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

Some lengths are marked down to clear stock. Marked-down lengths are final sale and won't be restocked: orders can't be cancelled once placed, and the cord isn't eligible for return, exchange, or refund. Please check the length and the specifications below before you order, and get in touch first if you have any questions.

Buildings with a 50 µm fiber backbone often have both of the older connectors in service: ST on the enclosures and media converters from the first install, SC on the patch panels and equipment that came a few years later. This cord joins them, with a pair of SC push-pull connectors on one end and a pair of ST bayonet connectors on the other, on laser-optimized OM3 fiber that carries 10GBASE-SR to 300 m. An SC panel can reach an ST port or panel directly, without a hybrid adapter or re-terminating either end, and the link can run at 10 Gigabit if the fiber behind it is OM3.

It's a duplex zipcord, two 50/125 µm fibers in a 3.0 mm jacket that's a little tougher than the usual 2.0 mm patch cord. Each cord is tested for insertion and return loss and the end-faces are checked by interferometer before it ships.

Features

• SC to ST. Push-pull SC 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.
• 2.5 mm ceramic ferrules on both ends, 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, 3.0 × 6.1 mm. Heavier 3.0 mm zipcord in the OM3 color, for equipment rooms and industrial spaces.
• UL Listed for the US and Canada, and RoHS compliant.
• Seven lengths from 1 to 15 m.

Where It Fits

It suits connecting an SC patch panel or media converter to an existing ST enclosure on a 50 µm backbone, linking older switches and converters with ST ports to SC equipment, 10 Gigabit uplinks between floors or buildings on OM3 fiber terminated on ST at one end and SC at the other, and any multimode link between an SC 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 SC 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 SC 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; a half-seated ST is the most common cause of a "bad" fiber link. Both ferrules are 2.5 mm, so one 2.5 mm one-click cleaner covers both ends; keep dust caps on until the moment you plug in and clean both the connector and the port before mating. If the equipment side is LC rather than SC, look at the LC to ST OM3 cord, and if both ends are ST, the ST to ST OM3 cord.

Specifications

Usually ships in 3 - 4 business days.