Chapter 1: OPTICAL TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETER (OTDR)

1.1 General Safety & Guideline

When most people think of safety in fiber optic installations, the first thing that
comes to mind is eye damage from laser light in the fiber. They have an image of a
laser burning holes in metal or perhaps burning off warts. While these images may
be real for their applications, they have little relevance to most types of fiber optic
communications. Eye safety is an issue, but usually not from light in the fiber.
However, fiber optics installation is not without risks.
Eye Safety
Optical sources used in fiber optics, especially LEDs used in premises networks, are
of much lower power levels than used for laser surgery or cutting materials. Even
the output of OTDRs, WDM and fiber amplifier systems, which are much higher than
LED systems, are still well below that used in laser surgery or machining.
The light that exits an optical fiber is also spreading out in a cone, so the farther
away from the end of the fiber your eye is, the lower the amount of power your eye
receives. If you are using a microscope, which can efficiently focus all the light into
your eye, it should have infrared filters to reduce the danger of invisible infrared
light.
The infrared light in fiber optic links is at a wavelength that cannot penetrate your
eye easily because it's absorbed by the water in your eyeball. Light in the 13001550 nm range is unlikely to damage your retina, but might harm the cornea or
lens.
A typical laser pointer, which has a beam
that is collimated (not expanding), and is at
visible wavelength (650 nm) where the eye
is transparent, is probably more danger to
the retina than a fiber optic link.
That being said, it's not a good idea to look
into a fiber unless you know no source is
being transmitted down it. Since the light is
infrared, you can't see it, which means you cannot tell if there is light present by
looking at it. You should always check the fiber with a power meter before
examining it.
The real issue of eye safety is getting fiber scraps into the eye. As part of the
termination and splicing process, you will be continually exposed to small scraps of
bare fiber, cleaved off the ends of the fibers being terminated or spliced. These
scraps are very dangerous. If they get into your eyes, they are very hard to flush out
and will probably lead to a trip to the emergency room at the hospital. Whenever

you are working with fiber, wear safety glasses!

Bare Fiber Safety

The broken ends of fibers and scraps of fiber created during termination and splicing
can be extremely dangerous. The ends are extremely sharp and can easily
penetrate your skin. They invariably break off and are very hard to find and remove.
Sometimes a pair of tweezers and perhaps a magnifying glass will get them out.
Most of the time, you have to wait to let them infect and work themselves out,
which can be painful!
Be careful when handling fibers to not stick the broken ends into your fingers.
Dispose of all scraps properly. Some people keep a piece of double stick tape on the
bench to stick fiber scraps onto. I prefer to use a dedicated container for all fiber
scraps. In our training programs, we use the same paper containers used for
takeout at the deli, in the pint size, with a lid. We put all the scraps in the container,
then when finished, put on the lid, tape it and dispose of it later. Do not drop fiber
scraps on the floor where they will stick in carpets or shoes and be carried
elsewhere-like home!
Obviously do not eat or drink anywhere near the work area. Fiber scraps can get
into food or drink and be swallowed. The scraps can imbed themselves in you
digestive system and never be found.
Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?!
Materials Safety
Fiber optic splicing and termination use
various chemical cleaners and adhesives as
part of the processes. Normal handling
procedures for these substances should be
observed. If you are not certain of how to
deal with them, ask the manufacturer for a
MSDS. Always work in well-ventilated areas. Avoid skin contact as much as possible,
and stop using chemicals that cause allergic reactions. Even simple isopropyl
alcohol, used as a cleaner, is flammable and should be handled carefully.
Fire Safety
Note that fusion splicers use an electric arc to make splices, so care must be taken
to insure no flammable gasses are contained in the space where fusion splicing is
done. Splicing is never done in manholes where gasses can accumulate. The cables
are brought up to the surface into a splicing trailer where all fiber work is done. Of
course the splicing trailer is temperature-controlled and kept spotlessly clean to
insure good splicing.
Smoking should also not be allowed around fiber optic work. The ashes from

smoking contribute to the dirt problems with fibers, in addition to the chance of
explosions due to the presence of combustible substances.

Electrical Safety
You might be wondering what electrical safety has to do with fiber optics. Well fiber
cables are often installed around electrical cables. Electricians are well-trained in
electrical safety, but some fiber optic installers are not. We've heard rumors of fiber
installers being shocked when working around electrical cables, but know that two
fiber installers were killed when working on aerial cables because we heard about it
from OSHA.
These two installers were installing all-dielectric self-supporting aerial cables on
poles. The hangers, however, were metal and over six feet long. Both had attached
the hangers to the poles, then when installing the fiber cables had rotated the
hangers enough to contact high-voltage lines.
So even if the fiber is not conductive, fiber hardware can conduct electricity or the
installer can come in contact with live electrical wires when working in proximity to
AC power.

