June, 2005
Previous Issues: 5/05,
4/05, 2/05,
01/05, 12/04,
10/04, 9/04,
8/04, 7/04,
6/04, 5/04,
4/04, 3/04,
1/04, 12/03,
11/03 10/03
9/03, 8/03,
7/03, 6/03,
3/03, 10/02
, 8/02, 5/02
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- Great Sounds From Fiber Optic
Sensors
- Yamaha's Disklavier
player pianos use special Yamaha-developed fiber optic sensors
to record the motion of each key and pedal to accurately record
the music played on it for future playback. On playback, the
sophisticated computer-controlled hammers and pedals of the piano
can accurately reproduce music with all the nuances of the original
performance. (Yamaha photo)
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- Graded Index POF Now Available
- FiberFin is now distributing a high bandwidth
PMMA Graded Index Plastic Optical Fiber (POF.) This GI-POF is
a PMMA (polymetyl -Methacrylate) based fiber with a large core
(1000micron) The main use is for data-communication applications,
high-speed short-distance. This fiber is manufactured in Korea
by Optimedia, Inc and sold under the trade name OM-Giga. Optimedia,
Inc. was founded in October 1999 for the development and manufacture
of various plastic optical fibers (POF) for data communication,
image transfer, and sensor applications. OM-Giga is recommended
for short-distance applications less than 50 meters however;
longer distance applications are possible depending on the Tx-Rx
used. Attenuation is about usual for PMMA at <200 dB/km, but
bandwidth is >1.5 GHz at 100 m, probably the practical limit
for most transmitters (<20 dB loss at that length.)
Another Interesting FTTP Website
Fiber Optic Communities of the United
States (FOCUS) is a non-profit
organization representing communities with optical fiber running
all the way to the home and business. Their site states:
"The unlimited capacity of fiber allows super high quality
voice, video and data services, plus applications like home security,
home automation, and videoconferencing. Residents and business
occupants of fiber optic communities find this state-of-the-art
technology makes possible great new advantages, such as distance
learning, telework, and telemedicine. The scalability,
security, reduced maintenance and extended life of fiber-to-the-premise
make it the most "future proof" of all communications
infrastructures. Complementary technologies, like in-home
wireless networks, also appear in many fiber communities to add
mobility and convenience. Fiber optic communities are located
across the United States in urban, suburban and rural settings.
Whether you are looking for a high-bandwidth home or seeking a
high-bandwidth environment for your business, the place to look
is a fiber optic community."
The FOCUS website has listings
of FTTP communities and promotes not only running fiber to the
home/business, but encourages homeowners to consider the advantages
of living in a FTTH community.
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- New CFOT Exam Will Include
NECA/FOA-301 Installation Standard
- The new FOA CFOT exam will include
questions from NECA 301-2004, Installing
And Testing Fiber Optic Cables. Schools should be including
information from the standard in their classes already. A copy
of the standard will be given to all CFOTs when they renew their
CFOTs this year.
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- CFOTs Will Receive Free Copy
of NECA/FOA-301 Installation Standard When Renewing
- All FOA CFOTs will now be sent
a free copy of the NECA/FOA-301 Installation Standard when they
renew their CFOT. This standard, which normally sells for $15,
will be provided to all active CFOTs when they renew their certification
to keep them informed on the latest standards for fiber optic
installation. This is another service provided for our CFOTs
by the FOA.
- FOA Agains Sponsors NECA
VDV Conference
- The FOA is again sponsoring
the NECA VDV Conference, but it's been renamed The IBS Conference,
where IBS stands for Integrated Business Systems. IBS is not
to be confused with ITS, or information transport systems, the
new TLA (three letter acronym) BICSI is using. Obviously the
cabling industry is having an identity crisis.
- But the NECA show will include
technical sessions and exhibits on fiber optics and low voltage
cabling, and the FOA will be there. This year, it's in New Orleans,
September 17-20. See NECAshow.org
for details.
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COMING SOON!
The third edition of The Fiber Optic Technicians
Manual will be published by Delmar around August,
2005. ISBN No. 1401896995. Following publication, the CFOT Test
will use the new edition. At the same time, a laboratory manual
with hands-on exercises will be available.
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- Tech Puzzler
- What makes the MT-RJ or Optijack
different from connectors like the SC or LC?
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- Answer
below
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- NECA/FOA Installation Standard
Published
- NECA
301-2004, Installing And Testing Fiber Optic Cables, produced by The FOA in cooperation
with NECA (The National Electrical Contractors Association),
has been approved and published. This second revision of the
document now is an ANSI-approved "American National Standard"
of the NEIS (National Electrical Installation Standards"
expands the original standard to cover much more detail, describing
the installation and testing of fiber optic cable plants.
- Users now have a reference document
for defining the installation and testing of fiber optic cable
plants in a "neat and workmanlike manner." Contract
documents can be written simply to say:
- "Fiber optic cables shall
be installed in accordance with NECA 301-2004, Installing
And Testing Fiber Optic Cables"
- Copies of NECA 301-2004 can
be obtained from NECA by calling the NECA Order Desk at 1-301-215-4504,
fax to 1-301-215-4500, email orderdesk@necanet.org or online
at http://www.neca-neis.org/
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New Tech
Topics
Does
Glass "Flow"? Is it really a liquid?
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
on General Topics and Testing
Fiber Or Copper? Making decisions,
overview and LANs
What
Happens When You Mate Mismatched MM Fibers?
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FOA Website Expands To Support
Fiber Optic Educators
Instructors' Home Page And
New Online Train-The-Trainer Program
The FOA has always focused on creating better educational opportunities
in fiber optics - it's our charter: we're a non-profit educational
organization. We've done two things recently to expand that commitment
- both here on the FOA website.
