Application Note 4 Reliable Operation of LSProbe 1.2 Field Probes
LSProbe 1.2 field probe systems can launch up to 1 Watts of optical power into a 62.5 µm
optical fiber core. The resulting power density is more than a thousand times greater than
that of a typical hot plate.
3 Sacrificial Cable Kits for LSProbe 1.2 Field Probe Systems
The LSProbe 1.2 Field Probe System consists of a Field Probe and a Computer Interface,
connected by duplex fiber optic cables. Any Field Probe can be operated by any Computer
Interface, both are identified by separate serial numbers.
Sacrificial cable kits serve as connector savers for all FC/ST connectors. Sacrificial cable kits
are easily recognizable by their blue fiber jackets. As suggested by their name, sacrificial
cable kits are meant to be sacrificed, i.e., thrown away, in the event of an fiber connector
burn-in.
In a typically busy lab environment fiber cleaning as outlined in Section 4 can be difficult
to enforce – human error can never be ruled out completely. Sacrificial cable kits introduce
an easy-to-use pair of E2000 connectors. E2000 connectors are significantly less prone to
contamination and thus to burn-in defects because of their integrated automatic shutters.
Consequently, E2000 connectors may be plugged without cleaning, consciously accepting
that contamination will accumulate with each plugging cycle and lead to a burn-in defect
eventually.
Once a burn-in defect has occurred, the complete sacrificial cable kit must be replaced, in-
cluding the E2000 coupler. Failing to replace one half of the sacrificial cable kit will inevitably
lead to the replacement cable’s burn-in.
Every LSProbe 1.2 System comes with a fiber extension cable and three sacrificial cable
kits: one connecting the Computer Interface and fiber extension cable, one connecting
fiber extension cable and Field Probe and one spare sacrificial cable kit.
ST-Coupler
FC-Coupler
E2000-Coupler
ST
ST
Sacrificial Cable Kit
Sacrificial Cable
Sacrificial Cable
FC
FC
ST
ST
FC
FC
ST
ST
E2000
E2000
ST-Coupler
FC-Coupler
E2000
E2000
Figure 4: Sacrificial cable kit, consisting of two sacrificial cables, one E2000 coupler, one FC cou-
pler and one ST coupler
The components of a connected sacrificial cable kit are shown in Fig. 4. A sacrificial cable kit
consists of a pair of short fiber cables with FC/ST connectors at one end and E2000 con-
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