Fiber Optic Installation Safety Rules:

1. Keep all food and beverages out of the work area. If fiber particles are ingested
they can cause internal hemorrhaging
2. Wear disposable aprons to minimize fiber particles on your clothing. Fiber
particles on your clothing can later get into food, drinks, and/or be ingested by other
means.
3. Always wear safety glasses with side shields and protective gloves. Treat fiber
optic splinters the sarne as you would glass splinters.
4. Never look directly into the end of fiber cables until you are positive that there is
no light source at the other end. Use a fiber optic power meter to make certain the
fiber is dark. When using an optical tracer or continuity checker, look at the fiber
from an angle at least 6 inches away from your eye to determine if the visible light
is present..
5. Only work in well ventilated areas.
6. Contact wearers must not handle their lenses until they have thoroughly washed
their hands.
7. Do not touch your eyes while working with fiber optic systems until they have
been thoroughly washed.
8. Keep all combustible materials safely away from the curing ovens.
9. Put all cut fiber pieces in a safe place.
10. Thoroughly clean your work area when you are done.

11. Do not smoke while working with fiber optic systems.

SAFETY NOTES
Provided by Leonard Wasser, Tool Pouch Training
These are the issues that need considering for working safely!
1.) Most Frequent Industry Recognized Safety Violations
a.) Improper drop bonding with power
b.) Poor workmanship
c.) Incomplete construction
2.) Project Site Safety
a.) Material storage
b.) Parking
c.) Break areas
d.) Bathroom/cleanup facilities
e.) First aid equipment availability
f.) Work areas
g.) Power hazards
h.) Stray voltage possibilities
i.) Ladders
j.) Working in public access areas
3.) Outside Plant Safety
a.) Traffic/defensive driving
b.) Traffic control plan with permits where needed
c.) Power hazards
d.) Clearance issues when working and driving
e.) Off-road access issues
f.) Weather hazards
g.) Unsafe work areas (Including people)
h.) State mandated regulations (General Orders)
i.) Aerial construction issues
j.) Underground construction issues (800-USA DIG)

k.) Aerial lifts

l.) Ladders
m.) Working in public access areas

1.2 Basics Operation Of OTDR

An OTDR combines a laser source and a detector to provide an inside view of

the fiber link. The laser source sends a signal into the fiber where the
detector receives the light reflected from the different elements of the link.
This produces a trace on a graph made in accordance with the signal
received, and a post-analysis event table that contains complete information
on each network component is then generated. The signal sent is a short
pulse that carries a certain amount of energy. A clock then precisely
calculates the time of flight of the pulse, and time is converted into distance
knowing the properties of this fiber. As the pulse travels along the fiber, a
small portion of the pulses energy returns to the detector due to the
reflection of the connections and the fiber itself. When the pulse has entirely
returned to the detector, another pulse is sentuntil the acquisition time is
complete. Therefore, many acquisitions will be performed and averaged in a
second to provide a clear picture of the links components.

After the acquisition has been completed, signal processing is performed to

calculate the distance, loss and reflection of each event, in addition to
calculating the total link length, total link loss, ORL and fiber attenuation. The
main advantage of using an OTDR is the single-ended testrequiring only
one operator and instrument to qualify the link or find a fault in a network.
Figure 1 below illustrates the block diagram of an OTDR.

How OTDRs Work

Unlike sources and power meters which measure the loss of the fiber optic
cable plant directly, the OTDR works indirectly. The source and meter
duplicate the transmitter and receiver of the fiber optic transmission link, so
the measurement correlates well with actual system loss.
The OTDR, however, uses backscattered light of the fiber to imply loss. The
OTDR works like RADAR, sending a high power laser light pulse down the fiber
and looking for return signals from backscattered light in the fiber itself or
reflected light from connector or splice interfaces.
At any point in time, the light the OTDR sees is the light scattered from the
pulse passing through a region of the fiber. Only a small amount of light is
scattered back toward the OTDR, but with wider test pulses, sensitive
receivers and signal averaging, it is possible to make measurements over
relatively long distances. Since it is possible to calibrate the speed of the
pulse as it passes down the fiber, the OTDR can measure time, calculate the
pulse position in the fiber and correlate what it sees in backscattered light
with an actual location in the fiber. Thus it can create a display of the amount
of backscattered light at any point in the fiber.

Since the pulse is attenuated in the fiber as it passes along the fiber and
suffers loss in connectors and splices, the amount of power in the test pulse
decreases as it passes along the fiber in the cable plant under test. Thus the
portion of the light being backscattered will be reduced accordingly,
producing a picture of the actual loss occurring in the fiber. Some calculations
are necessary to convert this information into a display, since the process
occurs twice, once going out from the OTDR and once on the return path from
the scattering at the test pulse.

