Prepare to unlock the secrets of fusion splicing as we welcome the incomparable Ron Greenberg from UCL Swift, who shares his treasure trove of knowledge in our comprehensive series. Dispel any intimidation you might feel about this crucial skill; our step-by-step walkthrough and discussion with Ron reveal the simplicity and advancements that have made fusion splicing accessible for technicians everywhere. With the all-in-one fusion splicer as our Excalibur, we cut through the complexities to demonstrate just how manageable and efficient this process has become.
Safety goggles on as we navigate the precision and safety that are the heart of fusion splicing in the ICT industry. We're zeroing in on splice loss standards, diving into the equipment technology that meets these stringent requirements, and addressing the safety measures that are non-negotiable in the field. Watch us in action during a live demo with the KF4A all-in-one fusion splicer, a marvel of technology that boasts advanced features to refine the splicing process. Whether you're a seasoned technician or a newcomer eager to learn, this segment will sharpen your skills and give you a clear view of the practicalities of splicing equipment, from battery management to the necessity of a wind cover.
Our final narrative arc is tailored for the intrepid field technicians out there, those who splice fibers in the most challenging of environments. Hear tales from the trenches, like splicing in a commercial freezer or the bowels of a coal mine, and the solutions that can turn the tide in your favor. We emphasize maintaining and calibrating your splicing equipment to ensure it's always battle-ready. Plus, Ron and I share insights into promotions that put this critical gear within your reach. We wrap up with a vibrant Q&A session, extending a heartfelt thank you to Ron for his invaluable contributions. Join us for this series, as we connect the world one splice at a time, and don't forget to subscribe for more episodes that empower and inform.
Knowledge is power! Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling . Also if you would like to be a guest on the show or have a topic for discussion send me an email at chuck@letstalkcabling.com
Chuck Bowser RCDD TECH
#CBRCDD #RCDD
Prepare to unlock the secrets of fusion splicing as we welcome the incomparable Ron Greenberg from UCL Swift, who shares his treasure trove of knowledge in our comprehensive series. Dispel any intimidation you might feel about this crucial skill; our step-by-step walkthrough and discussion with Ron reveal the simplicity and advancements that have made fusion splicing accessible for technicians everywhere. With the all-in-one fusion splicer as our Excalibur, we cut through the complexities to demonstrate just how manageable and efficient this process has become.
Safety goggles on as we navigate the precision and safety that are the heart of fusion splicing in the ICT industry. We're zeroing in on splice loss standards, diving into the equipment technology that meets these stringent requirements, and addressing the safety measures that are non-negotiable in the field. Watch us in action during a live demo with the KF4A all-in-one fusion splicer, a marvel of technology that boasts advanced features to refine the splicing process. Whether you're a seasoned technician or a newcomer eager to learn, this segment will sharpen your skills and give you a clear view of the practicalities of splicing equipment, from battery management to the necessity of a wind cover.
Our final narrative arc is tailored for the intrepid field technicians out there, those who splice fibers in the most challenging of environments. Hear tales from the trenches, like splicing in a commercial freezer or the bowels of a coal mine, and the solutions that can turn the tide in your favor. We emphasize maintaining and calibrating your splicing equipment to ensure it's always battle-ready. Plus, Ron and I share insights into promotions that put this critical gear within your reach. We wrap up with a vibrant Q&A session, extending a heartfelt thank you to Ron for his invaluable contributions. Join us for this series, as we connect the world one splice at a time, and don't forget to subscribe for more episodes that empower and inform.
Knowledge is power! Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling . Also if you would like to be a guest on the show or have a topic for discussion send me an email at chuck@letstalkcabling.com
Chuck Bowser RCDD TECH
#CBRCDD #RCDD
Hey Wiremonkeys, welcome to another episode of let's Talk Cabling. We're starting a multi-part series on fusion splicing. Welcome to the show where we tackle the tough questions submitted by apprentices, installers, technicians, project managers, estimators, even customers. We are connecting at the human level so that we can connect the world. If you're watching this show on YouTube, would you mind hitting the subscribe button and that bell button to be notified when new content is being produced? If you're listening to us on one of the audio podcast platforms, would you mind leaving us a five-star rating? Those simple little steps help us take on the algorithm so we can educate, encourage and enrich the lives of people in the ICT industry.
