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

Textbooks & References For FOA Certifications

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, a complete reference website for fiber optics created as a complement to our textbook.

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.

 

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

Freqently Asked Questions (FAQs): General FAQs and Testing FAQs.

 

 

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)

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   

 

 

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)

 

 

 

Fiber Optic Installation

Start with our Tech Bulletins, listed above.

Safety In Fiber Optic Installations

Digging Safely - Avoid Buried Cable Damage or Physical Harm To Installation Crews

Fiber Optic Termination, a Lennie Lightwave Tutorial

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   

 

 

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?

 

 

Fiber Optic Jobs 

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?

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

Search the FOA Tech Topics and Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide

 

 

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