2 of 3
6/14/2007
#11062
724-746-5500
blackbox.com
FEATURES
• Breakout design enables individual
routing of fibers for termination
and maintenance.
• Individually jacketed fibers are rugged
and easy to handle.
• Fibers feature an easily strippable
900-µm coating.
• Suitable for indoor applications.
• Cable construction consists of: outer
jacket, tape binder, breakout fiber
assembly (tight-buffered fiber
surrounded in aramid yarns and
jacketed), strength member, and ripcord.
• Both the PVC and plenum cables are
rated for fire safety.
724-746-5500
blackbox.com
50- vs. 62.5-micron cable.
As today’s networks expand, the demand for more
bandwidth and greater distances increases. Thus, there is a
renewed interest in 50-micron fiber optic cable. First used
in 1976, 50-micron cable has not experienced the widespread
use in North America that 62.5-micron cable has.
Although 50-micron fiber cable features a smaller core,
which is the light-carrying portion of the fiber, both 62.5- and
50-micron cable feature the same cladding diameter of 125
microns. You can use both in the same types of networks,
although 50-micron cable is recommended for premise
applications: backbone, horizontal, and interbuilding
Technically Speaking
TECH SPECS
Attenuation (Maximum)—
3.5/1 dB/km @ 850/1300 nm
Bandwidth (Minimum)—
500/500 MHz-km @ 850/1300 nm
Bend Radius—
PVC: 2-Fiber: 5.7" (14.5 cm) installation, 4.3" (10.9 cm) operating;
4-Fiber: 6.5" (16.5 cm) installation, 4.9" (12.4 cm) operating;
6-Fiber: 7.5" (19.1 cm) installation, 5.7" (14.5 cm) operating;
12-Fiber: 11.3" (28.7 cm) installation, 21.6" (54.9 cm) operating;
24-Fiber: 13.6" (34.5 cm) installation, 10.2" (25.9 cm) operating;
36-Fiber: 15.8" (40.1 cm) installation, 11.8" (30 cm) operating;
Plenum: 4-Fiber: 5.4" (13.7 cm) installation, 4.1" (10.4 cm) operating;
6-Fiber: 6.6" (16.8 cm) installation, 5" (12.7 cm) operating;
8-Fiber: 7.8" (19.8 cm) installation, 5.9" (15 cm) operating;
12-Fiber: 10.5" (26.7 cm) installation, 7.8" (19.8 cm) operating;
24-Fiber: 12.4" (31.5 cm) installation, 9.3" (23.6 cm) operating;
36-Fiber: 14.3" (36.3 cm) installation, 10.7" (27.2 cm) operating
Buffer Diameter—
900 µm
Cable Size—
PVC: 2-Fiber: 0.286" (7.26 mm);
4-Fiber: 0.325" (8.26 mm);
6-Fiber: 0.377" (9.58 mm),
12-Fiber: 0.567" (14.40 mm);
24-Fiber: 0.680" (17.27 mm);
36-Fiber: 0.788" (20.02 mm);
Plenum: 4-Fiber: 0.273" (6.93 mm);
6-Fiber: 0.330" (8.38 mm);
8-Fiber: 0.392" (9.96 mm);
12-Fiber: 0.523" (13.28 mm);
24-Fiber: 0.620" (15.75 mm);
36-Fiber: 0.715" (18.16 mm)
Fiber Type—
Multimode, 50/125 µm
Pulling Strength—
2-Fiber: 1200 Newtons/270 lb.;
4-Fiber: 2000 Newtons/450 lb.;
6- and 8-Fiber: 2700 Newtons/600 lb.;
12-Fiber: 3500 Newtons/788 lb.;
24-Fiber: 5520 Newtons/1240 lb.;
36-Fiber: 7390 Newtons/1660 lb.
Standards—
PVC: UL
®
1666, CSA FT4;
Plenum: UL 910, CSA FT6;
All: IEEE 802.3 for 1000BASE-SX/LX, 100BASE-F, 10BASE-F,
ATM 155, ATM 622, ATM 1.2/2.4 Gbps, Fibre Channel FC-PH,
IEEE 802.5, FDDI, ICEA 83-596, EIA/TIA-568-B
Tension (Operating)—
2-Fiber: 500 Newtons/113 lb.;
4-, 6-, and 8-Fiber: 1110 Newtons/250 lb.;
12-Fiber: 1200 Newtons/270 lb.;
24- and 36-Fiber: 2000 Newtons/450 lb.
Vertical Rise—
PVC:
2-Fiber: 2739 ft. (834.8 m);
4-Fiber: 5000 ft. (1524 m);
6-Fiber: 3509 ft. (1069.5 m);
12-Fiber: 1674 ft. (510.2 m);
24-Fiber: 2169 ft. (661.1 m);
36-Fiber: 1682 ft. (512.7 m);
Plenum: 4-Fiber: 6667 ft. (2032.1 m);
6-Fiber: 4545 ft. (1385.3 m);
8-Fiber: 3077 ft. (937.9 m);
12-Fiber: 1728 ft. (526.7 m);
24-Fiber: 2483 ft. (759.9 m);
36-Fiber: 1957 ft. (596.5 m)
Temperature—
Operating: -4 to +176°F (-20 to +80°C);
Storage: -40 to +176°F (-40 to +80°C);
Installation: 32 to 122°F (0 to 50°C)
connections, and should be considered especially for any new
construction and installations. And both can use either LED
or laser light sources.
The big difference between 50-micron and 62.5-micron
cable is that 50-micron cable provides longer link lengths
and/or higher speeds. 50-micron cable features three times
the bandwidth of standard 62.5-micron cable, particularly at
850 nm. The 850-nm wavelength is becoming more important
as lasers are being used more frequently as a light source.
At 850 nm, 50-micron cable is rated at 500 MHz/km versus
160 MHz/km for 62.5-micron cable.