Optical Fiber Identifier (OFI-50)

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Cutting the wrong fiber in a closure takes a customer down, and the Jonard Tools OFI-50 is the tool that stops it: an optical fiber identifier that clamps onto a fiber and tells you whether it's live and which way the signal is going, without disconnecting anything. The included adapters fit 250 µm bare fiber, 900 µm buffered fiber, and 2 mm and 3 mm jacketed cable, and the included sunshade keeps outside light from throwing off the reading in a vault or on a pole. Left and right LEDs show signal direction, the display shows relative core power, and a 270 Hz, 1 kHz, or 2 kHz test tone put on at the far end is picked out with an audible alert, so one fiber in a tray of forty identifies itself. It runs on one button and a 9 V battery. For an identifier with a built-in power meter and visual fault locator, there's the OFI-100.

Features

• Finds live fiber and shows signal direction. Identifies traffic from 800 to 1700 nm, with left and right LEDs for direction, so you can confirm a fiber before you cut, splice, or reroute it.
• Picks out test tones. Detects 270 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz tones with an audible alert, for identifying one fiber in a bundle with a toned source at the far end.
• Relative core power. Reads −46 to +10 dBm at 1310 nm and −50 to +10 dBm at 1550 nm through the clamp, on the display.
• Adapters for four fiber sizes. 250 µm bare fiber, 900 µm buffered fiber, and 2 mm and 3 mm jacketed cable, all included.
• Sunshade included. Blocks outside light from the detectors for a more accurate reading outdoors.
• One button, one 9 V battery. Nothing to set up; clamp, read, release.

Where It Fits

It suits splicing crews working in closures and trays where every fiber looks alike and some of them are carrying traffic, maintenance technicians rerouting or cutting over a live network who need to prove a fiber is dark before touching it, FTTH and PON work where a drop has to be identified at a splitter or a terminal, central office and data center staff tracing a fiber through a crowded panel without unplugging it, and anyone who wants the identifier on its own, without the power meter and VFL of the OFI-100, at a lower price.

Good to Know

An identifier works by putting a gentle bend in the fiber and reading the light that leaks out, which is why it reads through the coating without a connector and why it costs the link some loss while it's clamped on: 0.8 dB at 1310 nm and 2.5 dB at 1550 nm on this unit. That's harmless on a healthy link but worth knowing on one that's already near the edge of its budget, and it's the reason to clamp, read, and release rather than leave it on, and to think twice before clamping a 1550 nm link that's marginal. Fit the adapter for the fiber size in hand and seat the fiber square in it; a 900 µm fiber in the 3 mm adapter reads nothing. Fit the sunshade outdoors or under bright light, since stray light on the detectors reads as signal. The direction LEDs tell you which way light is flowing, which with a toned source at a known end tells you which fiber is which. The relative power reading is for comparing fibers and spotting a weak one, not for certifying a link; an absolute reading needs a power meter at a connector, which is what the OFI-100 adds. A fiber that reads dark may still carry something the clamp can't see, such as very low power or a wavelength at the edge of the range, so treat "no signal" as strong evidence rather than proof before you cut. The identifier never needs you to look into a fiber, which is one of its virtues; don't. Keep the clamp's optics clean, since dust where the fiber sits scatters the reading, and replace the 9 V battery when the display dims.

Specifications

Documentation