ST-VFF5 – VISUAL FAULT FINDER

FIBER OPTIC CABLE VISUAL FAULT FINDER * Visually identifies and locates faults in fiber optic cabling * 2.5mm universal adaptor for all ST, SC, and FC connectors *Useful over a distance of 5km (3 miles) *Up to 80 hours of operation * Ruggedized aluminum body
Part Number: ST-VFF5
Tags:
EAN/UPC: 810093721214
Weights (lb/kg): 1.10 lb / 0.499 kg
Dimensions (in/mm): 8.7 x 1.3 x 1.3 in / 221 x 33 x 33 mm

Specifications

Product Details

Overview

The Visual Fault Finder is a visible laser light source used to check continuity, locate breaks, poor mechanical splices and damaged connectors in fiber optic cabling.

Used to verify continuity, test and find breaks in fiber links, locate pinched fiber strands in termination cabinets, or anywhere fiber optic cables are terminated and subject to mechanical damage.

The VFF5 is also an excellent aide to technicians terminating mechanical splices or pre-polished connectors where leaking light is an indicator of a poor fiber cleave or other misalignment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The universal 2.5mm adapter directly accepts any 2.5mm PC connector. Examples are ST, SC, and FC connectors. To test small form factor (SFF) connectors such as LCs or MTRJs, a hybrid patch cord can be used that converts a 2.5mm connector to the desired connector. Additionally, aftermarket adapters are available that will convert a 2.5mm connector to a 1.25mm (LC) connector without the use of a cable. Contact technical support if you have questions about where to obtain adapters or hybrid cables. b. Angled Physical Contact (APC) connectors should not be connected directly to the VFF5. Instead use a PC to APC conversion cable.
There is no industry standard for the specification of light visibility of this class of device. Factors that affect viewable distance are battery life, type of fiber (MM or SM), fiber attenuation coefficient, fiber buffer and jacket color, number of connectors in the link, and ambient lighting. The VFF5 is conservatively specified to have a viewable distance of 3km/2.3mi into multimode fiber and 4km/2.5mi into single mode fiber. Under optimal conditions the viewable distance may increase to 5-6km (3.1-3.8mi).
Visual fault finders in general have limitations to the type of cables the light is visible through. Typically 3mm (standard simplex patch cords) and smaller cable will allow the light to penetrate through the jacket when the fiber is bent, pinched or broken. However, the brightness is directly related to the color of both the fiber buffer and cable jacket. Dark colored buffers may absorb most of the leaking light and be difficult to see. b. Outside Plant Cable (OSP) is constructed with a heavy, black jacket that no type of visual fault finder will be able to penetrate if the break is mid-span (this is a perfect application for the micro-OTDR). However, these cables are usually damaged at the termination point where a fan-out kit is used. A break at this point would be easily visible.
The unit uses a Class II laser which is relatively low power and considered to be “eye safe” by the FDA. This means that if the output from the VFF5 is accidentally shined into the eye, a person’s natural reflex will be to look away and this reflex occurs long before any damage is done. However this relates to the beam in “free space.” One safety concern for fiber optic technicians is that they might accidentally look into a fiber with an inspection microscope when a visible laser is being shined into the opposite end, magnifying the beam intensity. For this reason, most fiber inspection scopes have infrared filters that protect the eye in these cases. However, care should always be taken not to look directly into the beam and to ensure that a fiber link is “dark” before looking into it with a microscope.

Awards