A technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves.

Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional metal communications lines:

Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables. This means that they can carry more data.

Fiber optic cables are less susceptible than metal cables to interference.

Fiber optic cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires.

Data can be transmitted digitally (the natural form for computer data) rather than analogically.

The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to install. In addition, they are more fragile than wire and are difficult to splice.

Fiber optics is a particularly popular technology for local-area networks. In addition, telephone companies are steadily replacing traditional telephone lines with fiber optic cables. In the future, almost all communications will employ fiber optics.

Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/F/fiber_optics.html

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plastic optical fiber

Abbreviated as POF, plastic optical fiber is a type of optical fiber that uses polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the core material that allows the transmission of light. POF is often called consumer optical fiber as it is a low-cost optical fiber alternative that is easier to use than glass optical fiber. It sustains a data transfer speed of 2.5GB/s, which isn't as fast as glass optical fiber, but is much faster than traditional copper wire.

In comparison to traditional optical fiber, PoF is much larger in diameter which results in lower data rates making it most suitable for high bandwidth signal transmission over short distances. Unlike glass, plastic fiber can easily be cut and bent to fit in hard-to-reach places and the larger core also allows for slightly damaged fiber to work. POF products are most commonly used in medical, automotive, home networks, as well as digital audio and video interfaces.

Sources: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/plastic_optical_fiber.html

FIBRE OPTIC CABLE

By Bradley Mitchell, About.com Guide

Definition: A fiber optic cable is a network cable that contains strands of glass fibers inside an insulated casing. These cables are designed for long distance and very high bandwidth (gigabit speed) network communications.

Fiber optic cables carry communication signals using pulses of light. While expensive, these cables are increasingly being used instead of traditional copper cables, because fiber offers more capacity and is less susceptible to electrical interference. So-called Fiber to the Home (FTTH) installations are becoming more common as a way to bring ultra high speed Internet service (100 Mbps and higher) to residences.

Source: http://compnetworking.about.com/od/networkcables/g/fiberopticcable.htm

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FTTH - What Is Fiber To The Home?

By Bradley Mitchell, About.com GuideSeptember 3, 2006

| FAQ | In a nutshell, FTTH (Fiber To The Home) is the idea of bringing high-speed networking, digital television and telephone service to residences using fiber optic cables. Although we think of cable modem and DSL services as "high speed" today, they are too slow to support networking of applications envisaged for the future such as high-definition IPTV.

Telecommunications companies developing FTTH technology plan to support 100+ Mbps bandwidth per home. They view fiber optic cabling as the best technology for high-speed, high-quality residential area networking, eventually replacing both telephone and cable TV lines. Costs to get FTTH services off the ground are high, but fiber to the home installations are steadily increasing around the world.

Source: http://compnetworking.about.com/b/2006/09/03/ftth-what-is-fiber-to-the-home.htm

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Micron Optics Releases Fiber Optic Temperature Sensing CableOptical temperature measurement allows real time remote monitoring of temperature changes along fiber optic cable

What we’ve delivered fills a niche for temperature measurements over distances of less than two kilometers – and this can be coupled with other measurements like strain,

displacement and pressure on the same fiber network.Atlanta, GA (Vocus) October 28, 2010

Micron Optics, Inc., a leading provider of innovative equipment for fiber optic sensing and laser imaging, today announces their os4400 Temperature Sensing Cable. This cable addresses a growing need for durable, low-cost temperature sensing in areas with limited access, such as tunnels, bridges, mines, downhole and other applications where distributed measurements are needed at specific points over long distances.The os4400 is based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor technology, a well proven and widely adopted method of measuring strain and temperature. What sets this cable apart is its ruggedness. Small individual FBG-based sensors are integrated in series in a steel reinforced cable. This cable can withstand rough treatment during installation and is designed to last for decades in harsh environments.Individual sensing points are traceable to NIST standards and never need calibration. Both sensor response time and sensor accuracy are an order of magnitude better than with other fiber optic sensors, and the os4400 can operate in high electromagnetic fields and corrosive environments where electrical sensors fail. Also, the sensor cable is totally passive and is designed for use in explosive environments.In a tunnel fire monitoring application, for example, response time is key. The os4400 coupled with the proper Micron Optics instrumentation and software can detect significant changes of temperature in a fraction of a second – much faster than with other technologies – precious time for motorists to get to safety and officials to respond.Tom Graver, Vice President of Optical Sensing at Micron Optics stated, “For a long time our customers have been asking for a product like the os4400. What we’ve delivered fills a niche for temperature measurements over distances of less than two kilometers – and this can be coupled with other measurements like strain, displacement and pressure on the same fiber network. The durability and ease of installation of the os4400 meet key requirements for many applications.”Micron Optics os4400 temperature sensing cables are available immediately. For more information, please contact us directly at info(at)micronoptics(dot)com.About Micron Optics, Inc. Micron Optics’ optical sensing and imaging products make impossible measurements possible, revealing new, critical information for infrastructure, energy, transportation, medical and industrial sectors. Since 1990, Micron Optics has been expanding its core capabilities from tunable optical components and leading-edge instrumentation and software, to complete optical sensing systems. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Micron Optics is a privately held company. For more information, visit http://www.micronoptics.com.