Speaker 1:Thursday night, 6 pm, Eastern Standard Time. What are you doing? I do a live stream on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, everywhere where you get to ask your favorite RCDD and you know that's me. Just admit it. Right now I'm your favorite. Your favorite RCDD questions on installation, certification, design, project management, estimation, even career path questions. But I can hear you now. But, Chuck, I drive my truck at Thursday nights at 6 pm coming home from work Relax, I record them. And truck at Thursday nights at 6 pm. Come and have a work, Relax, I record them and you can watch them at your convenience when it's safe to do so. And finally, while this show is free and it will always remain free if you would like to support this show, would you click on that little QR code right there? You can buy me a cup of coffee. You can even schedule a 15-minute one-on-one call with me after hours, of course, and we're always looking for corporate sponsorships. So if you're a company that's looking to sponsor the podcast and you educate, encourage and enrich with you, reach out to me and let's talk.
Speaker 1:So, as I said in the intro, fusion splicing it's coming on strong. Well, it's actually been coming on strong for a while. It is the best way to terminate fiber. It truly is, and it's probably one of the easiest ways. But a lot of people get they don't know what they're doing or they're afraid to get into it because it seems so complicated, but yet it truly isn't. So I'm going to do a multi-part series and this first one is going to be Fusion Splicing 101. So you know that I had to bring in my favorite fusion splicing company, UCL Swift, to come on the show to talk about this. So welcome to the show, Mr Ron Greenberg. How are you doing, my friend?
Speaker 2:Chuck, thank you for having me on your podcast today. I appreciate the time and looking forward to the questions.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Before we get too much further along, why don't you tell the audience who are you and who's UCL Swift, for the three people in the industry that's never heard of UCL Swift?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm Ron Greenberg, who represent UCL Swift. We are a manufacturer for fusing splices and splice on connectors, and I'm the territory manager for the Southeast region.
Speaker 1:My neck of the woods, right, I think you live in Georgia, right I'm based out of Georgia. That's what I thought. Yeah, my wife's from Georgia. I can hear the accent. Do you call the garden hose a hose pipe too? Or is that just her?
Speaker 2:No, I'm originally from Philadelphia, so I've been here for an extended period of time. So you're Yankee, you stop right there. You're Yankee, I'm here to here for an extended period of time. So you're a Yankee? You stop right there. You're a Yankee. I'm here to stay. I'm here to stay.
Speaker 1:You know, I'm from DC myself originally and I've been in Florida now for 20 plus years and my wife says I'm still a Yankee.
Speaker 2:Even though he grits she says you're still a Yankee.
Speaker 1:I don't care, I'm like oh man come on. I spent more time in the South than I have in the North. Now, Me as well. See, there you go, but you know the Civil War is not over yet I don't like us parking backwards for some reason.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about fusion splicing right. As I mentioned in the intro, and you probably agree with me, it is one of the easiest, the quickest, most reliable ways to splice a fiber. Is fusion splicing right? So what is fusion splicing and how is it different from other types of splicing methods?
Speaker 2:Well, I think you're right to a certain point. I think in the beginning, 30 years ago, 20 years ago, it was a lot more difficult to use a fusion splicer than it is today. The technology has improved tremendously and has made it easier for the technicians to be able to implement them in the field. So, that being said, the splicers today are going to, especially at UCL Swift, we have a product that's an all-in-one, which makes it a lot easier for the technicians to get up to speed on how to use it and learn a lot quicker.
