SC to FC Optical Fiber Cable

Make Your Connections With the Right SC to FC Optical Fiber Cable

Fiber optic cables are used in telecommunications because of their high transmission bandwidth, low power loss over distance, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. To extend optical cable runs and link optical cable networks together, different types of fiber connectors are available, along with installation and testing tools specially designed for work with fiber optic cables.

When you want to attach runs of fiber optics cables together, you need connectors. These devices are also known as adapters and may also be referred to as fiber connectors, optic connectors, fiber adapters, or optic adapters.

Connectors (adapters) are used to keep the cable ends aligned and pressed together. There are numerous optic connectors/adapters available on the market, many of them for specialized applications. The main types of optic connectors/adapters offered in this product category include:

• FC (Ferrule Connector or Fiber Channel): Specifically designed for telecommunications, FC fiber connectors have a threaded coupling and are used in high-vibration environments.
• SC (Subscriber, Square, or Standard Connector): For quick patching of cable connections, SC optic connectors use a push-pull design. SC is becoming the industry standard.

When you join cable ends together, you want the power loss to be within acceptable limits for your application. Whether you use FC or SC connectors, the grade of polish for the connector affects the magnitudes of insertion loss and back reflection. A lower grade of polish may be acceptable for lower rates of data transmission on a short run of cable, while higher grades of polish may be necessary for high data transmission rates or longer runs with lots of connections. You'll see product listings identify the grade of polish, such as:

• PC (Physical Contact)
• SPC (Super PC)
• UPC (Ultra PC)
• Angled (APC): Angled polish connectors provide the lowest amount of back reflection and are designated as FC/APC or SC/APC

You need fiber optics cable that is specifically designed for the transmission mode of your network in order to successfully patch the network. Your SC and FC connectors must be designed for the same mode as the cable. These fiber optic cable modes include:

• Simplex: Consisting of a single strand of fiber, simplex fiber optic cable is used when you're transmitting data in only one direction or when you're using multiplexing to send and receive data over a single line.
• Duplex: Consisting of two strands of fiber, duplex fiber optic cable is used when you have a network that has separate lines for sending and receiving data.
• Multimode: Consisting of a larger core that allows light to be transmitted through it in multiple modes, multimode fiber optic cable is used over short distances for high transmission rates.