A line of fiber-optic test equipment, the Embedded Fiber-Optic Test Systems, consists of modular components that allow manufacturers of telecommunications transmission and test equipment to build in optical test capabilities. Products include a variety of optical modules for OTDR and Optical Channel Analyzer (OCA) functions. Equipment designers may choose an ISA card to interface optical modules with an existing CPU or PC/104 processor to allow an embedded system to function as an autonomous instrument.

The OTDR modules can identify and locate fiber faults to facilitate rapid repairs and minimize downtime. OCA modules analyze the optical signals being transmitted in DWDM systems and can be used to provide feedback to optimize system performance and troubleshoot problems. Embedded test systems add value to transmission equipment and automated test equipment for use in manufacturing, installation, and monitoring of telecommunications systems.

pagesource:http://www.fiberopticsonline.com

Following an oversupply last year, fiber-optic cable companies in mainland China this year are concentrating on developing new products and widening their overseas markets.

The Ministry of Commerce has passed a measure ordering foreign fiber-optic manufacturers who intend to enter the mainland China market to pay anti-dumping tax ranging from 8 to 46 percent for a period of five years. The ministry earlier declared that foreign fiber-optic makers are dumping their products in the country.

The new measure aims to stabilize mainland China’s fiber-optic industry, which has been experiencing a surplus in inventory despite the high demand for fiber-optic cables driven by the FTTH technology. Last year, output of fiber-optic cables in mainland China was 20 million kilometers, exceeding the market requirement of 14 million kilometers to 16 million kilometers.

This year, only a few makers are expected to expand their production capacity while the majority will focus on developing new products. For instance, Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology Co. Ltd (ZTT) is concentrating developing RF cables, as well as new cables using micro-cable systematic technology.

The company has entered into a US$15-million joint venture with Hitachi Cable and the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications to establish Zhongtian Hitachi Radio Frequency Cable Co. Ltd, which will focus on the research and manufacture of coaxial cable for 3G applications.

Last year, ZTT manufactured 19,000km of OPGW cables and 38,000km of ADSS cables. Both of the company’s ADSS and OPGW cable output grabbed a 35 percent share of the total market in mainland China. ZTT exports its products to more than twenty countries in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Another maker, Wuhan-based FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co. Ltd has developed double-cladded Ytterbium-doped fibers (DCYF) with an output power of 100W and 400W. The company has an annual capacity of 3 million fiber-optic cables.

pagesource:http://www.eetasia.com

CHATSWORTH, CALIF.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

MRV COMMUNICATIONS, INC. today announced that its Fiber Driver optical multi-service platform delivers a highly energy efficient optical networking solution for carriers when evaluated using the Telecommunications Equipment Energy Efficiency Ratings (TEEER) standard developed by Verizon. MRV is a leading networking company with a full line of packet-optical transport (POTS), carrier Ethernet, 40G networking and out-of-band networking products.

The TEEER score is defined as a direct relationship between the system forwarding capacity and its power consumption, weighted for different operation modes. Verizon’s calculated TEEER value represents the system energy efficiency rating on a scale from one (least efficient) to 10 (most efficient). More information on the TEEER standard can be found at www.verizonnebs.com/TPRs/VZ-TPR-9207.pdf.

In certain configurations, MRV’s Fiber Driver platform achieved a score of 9.78, showing the WDM optical transport system to be a power-optimized solution for carriers. The Fiber Driver platform packs up to 600 Gbps in just 3U of rack space. With a power consumption of three to five watts per 10Gbps interface, it consumes only 20% to 30% of the power that competing optical transport systems need.

MRV’s Fiber Driver product line provides differentiated services including fiber grooming (media conversion, distance extension and signal repeating), converter-based service demarcation, advanced CWDM and DWDM solutions and digital video distribution. The Fiber Driver platform can act as a media converter, a repeater or a WDM transponder with a simple change-out of hot-swappable multi-functional modules. The Fiber Driver provides a wide range of optical transport solutions to enterprise, campus and metro networks with distances of 80-100km.

