Fiber Optic Test Equipment

A fiberscope is a flexible bundle of fiber optic cable with an eyepiece attached to one end. A fiberscope is used to examine small components in tight quarters. The scope is often used when the part that needs repair can not otherwise be accessed.

The lens on a fiberscope is most often wide angle. Some higher end scopes use and extra fiber optic cable to deliver additional viewing light to the source. All scope will distort the image somewhat. Some specialized fiberscopes can be up to 250 feet long.

Fiberscopes are often used in medicine, computer repair, safe or lock cracking, for forensic work on for surveillance (you have probably seen countless fiberscopes in the movies).

Some fiberscopes we recommend include:

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An OTDR or Optical Time Domain Reflectometer is an instrument used to test optical fiber. The OTDR measures the time and intensity of light that is reflected in an optical fiber. It is most often used as a troubleshooting instrument to locate faults in the fiber and identify light loss. Light loss can result in data loss when dealing with optical fiber.

An OTDR uses the scattering of light in a fiber to take it’s measurements. It emits a high power pulse that travels through the fiber and bounces back. The returning pulses are measured against distance and time to locate trouble areas in the fiber.

Many newer OTDRs are equipped with PC linking technology that allows you to download results to your computer for analysis and record keeping. This functionality is also nice because you can send a report off to a co-worker or colleague.

Some OTDRs we recommend include:

Optifiber Certified OTDR

DTX 1800 Copper Fiber OTDR Kit

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