fiber to electrical

[brownianmotion26]

I need to convert my fiber to electrical - how do I do this?
I have a single mode cable coming in and I just need to convert the signal so I can connect it to some other hardware. I can figure out the connectors later, but there's got to be a black box that does this right??

BM

 

[itsmoked]

Um.. Yes there is a box no doubt. The problem is there can a huge number of 'things' coming in on that fiber. You need to be a lot more specific if you want any meaningful answers..

What exactly is coming in? What exactly are you wanting out?

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[JLSeagull]

You need a media converter. You can buy converters with multiple copper such as six-port that interfaces one fiber pair. There are a few things to clarify about both the electrical and fiber optical details. As a novice I can hit the high points.

Fiber
Two types of fiber optical communications commonly used are multi-mode and single-mode. Single-mode applies to long runs, multiple km applications. Multi-mode applies to runs within a facility. Several connector types such as SC and ST are common.

Copper
Some equipment is only capable of 10base or slow Ethernet. Most Ethernet operates at 100 Mb or 100base. Unless you know the requirements, consider a 10/100 base Ethernet device on the copper side. Faster speeds such as 1 Gb and 10 Gb exist both on the copper and especially the fiber side. When you see the specifications such as 10 or 100 base the next character applies to the connection. Any IT type person can direct you here. Most applications use an RJ-45 connector but coaxial connectors also exist.

There are several web tutorials on Ethernet including the fiber and copper media. Have a good Google.

 

[ScottyUK]

Who said it was ethernet?


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[brownianmotion26]

Yup, its ethernet and it'll be coming in on an FC (alhtough I can change that if I need to). I just googled media converter and there's tons out there...thanks!

 

[ScottyUK]

Now we've cleared that up: Westermo, Moxa, and Hirschmann are three suppliers of good quality industrial-grade ethernet equipment designed for wide temperature ranges, wide power supply variation, and suitable for mounting in a control panel or similar. There are thousands of commercial-grade products out there but they tend to be a bit fussier about temperature and power supplies.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[JLSeagull]

You might add Siemens, Phoenix Contact and RJ LNXX to the list. My work includes projects with hazardous classified areas. Some of these manufacturers sell media converters rated Class I Division 2. The industrial ragings differentiate these manufacturers from those who sell via Circuit City or Fry's. Hirshmann and perhaps Westermo offer a redundant ring configuration for critical applications. However the redundancy is rather costly too.