Speaker 1:You already know that's my favorite. When you're talking about the KF4A, you already know that's my favorite splicer. You already know I've said it a number of times and you hit it right on the head it is all-encompassing, it has everything. You don't have to keep track of everything separately because as a technician out in the field, things get lost, sometimes Absolutely. You're not going to lose that very expensive fusion splicer. You're going to keep tags on it and if you know where it is all the time and it's all encompassing then you'll never be to a job site You'll go. Oh, I forgot my cleaver.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:Not that that ever happens. Not that it ever happens. Ask me how I know that one, so can you walk us through? What are the basic steps for performing a fusion splice?
Speaker 2:The basic steps. First of all, a fusion splicer is a tool that a technician can use out in the field to make life a lot easier in fusing fiber. In terms of fusing fiber, basically, the fusion splicer produces an arc that will melt the glass together to make the connection. So, that being said, in terms of the steps of the splicing, you first have to prep your cable, meaning a splice sleeve for protection. After fusing the splicer, you want to have that covered and basically what you're going to be doing is prepping the cable by stripping it, cleaning it, cleaving it and putting it into the fusion area. Now, today's splicers are making it a little bit easier as opposed to when I learned how to do it. We had the clamps, so you had to guesstimate the distance of the fibers in this fusion area With the holders. Today there's no measuring in terms of the guesstimation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it lines the X and Y axis up and puts it in all that stuff, exactly. All right, so let's talk about this, right? So what types of fibers? Because there's single mode fiber, multi mode fiber, you know, inside plant, outside plant. What kind of fibers can be spliced on this, and are there any limitations to fusion splicing?
Speaker 2:There's no limitations that I'm aware of. Glass is glass and you're going to be able to splice it accordingly. The only limitations that you have to do is or what I should say is, what you have to do is prep the machine to the application that you're splicing. So you have to make sure that the software is on set to either a single mode or multi-mode. Also, if it's going to be 900 micron cable or 250 micron cable, the 900 micron cable is going to be your tight buffer cable. The loose tube is your 250 micron.
Speaker 1:And that's all you need to know. And you set that in the profile and it does everything else. Yes.
Speaker 2:Also, the holders for those particular fibers are going to be different.
Speaker 1:So you have to have the right holders for the right cable as well. Oh, so there's a holder for outside plan than a holder for inside plan is what you're saying that is correct. Okay, and is that the same? Is that true as well for the splice on connectors?
Speaker 2:That is true.
Speaker 1:I was going to say you need to know in advance, then I guess, what manufacturer splice on connector you're going to be using so you have the right tray for that connector, Correct?
Speaker 2:Correct. The UCL Swift machine accepts, besides our connectors, it will accept the Corning connector, the Pandua connector, the Sumitomo connector, pretty much most connectors out there, and as long as the other manufacturers have a tray or a holder they refer to, it will work in our machine.
Speaker 1:And that's all you need to know. And you set that in the profile and it does everything else.
Speaker 2:Pretty much most connectors out there and as long as the other manufacturers have a tray or a holder they refer to, it will work in our machine.
Speaker 1:I like that. Make it simple, easy and that's you know. I never a fusion splicer. I'm one of the first generation fusion splicers because my company couldn't afford one. We did it. Here we go. Let me show you how old I am. We hand polished everything. So tell me what are some of the advantages of a fusion splicing over mechanical splicing?
Speaker 2:Well, actually, a fusion splicer is basically soldering the glass together. The fusion splicer, like I said earlier, creates an arc, so it actually melts the glass together. In regards to the fusion splice, as opposed to a mechanical splice, where they take the fibers and they line them up but they don't touch what they use is an index matching gel to make the final connection between the two glass pieces of glass. So in that case, the fusion splicer is an actual connection, as opposed to mechanical splice, which is just aligning it and then taking the in-depth matching gel to make the final connection of the glass.
Speaker 1:And, as a result of that, a fusion splice would have less loss. Correct, correct? And I would assume, since you're fusion, splicing the glass together, it's a stronger connection than it's a stronger connection.
Speaker 2:It's a better connection. Just think about taking two pieces of metal and welding them together. You're doing the same thing with glass, but you're using an electrical arc to create that connection.
