What is a ribbon cable?
The ribbon cable looks like a ribbon, so it is called a ribbon cable. It consists of 8, 12 or 24 optical fibers, which are arranged side by side in a row. The ribbon cable has a high fiber density, which can save space greatly when space is limited, which is very important for upstream applications that require high-density fiber.
Features and advantages of ribbon cable
The first advantage of ribbon cable is that it saves space. Compared with traditional optical cables, ribbon optical cables can save up to 45% of space and 3 times the capacity of optical fiber trays. The second advantage of ribbon cable is cost and time savings. The ribbon fiber optic cable allows 12 fibers to be spliced together at the same time, thereby reducing labor time and cost. In addition, the ribbon cable allows more optical fibers to be accommodated in a smaller diameter cable, which meets the demand for high density and high bandwidth.
Types of ribbon cables
According to different shapes, ribbon cables can be divided into flat ribbon cables and round ribbon cables. The only difference between them is the shape. It should be noted that the parallel optical fibers are arranged side by side in two ribbon cables of different shapes.
Ribbon optical cables can be divided into single-mode ribbon optical cables and multi-mode ribbon optical cables according to different types of optical fibers. Their sheaths are flame-retardant and non-flame-retardant. Optical cables with non-flame-retardant sheaths are usually used Outdoors, while fiber optic cables with flame-retardant sheaths are used for indoor applications.
Application of ribbon cable
Ribbon optical cables can be used in indoor FTTH networks and indoor/outdoor point-to-point applications, as well as interconnection and crossover applications of MTP optical fiber distribution boxes;
The 12-core ribbon fiber optic cable is the most widely used type of ribbon fiber optic cables. The 12-core ribbon fiber optic cable can be easily terminated through simplex, duplex connectors such as LC connectors or SC connectors or MTP connectors;
Ribbon optical cables can also be spliced with loose tube optical cables. The specific method is to remove the coating of the ribbon optical cable and splice together 12 optical fibers in batches.
The difference between ribbon fiber optic cable and bundle fiber optic cable
The shape of the ribbon cable is different. Ribbon optical cables use ribbon optical cables, most of which are flat shapes, while bundle optical cables use bundle optical cables, most of which are round;
The structure of ribbon fiber optic cable and bundle fiber optic cable is different. Ribbon optical cables are composed of optical fiber ribbons, while bundle optical cables are usually composed of 0.9mm loose tube;
The optical fiber arrangement of ribbon cable and bundle cable is different. The optical fibers in the ribbon optical cable are arranged in a row according to the color order, in a ribbon shape, and the arrangement is relatively fixed, while the optical fibers in the bundle optical cable are not arranged, and each optical fiber is relatively independent.
The difference between ribbon optical cable and loose tube optical cable
As we all know, ribbon optical cables and loose tube optical cables perform well in harsh outdoor environments, and can provide a variety of insulation, armor and other configurations. Compared with loose tube optical cables, ribbon optical cables not only The tube fiber optic cable has the same performance and is superior in terms of fiber density. In addition, ribbon cables require shorter splicing time than loose tube cables, which means that ribbon cables require less installation costs and emergency recovery time.
Conclusion
Ribbon optical cables can provide the highest optical fiber packaging density, and can also maximize the deployment of optical fibers in a limited space, improve space utilization, simplify fiber termination, save time and money, and are indoor FTTH and outdoor point-to-point applications The ideal solution.