“Energy efficiency is a concern for all industries today and a lot of vendors are claiming to be green,” said Noam Lotan, president and CEO of MRV Communications. “The beauty of the TEEER standard is that it gives a benchmark that customers can use to compare systems from different vendors in an objective way.”

Verizon’s efficiency rating system is part of its energy consumption standards developed in the wake of government initiatives driving carriers toward more environmentally friendly networks. The goal of the standard is to improve energy efficiency in the equipment the company buys by 20% over today’s networking equipment.

pagesource:http://www.fiberopticsonline.com

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dirt that the Phoenix Mars Lander scooped recently from the planet’s surface may be too clumpy to be analyzed by the machine’s onboard system, NASA reported on Saturday.

A robotic arm retrieved a cup-sized sample of Martian dirt on Friday and placed it on the lander’s Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, which was scheduled to spend about a week determining the soil’s water and mineral content.

The TEGA features a screened opening that prevents large particles from clogging it. Only those thinner than 1 mm (0.04 of an inch) can pass through, and an infrared beam verifies whether they have entered the instrument.

The beam has not yet confirmed any activity and researchers are not sure why, NASA said in a statement.

Scientists suspect the soil may be clumped together too tightly, NASA said.

“In the future, we may prepare the soil by pushing down on the surface … then sprinkle a smaller amount over the door,” Ray Arvidson, the team’s science lead, said in the statement.

Engineers are also looking for a way to shake some of the current sample down into the TEGA oven, where it would be heated and analyzed.

Scientists may send instructions to vibrate the compartment after they inspect the problem for a day or two, spokeswoman Sara Hammond said.

The lander will also gather other soil samples, examine them with a microscope and mix them with water to determine their composition, Hammond said.

The $420 million lander spent 10 months journeying from Earth and touched down on Mars 12 days ago. Its three-month mission was proposed after the Mars Odyssey detected frozen water below the Martian surface in 2002.

This is the lander’s first attempt to analyze soil, which might contain salt left behind by evaporated water or ice.

The single-use compartment will go unused if scientists are unable to coax any particles to fall down, but there are seven others like it onboard, Hammond said.

pagesource:http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0438666420080607

Anritsu Company continues its leadership position in the wireless field test market with the introduction of an innovative new platform for its family of handheld analyzers, which is the de facto industry standard for field test instrumentation. The new platform features integrated functionality in a robust, lightweight, field-proven design that provides field personnel with all the tools necessary to deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot today’s most demanding wireless equipment and networks.
“Anritsu has a product portfolio that is both deep and broad to satisfy all our customers’ installation, testing, measurement, and maintenance requirements. Our new platform allows technicians, contractors, and services providers to work faster and smarter, improve service quality, meet increasingly rigorous key performance indicators, and keep their prices competitive,” said Donn Mulder, VP and General Manager, Microwave Measurements Division. “All of these benefits are critical in a market that is characterized by fierce competition, rapidly evolving technology, and cost sensitivity.”
The new platform is designed into Anritsu’s Site Master?, Spectrum Master?, and Cell Master? analyzers. All of the analyzers represent the next generation of wireless field test because they are robust, lightweight and have the functionality of multiple instruments, saving money and improving efficiencies. An intuitive user interface, high-quality construction, and unmatched price/performance are trademarks of the new analyzers. In addition to providing the technology necessary for today’s field testing requirements, Anritsu is offering certified training and world-class support for field technicians.
The new analyzer family can reduce both capital equipment and operational expenses because of its multifunctional capabilities. Ease of use and automated reporting capabilities boots efficiency in the field as well as the office. The high performance of all the analyzers allows for greater confidence in measurement results, reduced measurement times, and gives users the ability to detect small problems before they become costly network failures. Ruggedly designed, the analyzers can withstand the roughest field conditions and activities.

pagesource:http://www.wirelessdesignasia.com/article-11382-anritsuredefineswirelessfieldtestwithintroductionofeplatformforhandheldanalyzerfamily-Asia.html