by Tom Graver

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebMicron-Optics/fbg-sensor-technology/prweb4714804.htm

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Optical fibres are long, thin strands of very pure glass. They have the diameter of around that of a human hair. They are arranged in bundles called optical cables and used to transmitlight signals over long distances. Optical fibres are commonly used in telecommunication systems, as well as in illumination, sensors, and imaging optics. Fibre optics is the branch of science and engineering concerned with such optical fibres.

By Mathew Barrie - Cusack 5

Source: http://optical-fibres.tripod.com/index.html

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The way optical fibres work

Home

The way optical fibres work

Structure

Advantages of Optical fibres

Disadvantages of Optical fibres

Uses of optical fibres

Types of optical fibres

The light in a fibre-optic cable travels through the core by constantly bouncing from the cladding (mirror-lined walls), a principle called total internal reflection. Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the core, the light wave can travel great distances. However, some of the light signal degrades within the fibre, mostly due to impurities in the glass. The extent that the signal degrades depends on the purity of the glass and the wavelength of the transmitted light. Below is a diagram of how total internal reflection works in an optical fibre.  

By Mathew Barrie - Cusack 5

Source: http://optical-fibres.tripod.com/id1.html

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Optical Fibres

Structure

Home

The way optical fibres work

Structure

Advantages of Optical fibres

Disadvantages of Optical fibres

Uses of optical fibres

Types of optical fibres

Optical fibres are made up of three components: Core - Thin glass centre of the fibre where the light travels Cladding - Outer optical material surrounding the core that reflects the light back into the core. Buffer coating - Plastic coating that protects the fibre from damage and moisture. This is shown in the diagram below. 

Thousands of optical fibre strands are arranged in bundles into optical cables. The bundles are protected by the optical cable's outer covering, called a jacket.

By Mathew Barrie - Cusack 5

Source: http://optical-fibres.tripod.com/id2.html

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Uses of optical fibres

Uses for optical fibres are: Communication - Telephone transmission method uses fibre-optic cables. Optical fibres transmit energy in the form of light pulses. The technology is similar to that of the coaxial cable, except that the optical fibres can handle tens of thousands of conversations simultaneously.

 Medical uses - Optical fibres are well suited for medical use. They can be made in extremely thin, flexible strands for insertion into the blood vessels, lungs, and other hollow parts of the body. Optical fibres are used in a number of instruments that enable doctors to view internal body parts without having to perform surgery. Simple uses - The simplest application of optical fibres is the transmission of light to locations otherwise hard to reach. Also, bundles of several thousand very thin fibres assembled precisely side by side and optically polished at their ends, can be used to transmit images.

By Mathew Barrie - Cusack 5

Source: http://optical-fibres.tripod.com/id5.html

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Types of optical fibres

Optical fibres come in two types: Single-mode fibres and Multi-mode fibres.Single-mode fibres have small cores (about 9 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared laser light.Multi-mode fibres have larger cores (62.5 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared light from LEDs.Some optical fibres can be made from plastic. These fibres have a large core (1 mm diameter) and transmit visible red light from LEDs.

By Mathew Barrie

Source: http://optical-fibres.tripod.com/id6.htmlu

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Fibre Optics

 

  Optical fibre refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic wire or fibre.  Developed in the 1960’s they are rapidly replacing copper wires as a way of carrying telecommunications.

Optical fibre carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is in general not subject to electromagnetic interference.  Most telephone company long distance lines are now of optical fibre.  There have been many advancements in the area of fibre optics since they were first invented.  Today's fibres are now much stronger, more efficient, less costly and able to transmit more wavelengths at much greater distance.  Still many of the basic principles still apply. 

