Specifications

Chapter 8: Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines
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8. Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines
Fiber Optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to
contamination by particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path and
cause performance degradation. Good system performance requires clean
optics and connector ferrules.
1. Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own fiber) only from a
reputable supplier; low-quality components can cause many hard-to-diagnose
problems in an installation.
2. Dust caps are installed at Black Box to ensure factory-clean optical devices.
These protective caps should not be removed until the moment of connecting the
fiber cable to the device. If you need to disconnect the fiber device, reinstall the
protective dust caps.
3. Store spare caps in a dust-free environment such as a sealed plastic bag or box
so that when reinstalled they do not introduce any contamination to the optics.
4. If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate between
blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with methanol to remove
particles of dirt.