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How many types of fiber optic connectors are there?
Fiber optic cable interface, which exists in various settings and types, is considered as an important component for fiber optic cable. Different types are offered by different manufacturers in the market. In general, fiber connection can be classified according to different standards, such as popularity, transmission method, transmission medium, polishing type, etc. Follow this article to classify the types of fiber connectors.
Common and unusual connectors
The type of fiber connector does not matter, they have the same function and the same basic components – ferrule, connector body, cable and connector device. But due to the performance and characteristics of this type, their use is different.
LC connector
A Lucent (LC) connector, as an SFP (small form factor) connector, has a 1.25 mm ferrule. The small ferrule design has made these connectors very popular in data centers and makes them ideal for high density applications. Today many tend to move towards high efficiency cabling with LC fiber connectors. The LC connector is considered the most common connector at present.
sc connector
The SC fiber connector is the first connector selected for the TIA-568 standard and is a quick connector that locks with a simple push motion. “SC” stands for “square connector” because of the “square” connector body. It uses a 2.5mm ferrule, which is twice the size of the previous LC connector. SC fiber connectivity is ideally suited for datacom and telecommunication applications including point-to-point and passive optical networking. Because of its excellent performance, the SC fiber optic connector remains the second most common connector for maintaining pole applications.
MTP/MPO connector
Unlike the previous two, the MTP / MPO fiber interface is a multi-fiber interface and larger than other connectors, combining 12 to 24 core fibers in a rectangular ferrule. It is often used in optical parallel connections with 40G and 100G bandwidth. MTP/MPO fiber connections are complicated due to key and down, male and female issues. For a better understanding, you can refer to the article Understanding polarity in MTP / MPO system.
ST connector
The ST (Straight Tip) fiber connector was developed and licensed by AT&T shortly after the introduction of the FC type. The ST connector holds the fiber with a spring-loaded 2.5mm ceramic ferrule that is held in place by a semi-twisted bayonet mount. They are usually used in both long-distance and short-distance systems such as campuses and both multimode and singlemode cable, enterprise network environments, as well as military systems.
FC connector
“FC” refers to Ferrule connection. The FC fiber connector was the first fiber optic connector to use a ceramic ferrule. Unlike SC and LC connectors with a plastic body, a round screw type connector made of nickel or nickel plated stainless steel is used. The FC connector end plate relies on an alignment key for proper placement and is then secured to the adapter/jack using a threaded collet. Despite the added complexity in both manufacturing and installation, FC connectors still provide a choice in precision instruments such as OTDR as well as single-mode fiber selection. It was originally intended for data center and telecommunication systems, but since the introduction of SC and LC, it has become less widely used. The use of ST and FC connectors has decreased in recent years.
Types of fiber optic connectors
The following four connector types are some of the older models that are less commonly used in optical transmission deployments today:
MT-RJ connection
A duplex connector uses pins for alignment and has male and female versions. Constructed with a plastic housing and provides precise alignment through metal guide pins and plastic ferrules.
MU connector
Like miniature SC with 1.25mm ferrule. MU connector with simple pull design and compact miniature body is used for multiple compact optical connectors and self-adjustment mechanism.
DIN connector
The DIN connector is round and the pins are arranged in a circle. It consists of several types of cables that connect to an interface to connect devices. Typically, a full-size DIN connector has three to 14 pins with a diameter of 13.2 mm. Applies to PC keyboards, MIDI instruments and other specialized equipment.
E2000 interface
The E2000 connector is a push-fit connection mechanism that has an automatic metal shutter in the connector to protect against dust and laser radiation. One-piece design for quick installation, used for high safety and high strength applications.
Number of fibers: Simplex and Duplex
A simplex connection means sending signals in one direction – the signal is transmitted from device A to device B through two simplex connectors and a simplex fiber cable, which cannot return from device B to device A through the same path. In contrast, revised transmission can be achieved through duplex connections and duplex fiber cable, which is called a duplex connection. In addition, a simplex fiber connector is often connected with a blind strand of glass or plastic, while a duplex fiber connector requires a connection with two blind strands.
Fiber type: the difference between multimode and singlemode fiber connectors
Single-mode fiber allows only one mode of light to pass through at a time, while multimode fiber can transmit multiple modes at the same time. Variation in single-mode fiber connectors and multimode fiber connectors is due to the combination with the corresponding type of optical fibers. However, with the advancement of technologies, fiber connectors such as SC, LC and FC provided by fiber optic connector factories are compatible with single-mode and multi-mode fiber cables. Different colors are used only for identification. .
Polishing: APC / PC / UPC fiber optic connectors
According to the type of polishing, fiber optic cable connectors can be divided into three types of PC, UPC and APC connectors. Color coding provides a convenient way to identify these three connector types: PC color code is black, APC fiber connector color code is green, and UPC connector is blue. The structure and performance of the three fiber optic connectors are also different, which reflects the values of insertion loss and efficiency loss. , the difference between PC, UPC, APC connectors. This article will clarify these types of connectors and their differences for you.
apc upc pc connector