Source: http://services.eng.uts.edu.au/~akadi/ite/major_assignments/barber/home.htm

How Fibre Optics Work

  Signals are carried as pulses of light.  The sound signals from the speaker are turned to electrical signals first, in an ordinary telephone mouthpieces.  But the electrical signals are then converted to light signals by the transmitter.  At the other end of the line the light signals are converted back to electrical signals by a receiver.  These electrical signals operate the telephone earpiece in the usual way. 

The signals travel along the optical fibre in the form of pulses, or flashes of laser light.  The laser light source is turned on and off very quickly.  The light pulses make up a binary code which is decoded by the receiver. 

     

Input   Optical Transmitter   Communication Channel   Optical Receiver   Output

  Optical Transmitter

The Optical Transmitter can be broken down into several parts.  These consist of:

Modulator Carrier Source Channel Coupler (Input)

Firstly it must be noted that the input must be put into electrical form before the transition for either electronic or optic communications.

Modulator The Modulator has two main functions.  First it converts the electrical message into the proper format.  Secondly it impresses this signal onto the wave generated by the carrier source.  Two distinct categories of modulation format exist: analogue and digital.  An analogue signal is continuous and reproduces the form of the original message quite faithfully.  Digital modulation involves transmitting information in discrete form, where the signal

is either on (1) or off (0).  These states are the binary digits of the digital system.  The data rate is the number of bits per second (bps) transmitted.  This sequence of on or off pulses may be a coded version of an analogue message.

Carrier Source The Carrier Source generates the wave on which the information is transmitted.  This wave is called the carrier.  For fibre optic systems a laser diode (LD) or light-emitting diode (LED) is used.  Ideally these light sources provide stable, single frequency waves with sufficient power for long distance propagation.  Actual LD's and LED's differ somewhat from this ideal, as they emit a range of frequencies and radiate only a few milliwatts of average power.  This power is sufficient in many cases, because receivers are so sensitive.  because a laser diode (LD) does not turn on (that is, it does not radiate) until some threshold current is applied, the modulation current may include a dc offset equal to this threshold value.  The presence of a binary 1 drives the current beyond threshold and makes the diode emit light.  A binary 0 leaves the current at threshold, where no radiation occurs.  An LED does not have a threshold and turns on whenever positive current flows through it.

Channel Coupler (Input) The coupler feeds power into the communication channel.  In a fibre system, the coupler must efficiently transfer the modulated light beam from the source to the optic fibre.  Unfortunately, it is not easy to accomplish this transfer without relatively large reductions in power.  This large loss basically occurs because the light sources emit over a large angular extent, while fibres can only capture light within more limited angles.  Cone shapes are used to solve this problem of data loss.   Top 

  Communication Channel

The function of the communication channel is to transport the optical signal from the transmitter to the receiver without distorting it.  Optical fibres are a good communication channel because it can transmit light with a relative small amount of power loss.

Fibre loss (attenuation) is an important design parameter as it determines the repeater spacing of a long haul system.  A repeater is a device that receives a signal on an electromagnetic or optical transmission medium, amplifies the

signal, and then retransmits it along to the next leg of the medium.  A series of repeaters make possible the extension of a signal over a distance.

Fibre loss reduces the average power reaching the receiver and reduces the accuracy of recovering the signal.  For example a 10 dB/km loss means 10% of the light is loss making to the end of the 1 km length of fibre.  By today's standards, most fibres have an attenuation of less than 0.5 dB/km.

Another important parameter is fibre dispersion.  This leads to the broadening of the individual pulses inside the fibre, which if the pulses spread significantly, they can interfere with the neighbouring bits.  Eventually it can become impossible to recover the original signal with high accuracy.  This is a severe case using multimode fibres so most optical communication systems use single mode fibres.   Top 

  Optical Receiver

The Optical Receiver can be broken down into several parts.  These consist of:

Channel Coupler (Output) Detector Signal Processor

Channel Coupler (Output)

In a fibre system, the output coupler merely directs the light emerging from the fibre onto the light detector.  This light is radiated in a pattern identical to the fibre's acceptance cone.

Detector

The information being transmitted must now be taken off the carrier wave.  In the fibre system, the optic wave is converted into an electric current by a photodetector.

