Comprehensive Expertise
The people behind Baycom Optics Ltd have been working with optical fibre routes for over Ten years, providing services such as splicing, testing and cabling, including:
Fusion Splicing
Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as strong as the virgin fiber itself. The source of heat is usually an electric arc, but can also be a laser, or a gas flame, or a tungsten filament through which current is passed.
The process of fusion splicing involves using localized heat to melt or fuse the ends of two optical fibers together. The splicing process begins by preparing each fiber end for fusion.
Fusion splicing requires that all protective coatings be removed from the ends of each fiber. The fiber is then cleaved using the score-and-break method so that its endface is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the axis of the fiber. The quality of each fiber end is inspected using a microscope.
Insertion Loss Measurement Testing (ILM)
Insertion Loss Measurement: this is a measurement of the loss, or attenuation, of a fibre optic component or system. This is normally measured with a light source and an optical power meter, or alternatively a loss test set that incorporates both a light source and power meter. The principle is to find the difference between the input and output power levels to yield the loss between these two measurement points.
This sounds straightforward, and yet whilst ILM testing can be easy, there are also many mistakes that can be made and result in variable measurements and plain incorrect measurements. Some of the errors that can occur in ILM measurement methods are obvious, whilst other are more obscure and not widely known by testers who have not been trained by fibre optics testing experts.
Baycom Optics Verify your fibre optic link, covering the O, C and L Bands using Tri Band Power Meter and Light Sources, Bi-directional insertion loss measurements are taken.
Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Testing
Otdr Testing is carried out with Tri Band test equipment and based on your own requirements can be either Uni or Bi-directional. The Tri Band testing covers the O, C and L Bands.
The Optical Time Domain Reflectometer is a powerful fibre optic test instrument in that it acts like an optical radar in locating sources of error with the fibre system. The OTDR yields a plot, or trace, indicating the loss versus distance. This information allows events in the optical fibre system such as fibre splices and connections to be located and their loss measured.
The OTDR is a complex instrument and so detailed interpretation of an OTDR trace is a job for an experienced or expert fibre tester. The OTDR is not the reference test method for fibre attenuation, this being an ILM technique, and indeed the OTDR has some short-comings as an accurate loss measurement instrument.
Where the OTDR does dominate is in the spatial information it provides on any fibres with high attenuation, or any poor quality splicing. The other advantage of the OTDR technique is that the stored trace shows exactly how the measurement was conducted, something the ILM technique does not provide, and this allows an expert OTDR trace analyser to know something of the quality of the measurement results provided.
Cabling
Baycom Optics Ltd design, supply and install fibre optic cabling installations for all customer requirements from small business installs to 100km trunk routes for major networks.
Our experienced staff are fully qualified and equipped to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Services we offer:
- Cabling (Fibre/Copper /Coax)
- Cat 5
- Cat 6
- Cable recovery Heavy/Light
- Blownfibre
- Sub Duct Installation
- Exchange reclamation
- MDU installations
- Sensing Fibre (Direct Bury)
- Emergency Callout
Polarisation Mode Dispersion (P.M.D.)
PMD testing: the field measurement of PMD is an important measurement for single-mode telecommunications systems since the PMD can change with cabling and installation. This is a strange parameter in that it's behaviour is not regular, or deterministic, and hence the analysis of PMD is statistical.
This advanced instrument yields a plot, or interferogram and from this data calculates the fibre PMD. Many people have said that the PMD measurement plot is meaningless or useless, and yet both statements are often false. Expert testers know the value of recognising various features on a PMD plot when they occur, and can advise their clients accordingly.
Optical Return Loss
ORL testing measures the backreflection of connectors and components in high-speed digital and analog system applications. Optical Return Loss Measurements can be provided as per you requirements.
Chromatic Dispersion (Cd)
Chromatic dispersion can lead to loss of data due to broadening of the light pulse on the receiving end of the transmission. Cd testing is completed throughout the C and L Bands.
Live Change-Overs
Baycom Optics Ltd can provide a whole team of engineers ensuring that important live changeovers go ahead with minimal disruption to the network.
Terminating and Jointing
Fibre cables are installed in the duct, they will need to either be spliced together to make one concatenated link, or terminated to allow equipment or patch cables to be plugged into the ends.
Fibre splicing is normally achieved by stripping a section of coating of the end of the fibre, cleaving the fibre to produce a flat end face, and putting the fibre into a fusion splicing machine.
The same procedure is repeated for the other fibre end, and the fusion splicing process then heats both fibre ends and pushes them together. The welded, or spliced, fibre join is then protected with a heatshrink splice protection sleeve.
Here at Baycom Optics Ltd we use the latest fusion splicers on the market which means our investment in the best tools and equipment ensures all our work is carried out with the highest efficiency and accuracy.
Dark Fibre Specialists
Baycom Optics Ltd can provide the customer with a bespoke network that is future proof and to any specification.
Surveying Existing Networks
Our experienced staff have many years experience working on various networks new or old and will be able to survey and log detailed reports regarding capacity.
Private Fibre Networks
Baycom Optics Ltd can design a bespoke network alongside the customer and will offer expert advise and utilise extensive stores to cut costs down to a minimum.
Sensing Fibre
Baycom Optics has been working side by side with the M.O.D developing heat and vibration sensing fibre and is at the forefront of cutting edge technology.