Safety Precautions
Cleaning Instructions
Agilent 8163A Lightwave Multimeter, Agilent 8164A Lightwave Measurement System, & Agilent 8166A Lightwave
Multichannel System, Fourth Edition
267
Safety Precautions
Please follow the following safety rules:
•
Do not remove instrument covers when operating.
•
Ensure that the instrument is switched off throughout the cleaning procedures.
•
Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those
specified may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
•
Make sure that you disable all sources when you are cleaning any optical
interfaces.
•
Under no circumstances look into the end of an optical device attached to
optical outputs when the device is operational. The laser radiation is not visible
to the human eye, but it can seriously damage your eyesight.
•
To prevent electrical shock, disconnect the instrument from the mains before
cleaning. Use a dry cloth, or one slightly dampened with water, to clean the
external case parts. Do not attempt to clean internally.
•
Do not install parts or perform any unauthorized modification to optical
devices.
•
Refer servicing only to qualified and authorized personnel.
Why is it important to clean
optical devices ?
In transmission links optical fiber cores are about 9
µ
m (0.00035") in diameter.
Dust and other particles, however, can range from tenths to hundredths of
microns in diameter. Their comparative size means that they can cover a part of
the end of a fiber core, and as a result will reduce the performance of your system.
Furthermore, the power density may burn dust into the fiber and cause additional
damage (for example, 0 dBm optical power in a single mode fiber causes a power
density of approximately 16 million W/m
2
). If this happens, measurements
become inaccurate and non-repeatable.
Cleaning is, therefore, an essential yet difficult task. Unfortunately, when
comparing most published cleaning recommendations, you will discover that they
contain several inconsistencies. In this section, we want to suggest ways to help
you clean your various optical devices, and thus significantly improve the
accuracy and repeatability of your lightwave measurements.
