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-sc > -----Original Message----- > From: wjh [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 4:46 PM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: Re: Fiber Cable Tester > > Aside from flashlight you could plug it on the sending side and see if > light makes it through. Just don't look directly into it. You should > reflect it on your hand or a piece of paper. That is, if you like > having eye sight. > > Bill > > Len Hammond wrote: > > In my last full time gig, I had an OmniScanner II for Ethernet. It > had > > an option to add a Fiber tester to the device. The OmniScanner > > retailed for about $8500 & I bought it new in 2000 for $5000 and the > > Fiber option was about $1500 and I didn't get one. It had TDR for > > copper and I am assuming that it would work for the fiber as well. > > Great device but a bit pricy if you don't need one often. Wish they > > would have let me take it with me when I left. I'm sure no one left > > there knows how to use it. I could use it more often now than when I > > was there. Many small clients with wiring issues. Omni was bought by > > Fluke some time in 2004 to 2006 and the Omni technology was > > incorporated into the current Fluke network testers. > > > > The last piece of fiber I pulled we did test with a flashlight. > Mostly > > to see if we broke it during the 600 foot pull and to get the > polarity > > right on the connectors. The flashlight worked great although we > > didn't get any other data telling just how good the fiber was going > to > > work but typically fiber either works or it doesn't. Not a lot of > grey > > area. > > > > Len Hammond > > CSI:Hartland > > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > > > > > On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 9:33 PM, Ben Scott <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > > On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 6:32 PM, Sean Martin > > <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > >> Can't you just shine a light through one end and see if theres > > light on > > >> the other end? ;-) > > > > > > Does it actually work? > > > > That will tell you if the cable has been completely snapped, > e.g., > > kinked hard, pinched in a door, etc. > > > > It won't tell you the condition of the tip. The tips can get > > scratched, especially if they're put in a pile without a cable > condoms > > on the end. A scratched tip could still pass visible light but > not be > > good for data. > > > > The tools I've seen used for this are a power meter (already > > described) and a handheld microscope. The scope is basically > just a > > flashlight and a special fitting to hold the fiber. You peak in > the > > end and examine the tip. A clean tip looks like a solid white > circle. > > A scratched or damaged tip has lines or other black/gray marks. > > > > > ... sharp bends in fiber can > > > cause problems because those light impulses can end up being > > reflected out > > > of order ... > > > > I can't confirm or deny that. The two cautions on bends I've > heard > > are: (1) Fiber is glass. A sharp enough bend will snap the fiber > in > > half. After that it's dead. (2) The more you bend it without > > breaking, the more of the light energy will be absorbed by the > wall > > instead of propagating down the fiber. Eventually the loss > (either in > > one spot, or cumulatively) goes too high and the receiver can't > "see" > > the signal. This can at least be fixed by straightening the > line. > > > > > Are my concerns valid? Is there a reasonably priced device to > > verify the > > > integrity of a fiber cable, or am I just going to have to try > > the flash > > > light trick and then plug n pray? > > > > Google suggests power meters can be had for under $300. I have > no > > idea what a good one costs. :) > > > > -- Ben > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! > ~ > > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > > > > > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
