Subject: Fiber Splitters
From: Michael Feinholz
Date: 09-Sep-2016 03:24
To: supportrd@fibersensefirst.com

Hello Fibersense Tech Support,

I am the proud recipient of 28x Fiber Splitters that you made for Resonon in Bozeman MT, and I have a couple question r.e. the allowable storage and operating temperature ranges for these splitters.

Specifically, I have: Product: Custom fabricated 1 x 2 Uni-fused Multimode Fiber Splitters, with Solarization Resistant Fibers, Custom Part No. FOSC-UF-600SR-MM-0102, Serial No. POSR16050202 ... 35

Which were purchased for our Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) project by way of our instrument developers at Resonon.

I am hoping to collect some experimental data to characterize the temperature response of these splitters, and am wondering, for example, if they are hermetically sealed, before I expose them to
potentially-condensing low-temperatures...

Sincerely, Michael Feinholz

Hello Michael,

We are in receipt of your email regarding the 1 x 2 600um core multimode splitters from solarization resistant fiber (Part No. FOSC-UF-600SR-MM-0102) that we custom fabricated for Resonon as per their PO No. 636, and that we shipped out to them in July of this year.

As you will see, we did supply these custom splitters in a rugged anodized packaging and we custom reinforced the fiber leads in a metal coil sheathing with a PVC cover. However, there was no requirement or specification that the units were to be hermetically sealed, and no requirement or specification re. temperature tolerance range.

As such the units were supplied for storage and operation in an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C to 70 degrees C. This is fairly standard, even generous, for fiber optic devices terminated with connectors (which are metal). Please bear in mind that the operational temperature resistance of sophisticated large-core fused devices with metal connectors is very different from that of straight runs of raw, unprocessed and unterminated fiber. Also the leads of these devices have metal coil reinforcement with a PVC covering that will exhibit different rates of expansion/contraction over an extended temperature range.

That being said, we can fabricate fiber optic devices for an extreme temperature range from -50 degrees C to +85 degrees C, together with Mil-spec. resistance of other environmental factors. (We fabricated and supplied Line Replaceable Units of Optical Distribution Devices for the fly-by-fiber Comanche helicopter for Boeing Helicopters and the U.S. Army.) We brought these capabilities to Resonon’s attention. However, Resonon had tested an initial evaluation unit that we had shipped to them back in May, 2015 and on June 5, 2015 we were subsequently informed that in addition to testing and confirming the stability of the splitting ratio etc. over the required wavelength range, Resonon had successfully conducted their own temperature cycling and vibration tests on the unit.

On June 15, 2015 Casey Smith of Resonon informed us that the unit had been sent to their client who wished to conduct their own tests on the unit, and On August 19, 2015 he wrote again to inform us that “the fiber splitter has passed all of the tests at NIST/NOAA” and that Resonon was now designing their system around our component and that an order for the full complement of 28 units would be forthcoming.

It was always our understanding that these splitters were to be components mounted into an overall ground-based system, and there had been much discussion with Resonon re. our minimizing the size of the splitter casings, and the provision and placing of mounting holes etc., all of which we did. After the testing of the evaluation unit there was also discussion about the new requirement of the use of solarization resistant fiber for the subsequent units, and we agreed to do this. Temperature range has never been specified or raised as an issue, since testing on the evaluation unit had proved and validated the device as satisfactory for the application.

We hope this information helps. As we have said, Resonon and NIST/NOAA do have their own test data on the evaluation device. Please let us know if we can be of further help.

Best Regards, Dana D. Shaw

Technical Sales Fibersense & Signals Inc.

Email: sales@fibersensefirst.com

Link to the listing of Carols emails and figures