Black Box BLACK BOX MULTIPOWER INDUSTRAL MEDIA CONVERTERS User Manual

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Chapter 6: Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines 
 
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6.  Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines 
 
Fiber Optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to 
contamination by particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path 
and cause performance degradation.  Good system performance requires 
clean optics and connector ferrules. 
1. Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own fiber) only 
from a reputable supplier; low-quality components can cause many hard-to-
diagnose problems in an installation. 
2. Dust caps are installed at Black Box to ensure factory-clean optical devices.  
These protective caps should not be removed until the moment of connecting 
the fiber cable to the device.  If you need to disconnect the fiber device, 
reinstall the protective dust caps. 
3. Store spare caps in a dust-free environment such as a sealed plastic bag or 
box so that when reinstalled they do not introduce any contamination to the 
optics. 
4. If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate between 
blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with methanol to remove 
particles of dirt.