Speaker 1:So when you're fusion splicing together, you're still going to have some loss. How's that loss? How's it affect the optical network?
Speaker 2:The on our splicer, for splicing single mode as well as multi-mode, is going to be an average of 0.02 dB loss. So it's very, very low. In terms of the machines today and the software, they're a lot better than they were when I first started in this industry. So the reality is going to be that you're going to have better results with the splicers today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the standard allows for multi-mode. You're allowed to have up to 0.3 dB loss and if you're 0.02 as the average, which means somebody's doing 0.01, somebody's doing 0.00, right, if I'm not?
Speaker 2:mistaken. That's on an overall basis. So when you're testing from point A to point B, you're referring to that 0.3 as opposed to a 0.02 dB.
Speaker 1:The connections there, you're going to have very, very little loss. So you're talking about fusion supplies. You're talking about arcing and electricity and stuff. What kind of safety precautions does a technician need to take when they're doing a fusion supply?
Speaker 2:Well, the arcing is taking place usually in a closed environment, so we have a wind cover that covers up the fusion area during that process. So there's no effect to the technician or possible harm to the technician while that's fusing, because you can only imagine how much heat that's generating within that area and it's also for just a split second. It's just a very, very short period of time where that arc is occurring to make that fusion.
Speaker 1:I'm assuming the fusion splicer is AC, but don't they have battery ones too? They can operate off of batteries.
Speaker 2:Ours does operate off a battery or it can use an AC charger.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, how many fusion splicers can you get off a battery? It can use an AC charger. Gotcha, how many fusion splices can you get off a battery? Just out of curiosity.
Speaker 2:A battery, depending on the technician on an average technician doing two minutes or less per splice, it's going to last about six, six and a half hours, so about 200 splices per day.
Speaker 1:Well, if you factor in lunch and two coffee breaks, that's an eight hour. Well, with ours you can also charge it while you're using it. Oh okay, so if you're using the battery and then it runs low, I'm assuming does I don't know like with my cell phone, it pops up and says hey, low battery warning.
Speaker 2:I'm assuming you're there's a battery indicator in the corner of the screen. Once that gets to a certain bar level, I suggest plugging it in. If you're using the machine for the entire day, what I suggest. If you're starting out with a full battery when somebody goes to lunch, plug it in.
Speaker 1:How long does it take to charge it back up full?
Speaker 2:Depends on how much battery time that you need. So it could take up to, you know, an hour, an hour and a half. But if you bleed it dry on our machine then it's not going to function until for about, say, about 30 to 40 minutes, because it needs a high arc to be able to do the fusion. So what I suggest? If you get down to two bars, plug it in. If you get down to one bar, you better plug it in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because is there a point where when the battery is getting lower because you already said one bar, so I'm assuming if it gets below the one bar there may not be enough juice in the battery to get that high spark? Is that?
Speaker 2:Correct. And if you're getting it down to that low and let's say you bleed it dry completely, then you're going to have to wait another 30 to 40 minutes for it to get enough juice into that battery to be able to perform a splice.
Speaker 1:Now, you said you could demonstrate one for us. Let's see one of these being done.
Speaker 2:Basically, what I'm going to do is I'm going to demonstrate a straight splice using the KF4A all-in-one fusion splicer. The difference between ours and everybody else's is we have a thermal stripper, alcohol dispenser and the cleaver right on the machine, besides the fusion area, as well as the heater. So all the splashes work pretty much the same. The only difference is with our machine having the thermal stripper. We do not use a handheld stripper to prep the cable and strip in the cable.
Speaker 1:If I might interject for a real quick second. I go around the country teaching copper and fiber terminations. The biggest holdup I have is handheld strippers with fiber. People get real nervous around them and they start breaking stuff and once they break one they start getting a panic. Look, every fiber person breaks fiber, even me. So just so that that just the fact that you don't have to use a hand stripper for this is that's. That's a seller for me right there.