Signal Processor

For analogue transmission, the signal processor includes amplification and filtering of the signal.  In addition to filtering of the constant bias, any other undesired frequencies should be blocked from further travel.  An ideal filter passes all frequencies contained in the transmission information and rejects all the others.  This improves the clarity of the intended transmission.  Proper filtering maximises the signal power to unwanted power, reducing random fluctuations in the signal referred to as noise.

Source: http://services.eng.uts.edu.au/~akadi/ite/major_assignments/barber/howorks.htm

Fibre Optic Construction

  Fibre optic cabling has the following components (starting in the centre and working out): core, cladding, coating, strength member, and jacket.  The design and function of each of these will be defined. 

  The core is in the very centre of the cable and is the medium of propagation for the signal.  The core is made of silica glass or plastic with a high refractive index.  The actual core is very small.  Typical core sizes range from 8 microns (millionth of a meter) for single mode silica glass cores and up to 1000 microns for multimode plastic optical fibre (POF).

Top    The cladding is a material of lower index of refraction which surrounds the core.  This difference in index forms a mirror at the boundary of the core and cladding.  Because of the lower index, it reflects the light back into the centre of the core, forming an optical wave guide.  This is the same effect as looking out over a calm lake and noting the reflection, while looking straight down you see through the water.  It is this interaction of core and cladding that is at the heart of how optical fibre works.

Top

  The coating (also referred to as buffer or buffer coating) is a protective layer

around the outside of the cladding.  It is typically made of a thermoplastic material for tight buffer construction and a gel material for loose buffer

construction.  As the name implies, in tight buffer construction, the buffer is extruded directly onto the fibre, tightly surrounding it.  Loose buffer

construction uses a gel filled tube which is larger than the fibre itself.  Loose buffer construction offers a high degree of isolation from external mechanical forces such as vibration.  Tight buffer construction on the other hand provides

for a smaller bend radius, smaller overall diameter, and crush resistance. 

Top   

To further protect the fibre from stretching during installation, and to protect it from expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, strength

members are added to the cable construction.  These members are made from various materials from steel  (used in some multi-strand cables) to

Kevlar.  In single and double fibre cables, the strength members are wrapped around the coating.  In some multi-strand cables, the strength member is in

the centre of the bundle. 

Top   

The jacket is the last item in the construction, and provides the final protection from the environment in which the cable is installed.  Of concern here is the

intended placement of the cable.  Different jackets provide different solutions for indoor, outdoor, aerial, and buried installations.

Source: http://services.eng.uts.edu.au/~akadi/ite/major_assignments/barber/constru.htm

Different Types of Optical Fibres

 

Multimode Fibre

In optical fibre technology, multimode fibre is optical fibre that is designed to carry more than one signal at a time.  Each carries multiple rays or modes concurrently, each at a slightly different reflection angle with the optical fibre core.  Multimode fibre transmission is used for relatively short distances because the modes tend to disperse over longer lengths.  Commonly used for hauling traffic over short distances, such as within a building.  

Single Mode Fibre

Single mode fibre is optical fibre that is designed to carry a single signal at a time.  It is used mainly for long distance signal transmission.

 

A: STEP-INDEX MULTIMODE FIBRE has a large core, up to 100 microns in diameter.  As a result, some of the light rays that make up the digital pulse may travel a direct route, whereas others zigzag as they bounce off the cladding.  These alternative pathways cause the different groupings of light rays, referred to as modes, to arrive separately at a receiving point.

The pulse, a combination of different modes, begins to spread out, losing its well defined shape.  And the need to leave spacing between pulses to prevent overlapping, limits the bandwidth.  The result of this is that the amount of information that can be sent is also limited. Consequently, this type of fibre is best suited for transmission over short distances, in an endoscope, for instance.

Top

B: GRADED-INDEX MULTIMODE FIBRE contains a core in which the refractive index diminishes gradually from the centre axis out toward the cladding.  The higher refractive index at the centre makes the light rays moving down the axis advance more slowly than those near the cladding. 

Also, rather than zig-zagging off the cladding, light in the core curves helically because of the graded index, reducing its travel distance.

The shortened path and the higher speed allow light at the cladding to arrive at a receiver at about the same time as the slow but straight rays in the core axis. The result is a digital pulse that suffers less dispersion.  These fibres often become the physical medium for local area networks.

Top 

C: SINGLE-MODE FIBRE has a narrow core, and the index of refraction between the core and the cladding changes less than it does for multimode fibres.  Light thus travels parallel to the axis, creating little pulse dispersion.  Telephone and cable television networks install millions of kilometres of this fibre every year. 

