Multimode & Single-mode Fiber Optic Light Source with FC/LC/SC (PC/UPC) Adapters (FLS-55)

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A loss test needs a light source at one end and a power meter at the other, and a crew that works both multimode and single-mode usually carries two sources. The Jonard Tools FLS-55 is one source for both: 850 nm and 1300 nm outputs for multimode fiber and 1310 nm and 1550 nm for single-mode, in one handheld with a 2.4 in LCD. Output holds within 0.05 dB over 15 minutes, which is what makes a reference and a measurement taken a few minutes apart comparable, and it sits at a typical −7 dBm, adjustable from −5 to −12 dBm. Each wavelength runs continuous wave or modulated at 270 Hz, 330 Hz, 1 kHz, or 2 kHz, and the FPM-50A, FPM-55, and FPM-70 power meters identify the wavelength automatically, so the meter end needs no setting. It comes with two each of SC, ST, and FC UPC adapters plus an FC-LC adapter for the single-mode port, two cleaning swabs, three AA batteries for 25 or more hours of use, and a carrying case. For single-mode only, there's the FLS-50.

Features

• Multimode and single-mode in one unit. Four outputs: 850 nm and 1300 nm for multimode, 1310 nm and 1550 nm for single-mode, so one source covers both kinds of fiber.
• Stable, adjustable output. Holds within 0.05 dB over 15 minutes; typical −7 dBm, adjustable from −5 to −12 dBm, with a spectral width of 5 nm or less.
• CW and four tones. Continuous wave or 270 Hz, 330 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz modulation on every output, for fiber identification and for meters that read tones.
• Automatic wavelength identification. The FPM-50A, FPM-55, and FPM-70 power meters read the wavelength from the source, so the meter is always on the right setting.
• Adapters for the common connectors. Two each of SC, ST, and FC UPC adapters, plus an FC-LC adapter for the single-mode port.
• 25+ hours on three AA batteries. With a 10-minute auto-off and a 2.4 in LCD.

Where It Fits

It suits installers and contractors certifying both multimode backbone and single-mode riser or campus fiber who want one source in the bag, data center and enterprise teams doing insertion loss tests against TIA or ISO limits with an FPM-series meter, FTTH and PON technicians measuring drop and distribution loss at 1310 and 1550 nm, anyone tracing a fiber across a panel by sending a tone and reading it at the far end, and a test kit built around the FPM-70 or FPM-55 meter where this is the matching source.

Good to Know

A loss test is a reference and a measurement: connect the source to the meter through a reference cord, zero the meter, then insert the link under test and read the loss; the source's 0.05 dB stability is what makes those two readings comparable, and letting it warm up for a few minutes before the reference helps. Use the multimode outputs on multimode fiber and the single-mode outputs on single-mode; a single-mode source into multimode fiber gives a loss that doesn't match the standard, and the reverse underfills badly. Test at both wavelengths for the fiber type, since a bend shows up as more loss at the longer wavelength and a mismatch shows up at both. The adapters are UPC; keep them away from APC connectors, since mating the two damages the end face, and the FC-LC adapter is for the single-mode port only. Clean every connector before every mating, including the source ports, because a dirty source port reads as loss on every link you test that day. The tones are for identification: put a tone on at one end and a meter with tone detection or an identifier finds the fiber at the other. Never look into the source's output or into a connected fiber; the light is infrared and invisible, and a source is for the meter, not the eye. Match the meter to the source: the FPM-50A, FPM-55, and FPM-70 read the wavelength automatically, and any other meter needs the wavelength set by hand. If you only ever test single-mode, the FLS-50 does the same job at 1310 and 1550 nm alone.

Specifications

Documentation