Fiber Optic Patch Cables (Fiber Optic Patch Cables) are used to make patch cords from equipment to fiber optic cabling links.

Fiber optic patch cords (also known as fiber optic connectors) are fiber optic cables fitted with connector plugs at both ends, which are used to achieve the optical path activity connection, and one end fitted with a plug is called a pigtail.

Optical fiber is mainly divided into two categories:

Single-mode fiber (Single-mode Fiber): general fiber optic jumper with yellow, connector and protective sleeve for the blue; longer transmission distance.

Multi-mode fiber (Multi-mode Fiber): general fiber optic jumper with orange, or gray, connector and protective sleeve with beige or black; transmission distance is shorter.

Fiber optic patch cord single mode and multi-mode difference

① Appearance: single-mode fiber optic patch cord sheath is generally yellow, while the multi-mode is generally orange or the so-called aqua green; core diameter, multi-mode is generally slightly thicker.

② transmission distance: single-mode fiber transmission distance of not less than 5km, generally used for long-distance communication; multi-mode fiber can only reach about 2km, suitable for short-distance communication within the building or campus.

③ light source: because the led light source is more dispersed, can produce a variety of modes of light, so more for multi-mode fiber; and laser light source is close to a single mode, so usually used for single-mode fiber.

④ bandwidth: single mode fiber than multi-mode fiber bandwidth is higher.

⑤ Cost: Multimode fiber allows multiple modes of light to pass through, so multimode fiber is more expensive than single-mode. However, single-mode fiber uses solid-state laser diode as the light source, which is far more expensive than the light source equipment of multi-mode fiber, so the cost of using single-mode fiber is much higher than that of multi-mode fiber.

Types of commonly used fiber optic patch cords

① FC type fiber optic patch cable: the external reinforcement is using a metal sleeve, the fastening method for the screw buckle. Generally used in the ODF side (the most used on the distribution frame)

② SC-type fiber optic patch cord: connecting the GBIC optical module connector, which has a rectangular shell, the fastening method is the use of plug-and-play pin-latch type, without rotation. (Most used in router switches)

③ ST-type fiber optic patch cord: commonly used in fiber optic distribution frames, the shell is round, the fastening method is a screw buckle. (For 10Base-F connection, the connector is usually ST type. (For 10Base-F connection, the connector is usually ST type. It is commonly used in fiber optic distribution frames)

④ LC type fiber optic patch cable: connector for connecting SFP module, it is made by modular jack (RJ) latch mechanism which is easy to operate. (Commonly used in routers)

⑤ MT-RJ type fiber optic patch cord: transceiver integrated square fiber optic connector, one end of the dual-fiber transceiver integrated .

Note on the use of optical fiber

Fiber optic patch cord at both ends of the optical module must be the same wavelength, that is, both ends of the fiber must be the same wavelength optical module, a simple way to distinguish between the optical module color to be the same. In general, short-wave optical modules use multi-mode fiber (orange fiber), long-wave optical modules use single-mode fiber (yellow fiber) to ensure the accuracy of data transmission.

Do not over bend and loop the optical fiber in use, as this will increase the attenuation of light in the transmission process.

Fiber optic patch cords must be protected with a protective sleeve to protect the fiber optic connector after use, dust and oil will damage the fiber optic coupling.

How to buy fiber optic patch cords?

① Connector type: If the ports of the devices at both ends are the same, we can use LC-LC / SC-SC patch cords. If you want to connect different port type devices, LC-SC / LC-ST / LC-FC patch cable may be suitable for you.

② Single-mode or multi-mode: single-mode fiber optic patch cords use 9 / 125um fiber, multi-mode fiber optic patch cords use 50 / 125um or 62.5 / 125um fiber. Single mode fiber optic patch cords are mainly used for long distance data transmission. Multimode fiber optic patch cords are mainly used for short distance transmission.

③ Patch cord length: choose the appropriate length according to the distance between the devices to be connected.

④ Patch cord material: fiber optic patch cords can be divided into ordinary type, ordinary flame retardant type, low smoke halogen-free type, low smoke halogen-free flame retardant type and so on according to the outer sheath material. Flame-retardant cables and fiber optic cables should be used for placing cables or fiber optic cables in flammable areas and building shafts; flame-retardant, low-smoke, low-toxicity cables or fiber optic cables are preferred for large public places; flame-retardant wiring equipment should be used for the adjacent inter-equipment or handover inter-connections.