Simplified Field Testing of 12f, 24f, 16f, 32f Connectivity

Multifiber Push-On (MPO) connectors have been widely utilized for several years, with their demand being fueled by the rise of QSFP type transceivers that leverage multiple fiber lanes to attain high data rates. The growing use of 40G/100G/200G -SR4 and -DR4 transceivers has made 12-fiber and 24-fiber MPO connectivity a standard in the industry. Currently, data centers are implementing 400G/800G/1.6T -SR8 and -DR8 transceivers, which necessitate 16-fiber and 32-fiber connectivity.

The initial QSFP type transceivers were 40GBASE-SR4. The -SR4 (multimode) and -DR4 (single mode) utilize four lanes (eight fibers) to reach their total data rate. These formats have gained significant popularity, supporting 100G, 200G, 400G, and so on. This trend has led to a transition from MPO to smaller form factor connectors like MMC and SN-MT.

This shift has spurred the demand for 12-fiber MPO compatible power meters, light sources, loss testers, and OTDRs. This has resulted in an increased need for multifiber handheld test and measurement solutions that offer crucial connectivity information from user-friendly, cost-effective test equipment designed for optimal field use.

Higher data rates now necessitate eight lanes (16 fibers) to provide connectivity in a cost-effective manner. We are witnessing 400G, 800G, and 1.6TBASE-SR8 and -DR8 formats in QSFP-DD and OSFP transceivers, as well as in Co-packaged optics systems. These 16-fiber applications cannot be accommodated by traditional 12-fiber MPO connectors (MPO-12). Instead, we are seeing the emergence of 16-fiber MPO (MPO-16) and ultra-small-form-factor 16-fiber connectors such as the MDC and SN-MT. There is now a substantial demand for handheld testers capable of handling a set of 16 fibers.

The existing Base-12 test products in the market are highly automated, integrating switches into both the light source and power meter. This allows them to test all fibers quickly and verify polarity. However, the switching components make them quite expensive and introduce several internal elements that cause loss and loss variability. In multimode products, this loss variability often surpasses typical loss values for one or two MPO connections. In single-mode products, the addition of polarization-dependent loss can significantly increase the tester loss variability.

In summary, the error or uncertainty of these switched products can exceed the loss of several connections in the channel under test. This is significant as loss budgets in these applications are very tight, and customers benefit from multiple connections that make the channel manageable.

These 12-fiber switched products are also limited to Base-12 connectivity. They do not easily scale up or down in fiber count. Testing 24-fiber connectors or duplex connectors is possible but requires breakout cables on both ends.

Regardless of whether the user is a hyperscale data center operator or a small contractor required to produce a compliant test report to get paid for work on a modest scale system, the primary goal remains the same: achieve a balance of test accuracy, confidence, and throughput, so that the high-speed channel performs as expected.

To meet this demand, the Kingfisher group within Tempo? Communications has developed the T2600XL and T9600XL handheld optical power meters, both available with 5mm and 7mm detectors. The 5mm products can measure output power from any fiber on a Base-12 connector (8f, 12f, 24f, etc.). The 7mm products can measure output power from any fiber on a Base-12 or Base-16 connector (8f, 12f, 24f, 16f, 32f, etc.). They can, of course, also measure simplex and duplex connectivity.

Tempo’s XL series optical power meters enable testing of LC, MDC, SN & MPO connectivity with unmatched flexibility and test accuracy. Their test equipment can be used on all network configurations, from the most basic to emerging systems where standards are still being proposed.

Tempo's XL testers are perfectly suited for lower volume testing, system initialization, and troubleshooting. Tempo specializes in ergonomic, practical, cost-effective, and highly accurate handheld testers that can support the most useful field testing for Base-12 and Base-16 connectivity. These include:

• Presence of signal
• Total power from all channels
• Power of individual channels, with controlled input from the far end
• Loss by fiber, with controlled input from the far end
• Lane identification using our multiple fiber ID tones

Having a single, simplified tester that provides accurate and repeatable testing of the most common connectivity systems, and is NIST traceable calibrated, is a smart, practical, and cost-efficient solution for managing, testing, and troubleshooting multifiber links and channels. This ensures optimal performance and reliability of your network infrastructure.

(This article was posted by Matt Brown, Director, Fiber Optic Products at Tempo? Communications)

The DAFNIA Group is the distributor for TEMPO COMMUNICATIONS products in the Middle East. For further details please visit our website www.dafnia.com or email us on [email protected].