Source: http://services.eng.uts.edu.au/~akadi/ite/major_assignments/barber/fibtypes.htm

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What is Fiber Optics?

What is Fiber Optics?

Fiber optic cable in essence, is a hair-like glass conduit that carries virtually any type of signal from one point to another at light speed. In case you are wondering why light traveling through fiber optic cable does not actually travel at true light speed, it is because the glass that makes up fiber optic cable is denser than the vacuum of outer space where light can travel without disruption. Needless to say, a fiber optic light signal is still much faster and far superior to a copper based signal, which is why it has become so popular in the cable television, telecommunications and computer networking. Unlike copper based signals, fiber signals are not affected by external power sources or surges and there is no need for shielding or grounding.

How are Fiber Optics used today?

Today, practically every communication network contains fiber optics. In most cases, fiber optics are used because of their convenience. Fiber optic cable allows network builders to divide their network into smaller service areas that prevent large numbers of customers from being affected in an outage. The result is better service and customer relations. Fiber optic cable also gives them a fast return path which they use for internet and telephone connections, thereby increasing their revenue potential.

Local Area Networks (LANs) use fiber optics primarily in the backbone of the network, but the use of fiber optics to the desk is increasing. The LAN backbone often needs longer distance transmissions and more bandwidth than copper cable is capable of providing. Fiber easily offers the higher bandwidth needed to prepare the network for the much higher speeds projected for the near future.

The use of fiber optics is not just limited to communication networks. Cable and telephone providers often use fiber for its distance capabilities. Distance is also an advantage to industrial plants that use vast amounts of fiber primarily for its noise immunity. Utilities also prefer fiber for noise immunity, security and high bandwidth properties. The military uses fiber because it's nearly tap-proof and impossible to jam. Fiber is even used by the aviation and aerospace industries because of its smaller size and weight.

Should I get involved in the Fiber Optic Industry?

Whether you are considering a career in fiber optics or not, it is still important to get involved. Experts now believe that a vast majority of future home, business and entertainment advancements will include fiber optics and opti-electronic devices. Even the basic, most inexpensive on-line or classroom course will prepare you for understanding your future and no doubt will help you in your future work environments.

Where will Fiber Optics take me in the next 20 years?

If you are looking for a career in fiber optics, there are numerous general and industry specific courses available to you. What can you expect if you choose a career in Fiber Optics? To start with, plenty of great paying jobs spanning over every industry imaginable. Hundreds of thousands have already trained for careers in Fiber Optics but in the near future, industry experts believe that millions of workers will be needed. With gigabit and ten gig Ethernet already spreading through even the smallest of commercial networks, it appears that industry experts are right-on with this call. Get involved today for a brighter tomorrow!

© 1998-2011, FNT, Fiber Network Training

Source: http://www.f-n-t.com/whatisfo.htm

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Fibre-optic hopes for East Africa

31 October 2011

The fibre-optic broadband finally linking East Africa in 2009 was a massive multi-million-pound investment, but the

expectations are just as substantial. Three submarine fibre-optic cables form the backbone of the high-speed

network, which is hoped to spark the region’s economy.

Prime ministers and presidents throughout the region have claimed that the cables will play an integral part in the

economic development of their countries, and Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania, sees them as a way of making

East Africans "become part of the global economy".

Transformative event

"The arrival of fibre-optic cables has been generally perceived as a hugely transformative event. There seems to be

a lot of optimism that East African businesses will now be able to compete globally without some of the hindrances

that they used to face," says Dr Mark Graham at the University of Oxford.

Dr Graham is leading a research project aiming to chart the change and the effects on the region, funded by ESRC

and the Department for International Development. The promises of Fibre-Optic Broadband: A Pipeline for Economic

Development in East Africa is tracking the impact of the technology transition while it is unfolding, focusing on

three economic sectors: eco-tourism, tea production and business process outsourcing.

Last major region without fibre-optic access

The project focuses on Kenya and Rwanda, both cited as countries where information and communications

technologies (ICTs) will have significant transformative effects. Both have national development plans ("Vision

2030" and "Vision 2020" respectively) that aim to transform those countries into middle-income economies. And in

both cases ICTs are presented as being integral to these transformations.

The ICT optimism is not surprising, given the scale of change. East Africa was the last major region on Earth without

fibre-optic broadband Internet access, forced to rely on slow and costly satellite connections for access until 2009.