We have over 120 schools and hundreds
of instructors teaching at those organizations, and we'll notify
them about these new web pages, but we invite any instructor interested
in fiber optics to dig in and use these pages too.
First, we've created a home page
for instructors where we'll cover topics just for them, like our
TTT program and resources just for instructors. It's at http://www.thefoa.org/instructors/index.html
Secondly, we've put our TTT seminar
online, in both PPT and PDF format at http://www.thefoa.org/instructors/index.html
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- Our online TTT program is the
beginning of qualifying for the FOA CFOS/I Instructor Certification.
Soon we'll have the program set up for instructors to register
to begin qualifying for the certification.
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- FOA Certification Top Choice
The FOA CFOT and CFOS programs continue to gain momentum in fiber
optics. Almost 15,000 CFOTs have been certified by over 120 schools
as the FOA completes its 10th year. Since our founding in July,
1995, we have dedicated ourselves to promoting fiber optics and
professionalism in fiber optics personnel, focusing on education
and certification. We are continuing to add new schools and more
CFOTs as users of fiber optics learn that a CFOT is the indication
of a professional, well-trained fiber optic technician. Now with
FTTH (fiber to the home) finally taking off, demand for CFOTs
is rising and schools are responding by expanding programs rapidly.
- The FOA now has approved programs
at 115+ organizations, welcoming new additions like the Joint
Apprenticeship and Training Committee of the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers, Corning Cable Systems for their installation
training programs and NASA's Goldstone Tracking Station. The
complete list of FOA-Approved schools is at http://www.thefoa.org/foa_aprv.htm.
New Tech Topics
- New PowerPoint Presentation
Introduces Fiber Optics
- The FOA has created a short
PowerPoint presentation that introduces you to fiber optics and
talks about job opportunities in the field. It was intended for
instructors to introdcue studnets to the field, but it's a good
introduction for anyone. It's about 3 meg file so it takes a
while to download and you need PowerPoint to view it. See http://www.thefoa.org/ppt/
How Optical Fiber Is Made
Singlemode Fiber Nomenclature
Plastic Optical Fibers (POF)
Wavelength-Division Multiplexing
Fiber Amplifiers
Proposed
Fiber Optic Cable Jacket Color Codes
The
Effect Of Termination and Splicing on Bandwidth
FOCIS
- Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability Standards
Calculating
Link Loss Budgets
Specifications
for Fiber Optic LANs and Links
EAI/TIA
568 B.3 For Fiber Optics
What
Loss Should You Measure When Testing Fiber Optic Links?
Don't miss Eric Pearson's Newsletters
- with some tests on connectors.
New sections of "Lennie Lightwave's
Guide To Fiber Optics" covers loss
testing of fiber optic cables and OTDRs.
Your Name, CFOT - It pays to
advertise!
The FOA encourages CFOTs to use
the logo on their business cards, letterhead, truck or van, etc.
and provides logo
files on this site for that purpose. But we are also asked
about how to use the CFOT or CFOS certifications. Easy, you can
refer to yourself as "Your Name, CFOT" or "Your
Name, CFOS/T" for example.
Feel free to use the logo and
designations to promote your achievements and professionalism!
Remember To Renew Your Certification
!
Remember to renew your FOA certification.
All current CFOTs have a ID Card with their certification data
and we keep a database of current CFOTs to answer inquiries regarding
your qualifications if needed. If you forgot to renew, use the
online application
form or the FOA
online store to renew NOW!
Want To Get FOA Email?
We have been asked if we could send the FOA newsletter by email
or post it on the website. We are looking into that and will definitely
get one started soon. When you renew your certification, you will
be asked if you are interested in email newsletters and if so,
you will be asked to give your email address for us to use in
a mailing list. If you want to get started now, send an email
to info@thefoa.org with the
subject "eMail List"
Note that The FOA never releases its mailing lists for any
use! Your data is always safe with us.
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- To
Contact The FOA:
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- The
Fiber Optic Association
- 1119 S Mission Road,
# 355
- Fallbrook, CA 92028
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- Office Hours 10AM-5
PM Pacific Time
- Telephone: 760-451-3655
- Fax: 781-207-2421
- info@thefoa.org
info@thefoa.org
- Officers and
- Board of Directors
- Jim
Hayes, President, Treasurer
- Eric Pearson, Director of Certification
- Tom Collins, Gateway Comm. College
- Van Ewert, AESA
- Bill Graham
- Karen Hayes
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- FOA Staff:
Jim Hayes, newsletter, website editor
- Karen Hayes, Administration
Administration:
- The FOA is managed under contract by:
VDV Works LLC
- 1119 S Mission Road, # 355
- Fallbrook, CA 92028
- Telephone: 760-451-3655
- Fax: 781-207-2421
- email: info@vdvworks.com
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- FOA Board of Advisors
Elias Awad, Clerk, Director of Education
Tony Beam
Dave Chaney
F. Douglas Elliot, Past President
William H. Graham
Jim Hayes, President, Treasurer
John Highhouse, Past President
Danny S. Lyall
Eric Y. Loytty
Bob Mason
Eric Pearson
Paul Rosenberg, Past President
Dan Silver
Richard James Smith
- Dominick Tamone
Tom Collins
- Van Ewert
Elias Awad
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Want to write for the FOA
Newsletter? Send us articles,
news, anything you think might be interesting to the rest of the
membership!
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(C)1999-2004, The Fiber Optic Association, Inc.
- Tech
Puzzler: The MT-RJ and
Optijack are plug-and-jack connectors, not two identical connectors
that mate with a mating adapter. It makes them harder to test
unless you use a OFSTP-14 Method C test.