Fiber optic connector is a flexible device that can connect and disconnect fiber optic cable quickly. A large variety of fiber connector types are available, including LC fiber connector, SC fiber connector, FC fiber connector, ST fiber connector and so on. Among them, LC fiber optic connector is one of the most common types of fiber optic connectors. This article will give a clear explanation to LC fiber connector and how to use it.
What Is an LC Fiber Connector?
The LC connector is a small form factor (SFF) connector, which is designed to join LC fibers where a connection or disconnection is required. The LC connector was first developed by Lucent Technology for TelCo environment uses. Hence, LC stands for Lucent Connector mostly. In addition, LC can also stand for Little Connector and Local Connector. These LC connectors utilize traditional components of the standard connector but with a 1.25mm ceramic ferrule.
Figure 1: LC fiber connector
LC Fiber Connector Types
LC connectors have single mode and multimode tolerances. The polishing types of the LC connector are available in UPC and APC. LC APC fiber connector has an eight-degree angle to minimize back reflection and can be recognized by its green colored housing and strain relief boot. While LC UPC fiber connector can be easily recognized by blue color. Generally, two versions of LC connectors are available: jumper connector and BTW connector.
Figure 2: LC APC and UPC fiber connector
The jumper connector can be used to terminate simplex and duplex 1.6 to 2.0 mm cordage. It is convenient to engage and disengage because of a trigger and the standard latch. What’s more, jumper connector is intended for use in LAN, central offices, and in patch cords for premise distribution systems.
The BTW (behind-the-wall) connector is a shorter version of the LC intended for mounting on 0.9 mm fiber. It is typically utilized on the back side of equipment. Besides, BTW connector usually uses finger catch and extended latch, which makes the BTW connector engage and disengage easily.
What Are the Advantages of LC Fiber Connector?
Nowadays, LC fiber optic connectors are very popular in the market. The following are several advantages of LC connector:
- With LC connector, the cost of the system can be reduced. LC connector is half the size of the traditional SC connector. Therefore it can doubles fiber density in shelves and outlets.
- The polarized feature of LC connector helps maintain the transmitting or receiving direction and assures high repeatability.
- LC connector has an anti-snag latch, which can improve durability and reduce the rearrangement work caused by the cross connection.
- It is time-saving for installation, because there is no need to install the field mountable connectors.
LC Fiber Connector Family Brief Introduction
The LC connector family consists of adapters, attenuator, Jumpers, an assortment of connector modules and panels, etc. They are generally applied in telecommunications networks, LANs, data processing networks, device terminations, premises distributions, etc. There are several major LC-related devices:
LC adapter is designed to work together with the complete LC fiber optic family to offer an optimal, high-density solution for the network. It features a self-adjusting mechanism, which accommodates patch panels of thickness between 1.55 to 1.75 mm. And it is available in single mode, multimode, simplex and duplex options. LC simplex adapter connects one LC connector pair in one module space. While LC duplex adapter connects two LC connector pairs in one module space.
Figure 2: LC fiber adapters
LC fiber cable with two LC connectors terminated on either ends, is the most commonly used fiber optic cable type. The LC connector used on the LC fiber cable has a trigger mechanism, which allows the connector to be easily engaged and disengaged.
LC attenuator uses LC connector, which is a commonly used LC-related device as well. It is used in fiber optic communications to reduce the optical fiber power by a certain level. Usually, it has a male plug connector on one side, and has a female fiber optic adapter on the other side. In addition, its typical attenuation values are between 1 and 30 dB.
Conclusion
LC fiber connector provides the connection between two LC fiber cables, or a fiber optic cable and another optical component. Besides the above mentioned LC fiber connectors, adapters, attenuator, jumpers, FS.COM provides technical support for you as well. Kindly contact FS.COM for more details if you are interested.
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