Transferring cash with mobiles

But although the hopes are high, there isn’t much data available to base confident predictions on, explains Dr

Graham.

"The M-Pesa money transfer service in Kenya is perhaps the most visible and influential example that can be

pointed to. It has allowed people all over the country to easily transfer cash using their mobile phones - something

which is especially useful for the millions of people that don't have bank accounts," he says.

"ICTs undoubtedly have the potential to enable important economic transformations, but it remains to be seen what

the actual effects of altered connectivity will be in both countries. This is what we hope to find out with our

research," adds Dr Graham.

Source: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/impacts-and-findings/features-casestudies/features/18271/fibre-optic-hopes-for-east-africa.aspx

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How fiber optic internet works APRIL 23, 2012 

 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY + 

WEB

BY SYAHIR HAKIM

Fiber optic technology has paved the way for a new type of technology and its effects

on home services.

Everything from TV, phone, and even internet services have been positively altered due to the advancements brought on by fiber

optic technology. With internet services in particular, this new form of connection allows for the internet to go in a direction that it has

not always been able to go. Fiber Optic Internet is a step forward toward an unstoppable internet connection.

A spool of fiber optic cable

How Fiber Optic Technology Works

The use of light to transmit information such as signals and images through an optical fiber is what Fiber Optic technology refers to.

Info is transmitted from place to place as pulses of light travel through fiber-optic strands of optically pure lines that carry information

in digital form and travel over long distances to arrive at the other end of the connection.

This process uses steps to deliver the information. The optical signal is created by a transmitter and then the signal travels along the

fiber optic cable. Once the signal is received it is turned into an electrical signal that passes through to the receiver’s device. In use

as an internet connection, fiber optic technology delivers faster and more reliable sites and information to users of the World Wide

Web.

Improving Connections

This form of information deliverance largely affects the way users receive and send information to other people and places. Given

the reliability and speed it provides users, fiber optic technology is becoming a favorite above electrical transmissions and even

more so over copper wire communications. With the internet coming from a notorious slow connection of dial-up roots, fiber optic

technology takes the internet a giant step forward into a more steady and complete connection.

How Fiber Optic Internet Affects Users

Fiber Optic Internet creates a different kind of online user experience as compared to other types of connections. No longer do

users worry about losing connectivity during operations because of the quality of the transmission. Fiber optic technology also

allows users to eliminate waiting for pages to load, messages to send, and images to appear. An overall more comfortable surfing

experience is provided by fiber optic technology.

With the increased popularity of social media sites and live content sites, a fiber optic connection allows users to more completely

engage and interact. This type of internet connection is more able to meet the increasing demands of today’s internet-heavy society.

This is a guest post by Mark Bennett of OnlineComcast.com, a site that offers savings and current information onComcast internet.

Source: http://www.khairul-syahir.com/topics/science-technology/2012/how-fiber-optic-internet-works.html

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Uses of Fiber Optic CablesFiber optic cables find many uses in a wide variety of industries and applications. Some uses of fiber optic

cables include:

Medical

Used as light guides, imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries

Defense/Government

Used as hydrophones for seismic and SONAR uses, as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles and also

for field networking

Data Storage

Used for data transmission

Telecommunications

Fiber is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes

Networking

Used to connect users and servers in a variety of network settings and help increase the speed and accuracy of

data transmission

Industrial/Commercial

Used for imaging in hard to reach areas, as wiring where EMI is an issue, as sensory devices to make

temperature, pressure and other measurements, and as wiring in automobiles and in industrial settings

Broadcast/CATV

Broadcast/cable companies are using fiber optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, video on-demand and

other applications

Fiber optic cables are used for lighting and imaging and as sensors to measure and monitor a vast array of

variables. Fiber optic cables are also used in research and development and testing across all the above

mentioned industries.

Source: http://www.timbercon.com/uses-of-fiber-optic-cables/

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Fiber Optic Technology in Everyday Life

Uses of Fiber Optics Today 

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Fiber optic technology has grown tremendously over the years and is used in many applications today. Without us realizing it, fiber optics are an essential part of our everyday lives.

First Use of Fiber Optics

One of the first uses of fiber optics was the telephone, and today, fiber optic technology has revolutionized long distance calls. It has also made wiretapping more difficult and helps to prevent electrical interference. Probably the biggest use today for fiber optics is the Internet, which is information that fiber optics cables send digitally.

