The
Fiber Optic Association - Tech Topics
The FOA presents
"Tech Topics" - a free resource for the fiber optic industry - schools,
installers and contractors, and those interested in finding out more about
the medium that has revolutionized communications. Here you will
find numerous webpages, technical papers and links on fiber optics,
with content ranging from the basics for the novice to state of the art
papers.
The
FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide
is another source of technical information on the FOA website, organized
as a reference guide for training or self-study. It expands on FOA Tech
Topics with more details and adds self-study programs for students.
Don't miss the FOA
Newsletter. It
is online monthly and has lots of technical content. You can read back
issues too. Sign
up for the email version .
Interested in linking
to FOA webpages or reproducing FOA technical materials? Here
is the FOA policy on use of our technical materials.
 Search
the
FOA Tech Topics and
Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide |
|
New Reference Books for FOA Certifications
We
have created three new FOA books to be used in training for FOA
certifications and as reference books for contractors, installers and
end users of fiber optics.
These books have
full curriculum support for FOA-Approved training organization,
including free curriculum materials for teaching FOA certification
courses.
Because we are
self-publishing these books using more modern "publish on demand"
technology, they are easier to keep up to date, easier to buy and much,
MUCH cheaper!
Details on the
new books and how to purchase them online are at the book pages linked
to the photos above.
The
FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide is a complete reference
website for fiber optics created as a complement to our textbooks. It is
formatted to be easy to read online or with mobile devices.
The NECA/FOA 301 Fiber
Optic Installation Standard
- NECA 301, Installing And
Testing Fiber Optic Cables, produced by The FOA in cooperation
with NECA (The National Electrical Contractors Association), has been
updated. This second revision expands the original standard to
cover much more detail, describing the installation and testing of fiber
optic cable plants.
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- Introductions
To
Fiber Optics
- Getting
Started: Introduction To Fiber Optics presentation in English or
Spanish
- FTTx
PowerPoint tutorial
- Lennie
Lightwave's Guide To Fiber Optics
- FOA
Reference Guide To Fiber Optics - The Basics of Fiber
- End
User Site: For whose who are planning to install fiber optic
networks or already have them.
- Free Self-Study Programs
- Lennie Lightwave and Fiber U are back! Learn the basics of fiber
optics in preparation for taking a training course, refresh your
knowledge or prepare for the CFOT exam online at Fiber
U online.
- Instructional Videos
- We have made available online videos on
four topics:
- Cable
Preparation (zipcord, distribution, breakout, loose tube and
armored cables)
- Termination
(adhesive style connectors)
- Mechanical
Splicing (Ultrasplice, with optimization using visual fault
locator)
- Testing
(insertion loss with light source and power meter)
- The videos are in Quicktime format for viewing online.
- network
- You can also view these videos and more on the FOA channel on
Frequently
Asked
Questions (FAQs): General
FAQs and Testing
FAQs.
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- FOA Technical
Bulletins
- How do you design and manufacture fiber optic systems? Choose and
install one to serve your communications needs? Troubleshoot problems?
The FOA Fiber Optic Technical Bulletins will provide step-by-step
guidelines to help you. All are PDF files you can print and use.
Designing
and manufacturing fiber optic communications products for manufacturers.
(PDF, 0.2 Mb)
Choosing, installing and using fiber optic
products for communications network users. (PDF, 0.1 Mb)
Designing Fiber Optic Networks - a
reference guide for contractors, designers, installers and users and the
reference for the FOA CFOS/D Design Certification (PDF, 1.3 MB).
Installing Fiber Optic Cable Plants. (PDF,
0.2 Mb)
Troubleshooting fiber optic cable plants and
communications systems. (PDF, 0.1 Mb)
Fiber Optic Restoration - how to plan ahead
and restore networks quickly. (PDF, 0.1 Mb)
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- Fiber Optic
Components and Standards
- FOA Reference Guide To
Fiber Optics - Fiber Optic Technology and Standards
- FOA Reference Guide To Fiber
Optics - Fiber Optic Components
- How Optical Fiber Is Manufactured
- Fiber Optic Connector Identifier - a history of
fiber optic terminations.
- Origins of Fiber Optic Connector
Names
- FOCIS - Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability
Standards
- Multimode Premises Cable Plant Nomenclature
(OM3, etc.)
