You will need:
Mixed epoxy in the syringe
Alco wipes
Connector
Cable (already stripped)
Crimping tool
We are not kidding - the bead of epoxy on the end of the ferrule makes it hard to mess up a connector!
It takes a bit more time to polish off the bead, but the results are worth it! Using this method, our students get almost 100% yield and losses below 0.3 dB first time.
Contents
Step 1 - Getting Ready
Step 2 - Examine Connector Construction
Step 3 - Stripping the Cable
Step 4 - Preparing the Epoxy
Step 6 - Scribe and Polish
Step 7 - Visual Inspection - Microscope
Step 8 - Test the Connector
Step 9 - The Quiz
Remove the dust cover from the ferrule of a connector and set it aside - we'll put it back on after we're through.
Lightly press on the plunger of the syringe to remove the air bubble. Insert the needle into the connector body as far as it will go. Lightly squeeze on the plunger until a bead of epoxy appears at the tip of the ferrule.
Having the right bead of epoxy on the end of the connector ferrule is the most important issue for getting a good finish on the end of the fiber. The bead of epoxy supports the fiber during the polishing process and makes it just about impossible to make a bad connector! The proper bead will be 1/3 to 1/2 the diameter of the ferrule of the connector.
Back the needle halfway out of the connector. Continue to gently squeeze more epoxy into the body of the connector. Stop when epoxy comes out the back of the connector body.
Remove the syringe from the connector. Lay the connector down for a moment while you deal with the syringe and clean the fiber with an Alco wipe. Pull back on the plunger of the syringe so that epoxy does not continue to seep out. Wipe the tip of the needle with a clean wipe and set it aside with the wipe wrapped around the needle to prevent getting epoxy on anything.
Place an Alco pad between your thumb and forefinger, and wipe the fiber between them.
Slide the connector onto the fiber. As you feed the fiber into the connector, rotate the connector back and forth so the fiber will find its way through the ferrule. This rotation will also spread the epoxy all around the fiber and float the fiber to the center of the hole in the ferrule.
Slide the connector all the way back to the jacket. Some epoxy will leak out the back onto the yarn and jacket. This will help secure the connection.
While you hold the connector against the jacket, slide the crimping sleeve onto the connector body. You will have to make two crimps on this sleeve.
Adjust the crimp tool to the proper size hex to crimp the wider part of the sleeve. Sqeeze the tool to maximum compression to complete the crimp. Adjust the tool to the smaller hex to crimp the narrow part of the sleeve over the jacket.
Slide the strain relief boot over the crimp sleeve. Be careful not to break the glass fiber protruding from the ferrule. This will be removed in the polishing step after the epoxy cures.
If you break the fiber at this point, cut the connector off and start over. The fiber always breaks below the end of the ferrule and cannot be polished properly.
Now the connector must sit for 18 hours (overnight) to allow the epoxy to cure. A faster alternative is to use a curing oven, which requires only 10 minutes.
While this connector is curing, you have time to make several more terminations. In the field, you can make up to a dozen connectors an hour once you gain experience.
