VDV Works Virtual Hands-On Training
Fiber Optic Termination Quiz
Check your answers!
1. What is the first step in terminating fiber optic cable?
Put on safety glasses
Gather all the tools needed
Plug in the curing oven
Buy some connectors
2. What is the biggest safety hazard in working with fiber optics?
Getting high loss in terminations
Eye damage from high power laser light
Sharp pieces of fiber that break off
Getting epoxy on your clothes.
3. How does the ST connector align the fibers?
Epoxy to hold the fiber in place
Bayonet locking nut
Crimp sleeve
The 2.5 mm ferrule
4. What holds the connector onto the strength members of the cable?
Strain relief boot
Epoxy
None of the above
5. What are the two operations required to prepare a 3 mm jacketed cable for termination?
Strip the cable jacket and cut the strength members to length
Strip the fiber
Cleave the fiber
Remove the dust cap from the connector
6. Before you do the two operations in question 5, what do you do first to prepare the cable for termination?
Make sure it has the right size fiber
Slide the strain relief boot and crimp sleeve on the cable
Find the cable jacket stripping tool
Set up the fiber trash bin
7. How much of the buffer coating can you strip from the fiber at one time?
0.375 inches (10 mm)
As much as you need for the connector
Depends on the type of stripper you use
No more than 1/8 inch until you get a feel for the fiber
8. Which of the following adhesives cannot be used with fiber optic connectors?
Room temperature cure epoxy
Heat-cure epoxy
Anaerobic Adhesive
Crazy-Glue
9. Why should you use cheap scissors to cut the epoxy package?
They cut the plastic package best
You want only a small opening in the plastic bag
The epoxy makes the bag slippery
The epoxy ruins the cutting edge of the kevlar scissors
10. Why is the bead of epoxy on the end of the connector ferrule so important?
It tells you when the epoxy is cured
It supports the fiber during the polishing process
It holds the fiber securely in the connector
It makes it easy to see the fiber for cleaving
11. What do you do with the cable before attaching the connector?
Clean the fiber carefully
Fluff up the kevlar
Find the crimp sleeve
12. What are the two reasons you rotate the connector when sliding the fiber into it?
Helps the fiber find the hole in the connector ferrule
Evenly distributes the epoxy all around the fiber
Makes the cable fit easily into the connector
Distributes the kevlar evenly around the crimp sleeve
13. What should you do if you break the fiber after crimping but before the epoxy is cured?
Cut it off and start over
Push the fiber forward to get more out the end of the ferrule
Go ahead and cure it - it will probably be OK
Doesn't matter
14. Using an oven to cure epoxy, how many connectors an hour can you make?
Two
About a dozen
More than 25
Depends on the adhesive
15. After curing, remove the excess fiber by:
Breaking it off with a pair of tweezers
Cleave carefully with a scribe
Grind off with polishing film
The connector should not have excess fiber sticking out the ferrule
16. The "air polish" process is used to:
Grind down the fiber for final polishing
Remove the excess length of fiber after curing
Speed up the termination process
Prepare the connector for visual inspection
17. Why is "over polishing" bad?
It takes too much time
It uses up expensive polishing film
It undercuts the fiber causing high loss
It is not necessary since you use two types of polishing film
18. What should you do between each polishing step?
Inspect the ends of the ferrule with a microscope
Change polishing pucks
Apply some lubricant to the polishing film
Clean the end of the connector ferrule
19. Which way do you look at the end of the ferrule to best see scratches?
End on with the core illuminated
At an angle
With the microscope light turned off
Doesn't matter, as scratches show up either way
20. When tested according to FOTP-171, connector losses should be:
Less than 0.5 dB
Between 0.5 and 0.75 dB
Depends on the test instruments
Depends on the wavelength of the test source
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