- Wavelength-Division Multiplexing( DWDM, CWDM)
- How Fiber Amplifiers Work
- Plastic Optical Fiber
- Singlemode Fiber Nomenclature
- Fiber Optic Cable Jacket Color Codes
- The Effect Of Termination and Splicing on Bandwidth
- Understanding Fiber Optic Wavelengths
- Multimode Fiber Bandwidth ( PDF 1.6 MB)
- EIA/TIA (US) and IEC (International) Fiber
Optic Standards
- EAI/TIA 568 For Fiber Optics
- FO Power Meter Calibration Uncertainty
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Fiber
Optic Network Design
Start with the Design
Reference Guide in FOA
Technical Bulletins
FOA
Reference Guide To Fiber Optics - Fiber Optic Network Applications
FOA
Reference Guide To Fiber Optics - Fiber Optic Network Design
Specifications
for Fiber Optic LANs and Links (Updated 1/2008)
Specifying
Premises
Cable Plant Nomenclature
(OM3, etc.)
Calculating
Link Loss Budgets
What
Loss Should You Measure When Testing Fiber Optic Links?
What
Happens When You Mate Mismatched MM Fibers, e.g. 50/125 > 62.5/125?
Fiber or Copper? A general
overview and a
specific
look at fiber in LANs.
Fiber
Optic Construction Guidelines from US DoT
American
Polywater's Cable Pulling Calculators
The OSI
Model For Networks, Marilyn Michelson
Fiber
Makes Telecom Closets Disappear, Eric Pearson
Estimating
Communications Cabling Installations, F. Douglas Elliott
EAI/TIA
568 For Fiber Optics
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- FTTx - Fiber To
The Home/Premises/Curb
- FOA's FTTx Pages
- FTTH, FTTH
PON types and FTTH
network architecture.
- FTTx PowerPoint
tutorial
- Designing And Building Homes
For Broadband/FTTH (FOA Presentation To Homebuilders)
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- Fiber Optic
Installation
- Start with our Tech Bulletins, listed
above.
FOA
Reference Guide To Fiber Optics - Fiber Optic Installation
- Safety In Fiber Optic
Installations
- Digging Safely - Avoid Buried Cable Damage
or Physical Harm To Installation Crews
- Fiber Optic
Termination, a Lennie Lightwave Tutorial
Termination
Times How
long does it take to terminate fibers with connectors? A time/motion
study.
- Cleaning Fiber Optic Connections
- Stripping Fiber Optic Cable. Berk-Tek has several ap notes on
stripping cables on their website as PDF files. Here is the list
of
all Berk-Tek ap notes.
- What Happens When You Mate Mismatched MM
Fibers?
- Eric Pearson's (Pearson
Technologies) Fiber Optic Newsletter (PDF format)
- Volume 2, No. 1 "Cleave and Leave" Connectors
- Volume 2, No. 2, Connectors and Interpreting
OTDR Traces
- Volume 2, No. 3, Fiber To The Desk Costs,
Testing
- Volume 2. No. 4, More "Cleave and Leave,"
Mandrel Wraps
- Volume 4. No. 1, Should OTDR Testing Be
Required By Standards
- Advice from an "Old Pro" - 10
Reccommendations for Designing and Installing Fiber Optic Networks
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- Fiber Optic Testing
- FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics -
Fiber Optic Testing
- Before you test, read about loss budgets
and expected measurement results.
- 4 Ways To Test An
Installed Cable Plant, an overview of testing standards and
measurement uncertainty (PDF, 1.3MB)
- Insertion Loss, a
Lennie Lightwave Tutorial
- Understanding OTDRs
, a Lennie Lightwave Tutorial, and "Virtual
Hands-On OTDR Tutorial"
- Do OTDR tests correllate with insertion loss measured by Light Sources
& Power Meters? (FOA R&D Project,
PDF, 44 kB)
- First clean your connectors and equipment.
- Testing FAQs. Worth a review, answers
many questions we are often asked.
- More advice on using OTDRs properly. (PDF,
1.2 MB)
- What Happens When You Mate Mismatched MM
Fibers, e.g. 50/125 > 62.5/125?
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- Fiber Optic Jobs
Jobs
in Fiber Optics
- FOA Advice on Finding Them
- Fiber Optic Job Titles.
- Fiber
Optic Science Project
- Fiber Optic Project for a Science Fair Or Scouts
Myths
Does
Glass "Flow" Over Time? Is It Really a Liquid?
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- Fiber Optic
Lighting
- The FOA is really focused on fiber optics in communications, but we
get requests for information on lighting so we have created a
tutorial.
- Fiber Optic Lighting Tutorial.
- Here is a website that has
some very good examples of fiber optic lighting.
Links
to
other fiber optic sites
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Search
the
FOA Tech Topics and
Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide |
|
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More detailed information can be found on
the FOA Online Reference Guide.
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Home Page
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Tech
Topics
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(C) 2001-2012 The
Fiber Optic Association, Inc.