Speaker 2:So basically what I'm going to do is I'm going to turn the unit on. Once the unit comes up, it will be on the main menu. That main menu. I have it already set for a straight splice with single mode of glass and a 45 millimeter heat shrink, shrink, and I'm using 900 micron fiber. So basically, what I'm going to do is bring in my 900 micron holders. I'll place the fiber within the holder, with it extending about an inch. I'm going to open up the thermal stripper. We also have international symbols on the areas. We have one line here, one line here. We have two lines here. We do not have a button for the cleaver because the cleaver is a standalone. It has nothing to do with the software. But we have three lines for the fusion area and also four lines for the here. So once I turn that on, I can place it into the thermal stripper. I close those doors.
Speaker 2:Two seconds later the magic happens. I open one side, take that out, open up the other side. I'll take that off the hot plate. I'll take our alcohol that's on the machine with our no-link cloth, clean that off, place it into the cleaver. We also have a trash bin that will collect the shards, so no more shards on the table. Place it into the fusion area on the alignment pins. I'll do the same thing to the other side. I'll do the same thing to the other side. Place that in there. Close those doors. Magic happens. Open up the one side. Take that out. Open up the other side. Take it off the hot plate. Take our no-link cloth again. Clean that fiber off and you only have to clean it just to get the residue off and it's squeaky clean. Place it into the fusion area.
Speaker 2:Now what I did not do, because I don't have 3,000 feet of cable. I have my heat shrink that I should have put on the cable first. If you do not do this, you will have to redo it. So you always prep your cable first. Once that's there, what I can do is I close the wind cover. It's going to self-align.
Speaker 2:Now I have it at a pause so I can see my cleave angles. So my cleave angle on my right side is 0.2. My left side is 0.3. Both sides are not going to always be equal, but they are a small difference and it will correct it when it fuses. Anything in green is going to be good. If the cleave angle is bad, it will show up in red as opposed to green. That's why I like to see it prior to fusing it. So if one side is bad, I only have to redo one side, as opposed to redoing both sides.
Speaker 2:Once that's done, all you have to do is hit the start button. Three lines here. Three lines here it will fuse. Db loss will be in the lower left-hand side and we have a 0.01 dB loss. We're going to average 0.02. Once that's done, we're going to do a tinsel strength test. We're going to do a 2-Newton pull. Fiber is real strong when you pull it this way, when you go up and down, left or right, all bets are off and it's going to snap. So we want to test that. We're going to snap. So we want to test that. We're going to do a two newton pull on that fiber just to make sure it's secure. So I'm going to open this up. You'll see it start down here with the arc or the test, and once you can also look inside the fusion area and watch it pull that fiber. So we're going to do the tensile strain test Inside here.
Speaker 2:It will do its pull Once you get back to the main menu like it is now, then it's safe to open one side at a time. That fiber is fused. We're going to slide our heat shrink across and center it into the heat shrink or the splice sleeve.
Speaker 2:I'm going to close everything down so I can see the rear of the machine, open up my heater, we'll place it into the center of the machine. We also have a third hand over here. If you notice, there's a bar here that I can rest my finger on and it helps close the door to the heater. What I'm going to do is I'm going to keep my cable taut and I'm going to just put a little pressure on the fiber side. On the left side the heater shuts automatically. I have it programmed to go on automatically. Four lines here. Four lines here. The heater goes on automatically. So there's one less button that you have to push.
Speaker 2:Once that light goes off or you hear that beep, it's finished. You take it out, put it on the cooling tray. The cooling tray is an aluminum tray. It dissipates the heat. You sit that on there for about 10 seconds before you put it into the splice tray. In the meantime we're waiting on the splicer to get done in the heater. But I can use my thermal stripper, my alcohol, my cleaver and my fusion area to do the next splice. That light is off. So I'm going to open this up, place it on the cooling tray and you're done. So it acts like a heat sink.
