LC to ST Duplex Fiber Optic Patch Cable - 10G Multimode OM3 50/125μm

Plenty of 50 µm fiber backbones from the 2000s were terminated on ST, and the panels and enclosures are still there, doing fine. The switches that connect to them now take LC SFP+ modules. This cord joins the two, with a pair of LC connectors on one end for the SFP+ or LC panel and a pair of ST bayonet connectors on the other for the ST panel or port, on laser-optimized OM3 fiber that carries 10GBASE-SR to 300 m. That means an existing 50 µm ST backbone can move from Gigabit to 10 Gigabit by swapping the electronics and the patch cords, without touching the fiber in the ceiling.

It's a duplex zipcord, two 50/125 µm fibers in a 1.8 × 3.7 mm jacket. Each cord is tested and the end-faces are checked by interferometer before it ships.

Features

• LC to ST. Snap-in LC on one end, twist-lock ST bayonet on the other, both with PC-polished ferrules.
• OM3 laser-optimized multimode, 50/125 µm. 10GBASE-SR to 300 m and 1000BASE-SX to 550 m.
• Duplex zipcord. Two fibers in one jacket for a matched transmit and receive pair.
• Low insertion loss. 0.20 dB typical and 0.30 dB maximum per connector.
• Ceramic ferrules, 1.25 mm on the LC end and 2.5 mm on the ST end, checked by 3D interferometry for end-face geometry.
• Bayonet ST coupling. Push, quarter-turn, and it's locked; it won't pull out of a panel by accident.
• Aqua PVC jacket, 1.8 × 3.7 mm. Standard duplex zipcord in the OM3 color; fits any LC or ST panel and cable manager.
• UL Listed for the US and Canada, and RoHS compliant.
• Fourteen lengths from 1 to 30 m.

Where It Fits

It suits connecting a new switch or SFP+ to an existing ST patch panel on a 50 µm backbone, upgrading an ST-terminated building backbone from Gigabit to 10 Gigabit without re-terminating, linking a media converter or older switch with ST ports to LC equipment, campus links between buildings whose OM3 fiber was terminated on ST at one end, and any multimode link between an LC port and an ST port on a 50 µm plant.

Good to Know

Match the fiber, not just the connectors. OM3 and OM4 are both 50 µm and mix freely at the distances a patch cord covers; OM1 is 62.5 µm and doesn't, so on an orange 62.5 µm plant use the LC to ST OM1 cord instead. Before planning a 10 Gigabit upgrade over an old ST backbone, check that the installed fiber is really OM3 or better: 50 µm fiber from before about 2003 is often OM2, which carries 10GBASE-SR only to 82 m. The two ST connectors aren't keyed to each other the way the LC clip is, so polarity is set by which ST plug goes into which port: if the link doesn't come up, swap the two ST ends and try again before troubleshooting anything else. To seat an ST, line up the key on the plug with the slot on the port, push in against the spring, and turn clockwise until it stops. Use multimode SR transceivers; a single-mode LR module won't light a multimode link reliably. Keep dust caps on until the moment you plug in, and clean both the connector and the port with a one-click cleaner before mating, 1.25 mm for the LC end and 2.5 mm for the ST end. If both ends of your link are LC, look at the LC to LC OM3 cord.

Specifications