CANOGA PERKINS N525 Ethernet Termination Service Unit - Manual (Page 77)

N525 Ethernet Termination Service Unit 4-1
Chapter 4
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
General Maintenance
Well-maintained components and clearly identified cables help assure optimum system
operation. Damaged fiber cables and dirty connectors are a common source of signal loss
or attenuation. Single mode and multimode fiber optics are especially sensitive to
contamination. Inspect, clean, and test all components to maintain optimum performance.
Caution: To avoid damage and signal loss, do not over-tighten or force-fit optical
connectors.
1. To clean the ferrules and end-face surfaces of male fiber couplings, use a lint-free
pad saturated with isopropyl alcohol.
2. To clean the female fiber connectors, use canned air.
3. To prevent damage and contamination, place protective dust caps on all unused
optical connectors.
Plan to use a cable management system to ensure trouble-free operation and maintenance
tasks.
1. Position and secure the fiber optic cables to prevent excessive bends and damage.
Follow the guidelines for the bend radius for specific fiber cables.
2. Note: If no minimum bend radius is specified, the typical long-term, low-stress
radius is greater than 15 times the cable diameter (based on Federal Standard FS-
1037C).
3. Always connect the fiber optic cables in the standard Tx to Rx and Rx to Tx scheme.
4. Label each cable near each end with the signal direction, source, and destination to
minimize connection errors.
Check Optical Power Levels
To ensure the proper performance levels, measure the fiber link loss, or link attenuation, for
all fiber links. Each N525 is shipped with a document that lists the output power for each
laser transmitter. To determine link attenuation, use either the N525 Tx source or a hand-
held 1310/1550 nm laser source, a fiber optic test jumper cable (with known loss), and an
optical power meter.
Note: For accurate results, warm up each unit for at least 30 minutes before checking
power levels.
The transmission laser in the N525 turns on automatically when it is powered up.