Fiber Optics and the Military

Fiber optic technology is in high demand in the military today. The military has tested the cables rigorously and decided they were excellent to use in many of their applications. The fiber optic cables offer the military better performance, more bandwidth, and security for their signals - all at a lower cost.   The cables are strong, lightweight, and can also be used outdoors in any type of harsh environment. These features make the fiber optic cables an excellent choice for use in the military’s retrieval and deployment applications.

Fiber optic missile launchers and radar systems are also used in the military.  In many of their control systems, the military uses a single optical fiber to replace miles and pounds of copper wire.

Fiber Optics Used in our Transportation System

The fast-paced transportation system is becoming a fast growing market for the use of fiber optics with the increase in traffic and more demand for automated toll booths, traffic signals, and message signs that are changeable.

UAVs and Fiber Optics

A fairly new and fast growing application for fiber optics is Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). With the ability to provide a fast and efficient way to transmit a large amount of data over long distances, fiber optics were utilized as the main communication conduit between the UAV and ground control.

Other Uses of Fiber Optics

Fiber optics are also used in applications where bright light needs to be shone on a target without a clear line-of-sight path. They are also used to route sunlight from a roof to other parts of the building.

Optical fiber illumination is used for decorative applications such as Christmas trees, signs, and art. Showcases displayed in boutiques use optical fibers for illumination of different angles with only one light source.

Special optical fibers are used for sensor applications in areas that involve oil-well monitoring and fire or leak detection.

The bandwidth offered by fiber optics enables cable television to transmit signals to their subscribers. This is very useful for the services cable companies offer. Other important fiber optic applications are used in research institutions, colleges and universities, aerospace, and chemical industries.

Fiber optic technology is definitely growing rapidly and is an essential part of our everyday lives.

©2013 CableOrganizer.com, Inc. This article may not be reproduced in part or in full without the written permission of CableOrganizer.com.

Source: http://www.cableorganizer.com/articles/fiber-optics-tutorial/fiber-optic-technology.html

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Uses of Optical Fibres

In this section we will show you how optical fibres are used. As you will be able to see when you read further, optical fibres are revolutionising fields like communications and medicine.

Telecommunications Industry - Until the optical fibre network was developed, telephone calls were mainly sent as electrical signals along copper wire cables. As demand for the systems to carry more telephone calls increased, simple copper wires did not have the capacity, known as bandwidth, to carry the amount of information required.

Systems using coaxial cables like TV aerial leads were used but as the need for more bandwidth grew, these systems became more and more expensive especially over long distances

when more signal regenerators were needed. As demand increases and higher frequency signals are carried, eventually the electronic circuits in the regenerators just cannot cope.

Optical fibres offer huge communication capacity. A single fibre can carry the conversations of every man, woman and child on the face of this planet, at the same time, twice over. The latest generations of optical transmission systems are beginning to exploit a significant part of this huge capacity, to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for data communications and the Internet.

The main advantages of using optical fibres in the communications industry are:

- A much greater amount of information can be carried on an optical fibre compared to a copper cable.

- In all cables some of the energy is lost as the signal goes along the cable. The signal then needs to be boosted using regenerators. For copper cable systems these

are required every 2 to 3km but with optical fibre systems they are only needed every 50km.

- Unlike copper cables, optical fibres do not experience any electrical interference. Neither will they cause sparks so they can be used in explosive environments

such as oil refineries or gas pumping stations.

- For equal capacity, optical fibres are cheaper and thinner than copper cables which makes them easier to install and maintain.

Case Study: British Telecom

In the UK at the moment there are three million kilometres of optical fibre cable in the BT network. Most of BT's trunk network now uses optical fibre cables. In a recent trial in Bishop's Stortford optical fibres were actually laid into homes. This allowed customers to receive cable TV and stereo radio as well as phone and information services.

Optical fibres could be put into all homes but currently the cost of the system including lasers and detectors would be too high for simple telephone calls. Some companies have a direct optical fibre link if they need to send large quantities of information by phone, for example between computers at different business centres.

Optical fibre submarine links are in use all around the world. Because of the low loss and high bandwidth of optical fibre systems they are ideal for submarine systems where you want to minimise the amount of complex electronics in regenerators sitting on the sea bed. In fact, the link from the UK to the English Channel Islands is achieved directly without any submerged regenerators.

