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General Information
Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
C A U T I O N
Do not shake, tip, or invert compressed air canisters, because this releases
particles in the can into the air. Refer to instructions provided on the
compressed air canister.
7
As soon as the connector is dry, connect or cover it for later use.
If the performance, after the initial cleaning, seems poor try cleaning the con-
nector again. Often a second cleaning will restore proper performance. The
second cleaning should be more arduous with a scrubbing action.
To clean an adapter
The fiber-optic input and output connectors on many Agilent Technologies
instruments employ a universal adapter such as those shown in the following
picture. These adapters allow you to connect the instrument to different types
of fiber-optic cables.
Figure 1-9. Universal adapters.
1
Apply isopropyl alcohol to a clean foam swab.
Cotton swabs can be used as long as no cotton fibers remain after cleaning. The
foam swabs listed in this section’s introduction are small enough to fit into
adapters.
Although foam swabs can leave filmy deposits, these deposits are very thin, and
the risk of other contamination buildup on the inside of adapters greatly out-
weighs the risk of contamination by foam swabs.
2
Clean the adapter with the foam swab.
3
Dry the inside of the adapter with a clean, dry, foam swab.
4
Blow through the adapter using filtered, dry, compressed air.
Nitrogen gas or compressed dust remover can also be used. Do not shake, tip,
or invert compressed air canisters, because this releases particles in the can
into the air. Refer to instructions provided on the compressed air canister.