Speaker 2:The first thing that you want to do with a fusion splicer is calibraterated the first time you're using it in the day. This one, we want to calibrate it once a day and calibration takes into consideration the temperature of the room, the barometric pressure, the humidity, and also aligns the motors. So you're basically resetting it for the atmosphere that you're in. Fiber does not like cold weather.
Speaker 1:Yeah, one of my followers is a fiber technician who does fiber to the home, and I think he's in Poland. If I remember right, his name is Szczeski Szczeski and he's always terminating fiber outside in the cold. Almost every video I see him doing it.
Speaker 2:So if you're in cold weather you need to be in an enclosed environment, either a canopy, or, if it's real windy outside, you're going to have to have sides on that canopy as well. But fiber does not like cold weather, so you want to keep the area up in temperature. I can give you an example. A customer of mine called me up and had a project that required him to terminate a couple fibers in a freezer a commercial freezer walk-in and he called me up and said am I going to be able to do this? And I said well, that's the first time I've ever asked that question, but let's try this. I want you to calibrate the machine outside the freezer so it acclimates to the outside of the freezer. I want you to prep everything in the freezer.
Speaker 1:Once, that's done.
Speaker 2:you take the unit into the freezer, splice it as fast as you possibly can and get out of the freezer as fast as you can. Okay, I never heard back from the technician, so I'm assuming that worked. That must have been a good thing. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:What kind of maintenance does the field technician have to do with the splicer?
Speaker 2:Good question. The maintenance on this is your basic cleaning. We have actually two brushes. We have a soft bristle brush and a hard bristle brush. The hard bristle brush is going to be for your V grooves in here. The soft bristle brush is going to be for the rest of the machine. You want to wipe it down and you want to be consistent. Fiber does not also like dust or dirt, so you want to keep the environment as clean as possible. Now, that being said, when I started in the business with fiber optics, you had to have a clean environment, so you had to have a special van or enclosure to be able to do the splicing, a special van or enclosure to be able to do the splicing. Today, the splicers are a little bit better and more forgiving, but they still do not like the dust.
Speaker 1:No contamination is the number one enemy to fiber. That could be dust, dirt, debris.
Speaker 2:I have one customer or a couple customers using it in a coal mine. Oh yeah, there's a little bit of contamination there, no but every about two to three months they send it in to us for a deep cleaning and deep calibration to keep the unit running perfect.
Speaker 1:Gotcha. It brings up a great point. Obviously they're saying they're using it because of that environment. But for the person who's not fusion splicing in a coal plant, is there a certain timeframe where they should send it back to you guys for alignment or calibration?
Speaker 2:We ask our customers once a year, every 12 months, coming back to us for a deep cleaning, deep calibration. That is included with the first three years of the warranty on the machine. After that, we do keep the cost to a minimal per hour and it usually takes about an hour. Okay, we turn it around within 24 to 48 hours once we receive it. So, realistically, if you send it in on a Monday, depending on where you are in the country, if it's two to three days to get to us, if you send it on a Monday, we look at it on Wednesday or Thursday. It's back in the mail on Friday, so you have it back on Monday or Tuesday. What they'll do is basically, if we need to update the software during the deep cleaning and deep calibration, they will take a look at the machine and make sure it's operationable 100% before sending it back to the customer.
Speaker 1:I remember I was going to ask does it give you a fiber strand count of how many fibers your fusion's placed?
Speaker 2:It doesn't give you a strand. Count on the fibers. Where it says electrodes, it will give you the amount of.
Speaker 1:That's the calibration it will tell you how many cycles it went through.
Speaker 2:Yes, so one more over 252. That's 252. As long as somebody doesn't reset it. This one's been reset a couple times. But the electrodes which are where the magic all happens, right here it looks like pencil tips on our machine. On this particular machine it's good for 38,000 splices.
Speaker 1:You read my next question on my head before I even thought of it. Okay, Now that's not something that the tech in the field is going to do, right? That's something that they're going to send to you to replace the electrodes, right?
