a new cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol. 2 Clean the lens by rubbing the cotton swab over the surface using a small circular movement. 3 Using a new, dry cotton swab remove the alcohol, any dissolved sediment and dust. 4 Blow away any remaining lint with compressed air.
cleaning.book Page 36 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure F How to clean instruments with a fixed connector interface You should only clean instruments with a fixed connector interface when it is absolutely necessary. This is because it is difficult to remove any used alcohol or filaments from the input of the optical block. It is important, therefore, to keep dust caps on the equip-ment at all times, except when your optical device is in use.
cleaning.book Page 37 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure G How to clean instruments with a physical contact interface Remove any connector interfaces from the optical output of the instrument before you begin the cleaning procedure. Cleaning interfaces is difficult as the core diameter of a single-mode fiber is only about 9µm. This generally means you cannot see streaks or scratches on the surface.
cleaning.book Page 38 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? 3 Take a new, dry soft tissue and remove the alcohol, dissolved sediment and dust, by rubbing gently over the surface using a small circular movement. 4 Blow away any remaining lint with compressed air.
cleaning.book Page 39 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure H How to clean instruments with a recessed lens interface For instruments with a deeply recessed lens interface (for example the Agilent Technologies 81633A and 81634A Power Sensors) do NOT follow this procedure. Alcohol and compressed air could damage your lens even further. Keep your dust and shutter caps on when your instrument is not in use. This should prevent it from getting too dirty.
cleaning.book Page 40 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure I How to clean optical devices which are sensitive to mechanical stress and pressure Some optical devices, such as the Agilent 81000BR Reference Reflector, which has a gold plated surface, are very sensitive to mechanical stress or pressure. Do not use cotton swabs, soft tissues or other mechanical cleaning tools, as these can scratch or destroy the surface.
cleaning.book Page 41 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 5 Which Cleaning Procedure should I use ? Procedure J How to clean metal filters or attenuating mesh filters This kind of device is extremely fragile. A misalignment of the filter leads to inaccurate measurements. Never touch the surface of the metal filter or attenuating mesh filter. Be very careful when using or cleaning these devices.
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cleaning.book Page 44 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 6 Additional Cleaning Information The following cleaning procedures may be used with other optical equipment: How to clean bare fiber ends Bare fiber ends are often used for splices or, together with other optical components, to create a parallel beam. The end of a fiber can often be scratched. You make a new cleave. To do this: 1 strip off the cladding. 2 take a new soft tissue and moisten it with isopropyl alcohol.
cleaning.book Page 45 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 6 Additional Cleaning Information Procedure for Stubborn Dirt Use this procedure when there is greasy dirt on the lens. CA U TI ON Only use water if you are sure that there is no other way of cleaning your optical device without causing corrosion or damage. Do not use hot water, as this may cause mechanical stress, which can damage your optical device. Ensure that your liquid soap has no abrasive properties or perfume in it.
cleaning.book Page 46 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 6 Additional Cleaning Information Alternative Procedure B If your lens is sensitive to water then 1 Moisten the lens or the mirror with isopropyl alcohol. 2 Take a new, dry soft tissue and remove the alcohol, dis-solved sediment and dust, by rubbing gently over the surface using a small circular movement. 3 Blow away remaining lint with compressed air.
cleaning.book Page 47 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 6 Additional Cleaning Information Immersion oil and other index matching compounds Do not use immersion oil or other index matching compounds with optical sensors equipped with recessed lenses. They are liable to dirty the detector and impair its performance. They may also alter the property of depiction of your optical device, thus rendering your measurements inaccurate.
cleaning.book Page 48 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM 6 Additional Cleaning Information Appendix Agilent Service and Support Any adjustment, maintenance, or repair of this product must be performed by qualified personnel. Contact your customer engineer through your local Agilent Technologies Service Center. You can find a list of local service representatives on the Web at: http://www.agilent.com/find/assist Or contact the test and measurement experts at Agilent Technologies.
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