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

ST isn't only a legacy connector. It's still specified where a plug that can't shake loose matters: industrial plants, control rooms, test benches, and the wall-mount enclosures and media converters that 50 µm building backbones were terminated on through the 2000s. This cord has a pair of ST bayonet connectors on each end, on laser-optimized OM3 fiber that carries 10GBASE-SR to 300 m, so an ST-terminated 50 µm plant can run at 10 Gigabit without re-terminating anything, and an ST-equipped instrument or converter can be patched to an ST panel with a cord that matches the fiber.

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 and the end-faces are checked by interferometer before it ships.

Features

• ST on both ends. Twist-lock bayonet connectors with PC-polished ferrules, the standard multimode finish.
• 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, checked by 3D interferometry for end-face geometry.
• Bayonet coupling. Push, quarter-turn, and it's locked; it won't pull out or vibrate loose.
• 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 jumpers between ST patch panels and enclosures on a 50 µm backbone, links from an ST panel to media converters, older switches, and instruments with ST ports, 10 Gigabit uplinks over an ST-terminated building backbone, industrial plants and control rooms where a connector that can't shake loose matters, laboratory and test equipment terminated on ST, and any multimode link between two ST ports 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 ST 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 at each end aren't keyed to each other the way a duplex LC or SC clip is, so polarity is set by which plug goes into which port: if the link doesn't come up, swap the two ST ends at one side 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. Keep dust caps on until the moment you plug in, and clean both the connector and the port with a 2.5 mm one-click cleaner before mating. If the far end is LC or SC rather than ST, look at the LC to ST OM3 cord.

Specifications