Speaker 2:The technician actually can change those in the field. All they have to do is unscrew these two screws, this pops out and they pop out and you put it in there and you can burn them in in the field. Oh, okay, now I suggest to have us do it when you send it in for deep cleaning, deep calibration, because also what we do have is we have a caution area. So, if you notice, the machine goes up to 38,000 on here, but I have it listed at 36,000. So when it hits 36,000, the machine will automatically alert me that I have to change the electrodes.
Speaker 2:Perfect, the reason I bring it back is I don't like to be out in the field. Do one or two splices, machine will automatically alert me that I have to change the electrodes. Perfect, the reason I bring it back is I don't like to be out in the field, do one or two splices and then have to change the electrodes. You want to do that back at the shop when you have more time, as opposed to in the field.
Speaker 1:When you said that I was going to ask that next question.
Speaker 2:It's like get out of my head, Ron.
Speaker 1:I don't have enough room for one person in here, not two. I know the questions before they're asked. There you go, there you go, but you know I got another question for you. Easter's coming up. Is there a sale on the KF4A?
Speaker 2:We do run occasionally the promo that's available. If you purchase 2,000 connectors, you get this unit at no additional cost. If 2,000 connectors are going to be too much for you 1,000 connectors it will get you this unit at half price.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, and that promo is subject to change, but right now it's still available. And if I was to write a check for 2,000 connectors, I probably got to go through distribution. You know ballpark-ish. Am I looking at what?
Speaker 2:You're talking, you know, for a single mode LC connector about $8. And for a APC connector you're talking about $9 connector. So a very reasonable price in the industry. And also you don't have to buy the same connector. You can mix and match if it's LC, sc, st, if it's single mode, multi-mode or whatever, so you're not stuck on buying one type. And also they have no shelf life. So if you have a few jobs and you know there's some coming down the road, it's a good deal by purchasing the $2,000 up front and making more money down the road.
Speaker 1:If I wanted to buy just the splicer, because I can't afford to buy 2,000 connectors at $9 a pop. If I want to buy just the splicer ballpark, what's that going to run now?
Speaker 2:As of today, this unit is $5,500.
Speaker 1:There you go, there you go, and I'm telling you, it's all-inclusive, like that, as easy as it makes everything. I'm surprised UCL Swift even hired salespeople. I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 2:I can understand that. We still have to show it. Did you want to see a splice-on connector?
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, let's do a splice-on connector too.
Speaker 2:Okay. So basically, what I'm going to do is I'm going to use this as a backstop, so I'm going to prep my cable first and foremost. I also want to change my settings on my splicer. I'm still using single mode, so I don't have to change that. My 45 millimeter heat shrink I'm going to change that. We have shortcuts here, so you don't have to go through a whole list. So basically, what I'm going to do is I'm going to scan over to where it says LC and then hit the enter and I'm all set to go, because I'm still using 900 micron as well. So basically, what I'm going to do is I'm going to come back in here and, first and foremost, I'm going to prep my cables. So our splice-on connectors come packaged individually. It comes with the connector, the back boot as well as the heat shrink. So to prep your cable, all you need to do is put your back boot on first.
Speaker 1:The thing that people usually forget to do, correct.
Speaker 2:Then your heat shrink. This is also forgotten as well, yep.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Then what I'm going to do is I'm going to put that into my 900 micron holder, like I did before, just like the straight splice, and you'll see the redundancy of this machine. So it's a muscle memory type of thing. So once you get into this, you'll start flying through it faster than you think.
Speaker 2:So I'm gonna turn my thermal stripper back on, put it into the thermal stripper, strip the fiber, take that off the hot plate. We'll clean this fiber off with the no-link cloth. Put it into the cleaver and put that into the fusion area. Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to substitute my 900 micron holder for our LC holder. All our holders for the connectors are keyed. It goes in one way, and one way only. I call it ROM proofing.
Speaker 1:We just lay that in there.