The world's first international optical fibre submarine cable was laid by BT in 1986 between the UK and Belgium. It is 112Km in length and has only 3 regenerators. BT was a major partner in the first transatlantic optical fibre cable system - TAT 8 (Transatlantic Telecommunications cable no 8) which was capable of carrying 40,000 telephone calls at once, or the equivalent in data, facsimile, or TV pictures.

The second transatlantic cable, TAT 9, which came into service in 1992, has twice that capacity and links five separate landing points in the UK the USA, Canada, France and Spain. The transatlantic optical fibre cable network, completed in 1996, spanned 14,000Km and linked the UK, France and the USA . It could handle up to 320,000 phone calls at one time.

Undersea cables consist of fibres with a copper coated steel conductor which are covered in protective layers of steel and polypropylene. In shallow waters, e.g. the continental shelf, a submersible remote-controlled plough is used to bury the cables one metre below the seabed, to protect them from damage by trawling and ships' anchors.

Medicine Industry

The advent of practicable optical fibres has seen the development of much medical technology. Optical fibres have paved the way for a whole new field of surgery, called laparoscopic surgery

(or more commonly, keyhole surgery), which is usually used for operations in the stomach area such as appendectomies. Keyhole surgery usually makes use of two or three bundles of optical fibres. A "bundle" can contain thousands of individual fibres". The surgeon makes a number of small incisions in the target area and the area can then be filled with air to provide more room.

One bundle of optical fibres can be used to illuminate the chosen area, and another bundle can be used to bring information back to the surgeon. Moreover, this can be coupled with laser surgery, by using an optical fibre to carry the laser beam to the relevent spot, which would then be able to be used to cut the tissue or affect it in some other way.

Other Uses

- Optical fibres can be used for the purposes of illumination, often carrying light from outside to rooms in the interiors of large buildings.

- Another important application of optical fibres is in sensors. If a fibre is stretched or squeezed, heated or cooled or subjected to some other change of environment, there is usually a small but measurable change in light transmission. Hence, a rather cheap sensor can be made which can be put in a tank of acid, or near an explosion or in a mine and connected back, perhaps through kilometres of fibre, to a central point where the effects can be measured.

An advantage of fibre-optic sensors is that it is possible to measure the data at different points along the fibre and to know to what points the different measurements relate. These are the so-called distributed sensors.

- Fibre optics are also used to carry high power laser beams from fixed installations within factories to the point of use of the laser light for welding, cutting or drilling. The fibre provides a flexible and safe means of distributing high power laser radiation around a factory so that robots or machine tools can be provided with laser machining capability.

- Optical fibres can also be used as simple light guides. At least one fancy modern car has a single high intensity lamp under its bonnet, with optical fibres taking the light to a series of mini-headlamps on the front. Less high tech versions carry light from bulbs to the glove compartment etc.

- A research group at the Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, is designing a laser installation at the William Hershel Telescope on La Palma to help astronomers make an 'artificial' star in the layer of atomic sodium which exists at a height of 100km above the Earth's surface.

The Earth's atmosphere is a big problem for astronomers. It is a gas that is constantly moving which makes the light traveling through it from distant starts flicker. If astronomers could use a reference 'star' whose brightness they knew, then they could allow for this twinkling.

The telescope will look at how the atmosphere is effecting the artificial star second by second and adjust the telescope's mirror to compensate. This should allow astronomers to capture pictures of astronomical objects of a quality previously only obtainable from the Hubble Space Telescope. The optical fibre in this case is used to pipe the laser power needed to create the artificial star from the lasers to the telescope itself.

- As light is not affected noticeably by electromagnetic fields. It also does not interfere with other instruments that do use electricity. For this reason, fibre-optics are also becoming very important for short-range communication and information transfer in applications situations like aircraft. This application is now being extended into motor cars, and plastic optical fibres will soon (say in 5-8 years time) be very common for transmitting information around the car.

So we can see that optical fibres are not just passive light pipes. Researchers are finding ways in which they can make the fibres become the active elements of the circuit, e.g. amplifiers or filters. This means that the information could remain in light form from one end of a link to the other, removing the limitations of the electronics in circuits and enabling more of the theoretical information carrying capacity to be used.

Engineers of the future can look forward to designing and using telecommunications systems that have no loss, infinite bandwidth and high reliability. New services for customers, such as 3D high definition TV and virtual reality information and entertainment systems, could be more easily provided as well as giving them the benefits of lower costs and greater flexibility - an exciting future.

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/C006694F/Optical%20Fibres/Uses%201.htm

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