There is a lot of information in an OTDR display. The slope of the fiber trace
shows the attenuation coefficient of the fiber and is calibrated in dB/km by
the OTDR. In order to measure fiber attenuation, you need a fairly long length
of fiber with no distortions on either end from the OTDR resolution or
overloading due to large reflections. If the fiber looks nonlinear at either end,
especially near a reflective event like a connector, avoid that section when
measuring loss.
Note the large initial pulse on the OTDR trace. That is caused by the highpowered test pulse reflecting off the OTDR connector and overloading the
OTDR receiver. The recovery of the receiver causes the "dead zone" near the
OTDR. To avoid problems caused by the dead zone, always use a launch cable
of sufficient length when testing cables.

Connectors and splices are called "events" in OTDR jargon. Both should show
a loss, but connectors and mechanical splices will also show a reflective peak
so you can distinguish them from fusion splices. Also, the height of that peak
will indicate the amount of reflection at the event, unless it is so large that it
saturates the OTDR receiver. Then peak will have a flat top and tail on the far
end, indicating the receiver was overloaded. The width of the peak shows the
distance resolution of the OTDR, or how close it can detect events.

OTDRs can also detect problems in the cable caused during installation. If a
fiber is broken, it will show up as the end of the fiber much shorter than the
cable or a high loss splice at the wrong place. If excessive stress is placed on
the cable due to kinking or too tight a bend radius, it will look like a splice at
the wrong location.

Making Measurements With The OTDR

All OTDRs display the trace on a screen and provide two or more markers to
place at points on the screen to measure loss and distance. This can be used

for measuring loss of a length of fiber, where the OTDR will calculate the
attenuation coefficient of the fiber, or the loss of a connector or splice.
Using The OTDR Correctly

When using an OTDR, there are a few cautions that will make testing easier
and more understandable. Always use a long launch cable, which allows the
OTDR to settle down after the initial pulse and provides a reference cable for
testing the first connector on the cable. If testing the final connector on the
cable is desired, a receive cable on the far end of the cable plant is required.

The OTDR operator must carefully set up the instrument for each cable.
Again, good documentation will help setting up the test parameters. Always
start with the OTDR set for the shortest pulse width for best resolution and a
range at least 2 times the length of the cable you are testing. Make an initial
trace and see how you need to change the test parameters to get better
results. Some users are tempted to use the OTDRs autotest function. More
problems are caused by novices using autotest than any other issue in using
OTDRs. Never use autotest until a knowledgeable technician has set up the
OTDR properly and verified that autotest gives acceptable results.

1.3 Single Link Point To Point OTDR Characteristic

When a failure occurs on a point-to-point FTTx network, the network completely
shuts down. It is then easy to disconnect the fiber without further affecting the
customer issue.
To troubleshoot and fix FTTx network problems, an optical time domain
reflectometry (OTDR) test can be performed with any test wavelength, such as 1310
or 1550 nm as the transmission signals are shut down.

1.4: Link OTDR Characteristic

Link (Optical)

Part of an optical fiber communications system that link two point. It basically
consists of a data transmitter, a transmission fiber (possibly with built-inamplifiers

Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)

An instrument thant uses backscaterred light to characterize a fiber optic link.

Such an instrument allow estimating fiber linkattenuation, attenuation
coefficient, discrete reflection, splice/connector loss, and point defects, all as
a function of fiber distance

Link Characterization

Link characterization measure the fiber performance and the quality of

interconnection, such as splice or connectors. The suite of test used depends
mostly on the users methods and procedure. There tests could be
unidirectional or bidirectional and comprise some or all of the following
measurements covering the required test parameters.

Network Characterization

Network characterization provides the network baseline measurements

before turning up the transmission system. Measurements are performed
through the optical amplifiers, dispersion compensatator , and the element
in the line. It is a limited suite of tests compared to link characterization.

Test Parameters

Measurement Tools

Connector Inspection
Insertion Loss Measurement
Distance Measurement (Fiber Length)
Connectors/Splice Measurements
Reflectance Measurements
ORL Measurements
PMD Measurements
CD Measurements
AP Measurements

Video inspection Scope

OFI Module
OTDR Module
OTDR Module
OTDR Module
OFI Module
PMD Analyzer
CD Analyzer
Spectral Analyzer

1.5: Link Mapping And Documentation

Conduit Construction
1. Sizing Pathway
Bigger is better, allows installation of more than one.
Cable package per conduit
Install addition runs of pathway(100% more than you need today)
Plan for the future, think of strand count
Install a pull-rope with the fiber
Label conduit if possible
2. Identifying Fiber
Label at each end, strand count, type and destination

Label slack loops, where from? Where to?

Conduit Construction Hints

For cable installed in underground conduit:

No more that 200m between pull points.

Reduce distance by 50 m for every 90 degrees of bend
Do not exceed 270 degrees
Survey the site and don the arithmetic