Speaker 2:You close the door to the holder. If you hear that snap from the magnet, you know it's seated there correctly. Then you place it into the thermal stripper, close those doors, take it out and, by the way, we're the only ones that keep the 900 micron jacket on prior to splicing it for safety, because you don't want to break that fiber by taking it out of the package. I'll place it into my cleaver. I'm going to close my wind cover. I'm going to close my wind cover. It's going to self-align. Cleave angles are good. Right and left Hit the start button 0.02 dB.
Speaker 2:Nice, we're going to open up the wind cover. We'll do that tinsel strength test. Once it's back to the main screen, I open up the cable side first, taking the tension off the connector. Open up the connector. Now this is a little bit different because with the straight splice you have a little bit more flexibility with the cable, so there's a little bit more of an area that you're going to have play with. That may break the fiber. So you want to take it out simultaneously out of the splicer and just let it hang with gravity. Once again, it's real strong when it pulls straight down as opposed to side to side or up or down. Then I'm going to butt my heat shrink up against my connector. I'm going to close everything down so I can see everything a little bit better. I'm going to open up my heater Now.
Speaker 2:We do not put our connectors directly into the heater. We put it to the side here where it says SOC. So you want to align the back of that pigtail right to that line. We have a split door here so you can lock that into place. Then you can keep your cable taut. Shut your heater door. 30 seconds later that will go off. You take it out, put it on the cooling tray, take your back boot, slide it on up, push it together and you're done.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about when you cleave it. It's capturing the fiber scraps in the container, correct? What's the process?
Speaker 2:for cleaning that out, and where would you dispose of that? The proper way of disposing any kind of fiber shards is probably in a jar. You do not want to throw them directly into a trash can so somebody can go in there and get stuck with that. Once you have fiber in your skin, if you don't get it all the way out, it has to grow out. The way I describe it is like a paper cut. It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying, as can be. Yeah, I've got you. So you don't want to do that. So you want to be safe with this, and when you're using the machine you should use safety goggles as well. And also no eating or drinking while you're splicing.
Speaker 1:And walk in a well lit area. I would also recommend now you're splicing, and walk in a well-lit area. I would also recommend now you're showing it right on your desk. But I would also recommend having a black mat underneath of it, and that's just from my old days, because you know, if you break a fiber, you can find it easily. I know this is cleaving and it's all self-contained, but there's always a chance that something could happen. And if it lands on a black surface a solid black surface, it's easier to see than opposed to a desk with no mat on it.
Speaker 2:You know something? I've been wearing glasses for most of my life, but it's amazing what I can see in terms of fiber. All right, you get used to it. But, yes, if you have a black mat or a black surface, you don't necessarily always have that capability, unless you carry it around with the splicer. That's something that could save you a lot of headache. So this is done. This is done. We put it on the cooling tray. Once our heater is off, it's off, so it's been cooling off as we've been talking a little bit, so I'm going to just take my back boot now. We'll slide it on up, snap it together and that's a completed LC connector.
Speaker 1:What's the white thing coming off the top of the connector?
Speaker 2:This is a dust cover. We have an extended dust cover just so it's easier to handle. But if you take the dust cover off, there's your ceramic tip. Okay, you want to protect that and clean that prior to putting it into any panel or into any electronics.
Speaker 1:And that's just extended so you can work with it around the fusion splice, that's why it's got a normal dust cap, correct Protective cap. Technically, yep, it's a protective cap.
Speaker 2:If somebody doesn't like that, what they can do, and if they're not plugging it in and they don't like the long tip, all they have to do is cut that off, leave the smaller cap there and remove that whenever they plug it into the pad.
Speaker 1:Mr Ron, thank you for coming on today and showing us how to fusion, splice, splice on connectors and answer some Fiber 101 questions. Man.
Speaker 2:Chuck, I appreciate the opportunity. Good talking to you always and stay safe. That's it for this episode of today's podcast. We hope you were able to learn something.
Speaker 1:Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future content. Also, leave a rating so we can help even more people learn about telecommunications. Until next time, be safe.