AN-112
Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAXOverview
Measuring Insertion Loss and Return Loss on Ribbon Fiber Fanouts, like the MTP ® to LC cable shown in figure 1 below, canbe a streamlined process when using the right equipment and automation software.
For the methods described in this Application Note, only a multichannel IL/RL Tester (OP940) fitted with large area detector(RIN) or integrating sphere (OP-SPHR) is needed. This setup can greatly reduce testing time and inaccuracies caused byadditional reference cables and multiple detectors. For even further efficiency in testing, using OPL-MAX software willautomateand store all test results.
NE WMTPPULLTO REMOVE

For measuring IL and RL on an MTP to MTP ribbon cable, please see Application Note AN-104.

Figure 1: Example cable to be tested: Twelve fiber MPO breakout cable.

Launching OPL-MAX Software
Prior to launching the software, ensure that the remote head detector or integrating sphere is connected and that the OP940
is turned on. Upon starting the OPL-MAX software, the .ini File Check screen will pop up. From the Selected Setup dropdown menu, select the appropriate setup file. It will automatically populate the rest of the fields with the saved sequencesand descriptions. Once the proper setup is selected, click Launch Application.

NE W

Testing the MTP ® Side

This method of testing MTP fanout cables requires an MTP-to-FC/APC fanout cable A connected to the source and twolarge area detector adapters: In this example, MTP and LC B.

REMOTE HEAD PORT

NE W

OP940-MM-SW12-8513-R
IL/RL Test SystemA

B
Figure 2: An OP940 with an HPR cable plugged into the remote head
power meter for insertion loss reference.
NOTE: MTP ® is a registered trademark of US Conec.

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engineering @ optotest.com
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Tel. +44-20-3176-1550

Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAX

AN112

Sequence Setup
This section of the Application Note will make use of the following sequence file to perform the references andmeasurements described.

For these breakout cables, you will notice a <Pause> in each step of the sequence allowing the operator timeto switch fibers on the fanout side of the DUT.
This can also be edited and viewed in Excel through Edit > Edit Sequence in Excel on the toolbar.

OPMRL1 refers to the large area detector associated with the OP940. This sequence shows that insertion loss referencing
and testing will be performed on the same large area detector. After getting the sequence properly configured, save the fileand go back into OPL-MAX. Click the Load New Sequence button and select the newly created sequence.
In the Setup menu, select the Data File tab to select the proper data file for the test report and go to the Measure tab toconfigure the test report headers.

SANTEC CORPORATION

2OptoTest
Corp.
5823 Ohkusa-Nenjozaka, Komaki,
4750 Calle Quetzal
Aichi 485-0802, JapanCamarillo, CA 93012
Doc:AN-112 REV. A 5 / 20 /15+81-568-79-3536

www.santec.com

SANTEC USA CORPORATION
1.8 05.987.170 0
USA Toll Free+1-800-726-8321
sales@ optotest.com
engineering @ optotest.com
SANTEC EUROPE LIMITED
Tel. +44-20-3176-1550

Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAX

AN112

Insertion Loss Reference
Connect the FC/APC connectors of your high performance reference cable (HPR) to the outputs of the OP940 A and the MTP
connector into the large area detector B . When the reference setup is configured, press the Ref button C and the software
will perform the reference cycle.
AREMOTE HEAD PORT

OP940-MM-SW12-8513-R
IL/RL Test System

B

Figure 3: An OP940 with an HPR cable plugged into the remote head
power meter for insertion loss reference.

Return Loss Reference
When insertion loss referencing is completed,the user will be prompted to take a return loss
reference. Upon clicking Yes 1 a popup screen
will be shown which will guide the operator
through return loss referencing 2 .

C2Note that only the first channel is going to bereferenced. The rest of the channels will copy
this reference, saving valuable time when all
channels are the same length. If desired, thesoftware has the capability to reference eachof the channels individually.

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3OptoTest
Corp.
5823 Ohkusa-Nenjozaka, Komaki,
4750 Calle Quetzal
Aichi 485-0802, Japan
Camarillo, CA 93012
Doc:AN-112 REV. A 5 / 20 /15+81-568-79-3536

1

www.santec.com

SANTEC USA CORPORATION
1.8 05.987.170 0
USA Toll Free
+1-800-726-8321
sales@ optotest.com
engineering @ optotest.com
SANTEC EUROPE LIMITED
Tel. +44-20-3176-1550

Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAX

AN112

Measuring the Device Under Test ( DUT)
After referencing, connect the MTP fanout cable under test as pictured below. The MTP connector of the DUT
should connect to the MTP connector of the reference cable and the fanout side of the cable should connect tothe large area detector via the appropriate adapter.
Note: Ensure the gender of the MTP DUT and HPR are compatible.

