B&B Electronics 856-14205--29 - Manual - Manual (Page 49)

Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines
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CHAPTER 7: FIBER OPTIC CLEANING GUIDELINES
Fiber Optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to
contamination by particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path and
cause performance degradation. Good system performance requires clean optics
and connector ferrules.
1. Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own
fiber) only from a reputable supplier; low-quality components can
cause many hard-to-diagnose problems in an installation.
2. Dust caps are installed by the manufacturer to ensure factory-clean
optical devices. These protective caps should not be removed until
the moment of connecting the fiber cable to the device. Should it
be necessary to disconnect the fiber device, reinstall the protective
dust caps.
3. Store spare caps in a dust-free environment such as a sealed
plastic bag or box so that when reinstalled they do not introduce
any contamination to the optics.
4. If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate
between blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with
methanol to remove particles of dirt.