EXFO has announced the addition of multimode test capabilities to its unique fiber characterisation tool, the iOLM. EXFO’s FTB-720 LAN/WAN Access test module now supports full iOLM functionalities on both single-mode and multi-mode fibres.
EXFO also announced that its solution now fulfills encircled flux compliance. The encircled flux standard (EF), as recommended by the Telecommunications Industry Association and the International Electrotechnical Commission, is a method of controlling light source launch conditions to eliminate variations in test results that tend to occur when using different sources in multimode environments.
EXFO developed a compact and lightweight external launch mode conditioner, the SPSB-EF, which can be paired with an FLS-600 light source or any EXFO multimode OTDR to create a precise, repeatable and cost-effective EF-compliant test solution.
To serve the basic Tier-1 certification market, EXFO is also releasing a new version of the FLS-600 Light Source. This handheld light source offers built-in EF-compliant launch conditions that ensure proper loss measurement according to the latest standards.
Launched in 2011 for single-mode, the iOLM was designed to simplify OTDR testing by removing the need to set parameters as well as analyse and interpret multiple complex OTDR traces. By combining multiple pulse widths on multiple wavelengths with advanced algorithms, the iOLM correlates all OTDR results to locate and identify faults with maximum resolution.