Video Experiments and Teardown of an Agilent 11896A Polarization Controller - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 03:27:54 am
content: In this episode Shahriar demonstrates the functionality and applications of an Agilent 11896A Polarization Controller. Various fiber optic communication methods are presented. This includes the use of complex modulation schemes (such as PAM and QAM for coherent receivers), polarization division multiplexing (PDM), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), and spatial division multiplexing (SDM). The concept of light polarization is demonstrated by using a pair lenses from a consumer theater 3D glasses and two blue LEDs with uncorrelated lighting patterns.In order to test the polarization controller, a solid-state laser source, SMF fiber with APC/PC connectors as well as a polarization beam splitter is presented. By using a pair of optical power sensors, the functionality of the polarization controller is verified. Finally, the teardown of the unit is presented and the method to achieve polarization control is observed. The fiber optic communication overview document can be downloaded from The Signal Path website.The video can be viewed here [48 Minutes]:http://thesignalpath.com/blogs/2013/03/17/experiments-and-teardown-of-an-agilent-11896a-polarization-controller/More videos:http://www.TheSignalPath.com

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 06:24:34 am
content: Excellent! What a very interesting bit of kitYou have said in your video that the content is pretty high level. You have my guarantee that you have explained it well enough so that non-experts can understand. Im 16...I only wish that I could have a lab like yours! All I have is an analog fun gen with a ds1052E. But you have to start somewhere. I will make a version of your led polarization demo for my physics class. As we have just covered EM.

author: berk98
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 06:54:40 am
content: May I ask how much this one cost in its broken state? I notice they seem to sell for several thousand dollars in working condition, and I wouldn't suspect someone would want to spend too much on such a specialized instrument which may not be repairable.

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 03:24:44 pm
content: Quote from: berk98 on March 17, 2013, 06:54:40 amThis is a very specialized instrument and this makes it rather expensive. I didn't purchase this, so I would not be able to tell you how much a broken one costs. I usually search eBay periodically and if I see something interesting, I just buy it and try to repair it. Occasionally I am not able to fix it and it goes back on eBay for someone else to try.

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 06:32:00 pm
content: Quote from: smashedProton on March 17, 2013, 06:24:34 amWhen I was 16, I had just moved to Canada. I didn't speak any English and has no gear. It took many years to put my lab together. Keep at it!

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2013, 06:47:54 pm
content: QuoteWhere in Canada do you live? I'm a Nova Scotian myself.

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2013, 03:25:35 am
content: Quote from: olsenn on March 17, 2013, 06:47:54 pmI don't live in Canada at the moment. But I used to live in Toronto.

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2013, 08:20:40 am
content: Quote from: Hugoneus on March 18, 2013, 03:25:35 amAh. I've watched several of your videos, and I thought you were still teaching at the U of T. I'm from Toronto, and a U of T grad from 1987, but now I've moved to Vancouver after spending most of my career in the USA at various companies and in multiple states.I've never worked with fiber optics so your video was fascinating to watch. I'm curious, though, does the fiber have a specified lifetime and eventually wear out or even break with all that twisting?Thanks and keep up the great videos, there's always something to learn.PS: as a seasoned engineer I like when they get technical and very detailed (high-level as you say) and those are the videos that are most interesting to me. So my feedback is to keep up the mix of low and high-level videos and you'll keep a good mix in your audience.Cheers!

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2013, 03:50:58 pm
content: Quote from: codeboy2k on March 18, 2013, 08:20:40 amThanks for the kind comments!I am a technical manager at Bell Labs (Alcatel-Lucent) right now. I manage the mm-wave mixed signal ASIC team here. I used to teach at Columbia University NYC also, but not this year.Even though the fiber gets twisted like that, it still lasts for a very long time. Many many years of continues movement like that!Cheers!