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Maintenance
Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
Care of Connector Savers
The connector saver is used to protect the input connector of the OSA from
damage. It functions as a standoff between the front panel input connector
and the input fiber. If the fibers are not thoroughly cleaned, repeated connec-
tions can result in a scratched, chipped, or dirty input connector. Contamina-
tion, or damage to the connector, will cause loss of signal and increased
reflections resulting in poor return loss and measurement error. With glass-to-
glass interfaces, any degradation of a ferrule or fiber endface, any stray parti-
cles, or finger oil on the endface can have a significant effect on connector
performance. Many times an instrument must be serviced to replace a dam-
aged connector when thousands of dollars and lost time could have been
avoided if better care were given to the fiber optic connector.
The connector saver is intended to serve as a replaceable interface. When
cleaned and attached to the front panel, it should remain in place and succes-
sive input fiber changes should be attached to the connector saver. If the con-
nector saver is damaged, you can easily replace it. Connector saver damage
can be detected by examining the connector saver with a fiber scope, a reflec-
tometer, or substituting a new connector saver (and observing a difference in
the measurement).
The connector saver should be cleaned before any connection. While the con-
nector saver is provided to protect the front panel input connector from dirty
fibers, the fiber and connector saver must be cleaned. Any dirt between fiber
connections causes high insertion loss and increased reflections and can also
damage the fibers themselves. The advantage to using the connector saver is
that if it is damaged, it is much less expensive and faster to replace than the
front panel input connector.