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Appendix
Appendix. Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines and Electrostatic
Discharge Precautions
A.1 Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines
Fiber optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to contamination by
particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path and cause performance
degradation. Good system performance requires clean optics and connector
ferrules.
1. Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own fiber) only from a
reputable supplier; low-quality components can cause many hard-to-diagnose
problems in an installation.
2. Dust caps are installed at Black Box to ensure factory-clean optical devices. These
protective caps should not be removed until the moment of connecting the fiber
cable to the device. If you disconnect the fiber device, reinstall the protective dust
caps.
3. Store spare caps in a dust-free environment, such as a sealed plastic bag or box,
so that when reinstalled they do not introduce any contamination to the optics.
4. If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate between
blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with methanol to remove
particles of dirt.
A.2 Electrostatic Discharge Precautions
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can cause damage to any product, add-in modules, or
standalone units containing electronic components. Always observe the following
precautions when installing or handling these kinds of products:
1. Do not remove unit from its protective packaging until ready to install.
2. Wear an ESD wrist grounding strap before handling any module or component. If
the wrist strap is not available, maintain grounded contact with the system unit
throughout any procedure requiring ESD protection.
3. Hold the units by the edges; do not touch the electronic components or gold
connectors.
4. After removal, always place the boards on a grounded, static-free surface, ESD
pad, or in a proper ESD bag. Do not slide the modules or standalone units over
any surface.
WARNING: Integrated circuits and fiber optic components are extremely
susceptible to electrostatic discharge damage. Do not handle these
components directly unless you are a qualified service technician, and use
tools and techniques that conform to accepted industry practices.