REMOTE HEAD PORT

OP940-MM-SW12-8513-R

MTP

PULL

MTP

PULL

TO REMOVETO REMOVE

IL/RL Test System

Figure 4: An OP940 with a MPO fanout reference cable and a DUT
plugged into the remote head power meter one channel at a time. This
gives an accurate measurement while also checking for crossed fibers.

Pressing Test in OPL-MAX will begin the measurement process and the system will step from channel 1 to channel 12,
measuring the insertion loss and return loss of the MTP connector of the DUT. The pauses in the sequence will allow theoperator to switch between the channels of the fanout side of the DUT.

Measuring the Simplex or Fanout Side
In order to test the simplex side of an MTP fanout cable, a new set of reference cables will be needed. This setup
requires one simplex HPR cable. As before, the large area detector will be used for both reference and testing.

Insertion Loss ReferenceConnect
N E W the reference side of the reference cable to the large area detector using the appropriate adapter. The pausesin the sequence will allow the user to copy the reference values for each step in the sequence. See Figure 6.

REMOTE HEAD PORT

OP940-MM-SW12-8513-R
IL/RL Test System

Figure 5: To test the simplex side of the fanout cable, connect a single simplex reference cableto the remote head power meter for referencing.

SANTEC CORPORATION

4OptoTest
Corp.
5823 Ohkusa-Nenjozaka, Komaki,
4750 Calle Quetzal
Aichi 485-0802, Japan
Camarillo, CA 93012
Doc:AN-112 REV. A 5 / 20 /15+81-568-79-3536

www.santec.com

SANTEC USA CORPORATION
1.8 05.987.170 0
USA Toll Free
+1-800-726-8321
sales@ optotest.com
engineering @ optotest.com
SANTEC EUROPE LIMITED
Tel. +44-20-3176-1550

Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAX

AN112

Figure 6: Pause step in sequence file.

Return Loss Reference
The same procedure outlined in the section for referencing RL on the MTP side should be used for referencing return loss on
the fanout side of the cable.

Testing
On the large area detector, replace the simplex adapter with the LAAD- MTP. Connect the fanout side of the DUT
to the reference cables and connect the MTP side to the large area detector. To begin taking measurements,
click Test in the software. Step from channel 1 to channel 12 and measure insertion loss and return loss on thesimplex connectors.

REMOTE HEAD PORT

OP940-MM-SW12-8513-R
IL/RL Test System

Figure 7: After referencing to the simplex connector, connect the DUT between thereference cable and the remote head detector one channel at a time.

SANTEC CORPORATION

5OptoTest
Corp.
5823 Ohkusa-Nenjozaka, Komaki,
4750 Calle Quetzal
Aichi 485-0802, Japan
Camarillo, CA 93012
Doc:AN-112 REV. A 5 / 20 /15+81-568-79-3536

www.santec.com

SANTEC USA CORPORATION
1.8 05.987.170 0USA Toll Free
+1-800-726-8321
sales@ optotest.com
engineering @ optotest.com
SANTEC EUROPE LIMITED
Tel. +44-20-3176-1550

Testing Insertion Loss and Return Losson Ribbon Fiber Fanouts with OPL-MAXAN112

Verifying Polarity on MTP ® Fanout Cables
Although this method of testing insertion loss and return loss already rules out crossed fibers with passing results, there
are two options to explicitly verify the polarity of an MPO fanout cable; one involves using a visible light source, such as theOP280MT, to visually determine that the fibers map to the correct locations; the other method uses a multichannel OP940
and an OP710 multichannel optical power meter with individual detectors in combination with OPL-MAX’s FiberMAP feature.

Using the OP280MT to Verify Polarity
The OP280MT can be used to easily verify the polarity of an MPO fanout cable. Simply connect the DUT to the OP280MT’s source
port and either step through each channel manually or use one of the programmed sequences. Verify that the ferrules on thefanout side light up in the proper order. For more information about the OP280MT, contact OptoTest Sales.

Using the OP710 and OPL-MAX to Verify Polarity
OPL-MAX’s FiberMAP feature allows the user to quickly and easily test for polarity using an OP710 and an OP940. The
individual detectors on the OP710 allow the software to discern exactly which channels are active at one time, and will provide
a visual output of where each source channel maps to. For more information on using FiberMAP, consult our Application Note
AN-109 Verifying Continuity with FiberMAP.

SANTEC CORPORATION

6OptoTest
Corp.
5823 Ohkusa-Nenjozaka, Komaki,
4750 Calle Quetzal
Aichi 485-0802, JapanCamarillo, CA 93012
Doc:AN-112 REV. A 5 / 20 /15+81-568-79-3536

www.santec.com

SANTEC USA CORPORATION
1.8 05.987.170 0
USA Toll Free
+1-800-726-8321
sales@ optotest.com
engineering @ optotest.com
SANTEC EUROPE LIMITED
Tel. +44-20-3176-1550