EXFO Fiber Tone Generator

The EXFO TG-300B is a non-intrusive, non-disruptive tone generator. Because of the low 0.2dB typical loss, they can be used on live fibers. The LFD-300 Fiber Finder and TG-300 Toner work on all wavelengths and fiber types. One headpiece works on 900‰_m, 1.6mm and 3mm jackets and tones of 270Hz, 1kHz and 2kHz.

Download Product Spec Sheet:

EXFO LFD-300 Fiber Identifer and TG-300B Fiber Toner Spec Sheet (PDF)

Performing network upgrade or optical testing requires a fiber to be disconnected. This is often easier said than done, since finding the right connection can be tricky, namely because of fiber mislabeling or poor record keeping. While the dark fiber can be identified using a tone generator (270 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz), the live fiber identification technique often involves one technician pulling one end of the patchcord, with another technician trying to identify which patchcord is moving at the other enda process that translates into long delays and can result in unnecessary service disruption.

Combined with the TG-300B Tone Generator, the innovative LFD-300B FiberFinder? Live Fiber Identifier enables technicians to identify a specific live fiber without having to disconnect it and, above all, without having to guess.

This brings key benefits:

• No more network outages as a result of fiber detection/identification procedures
• The minimized need to access the network helps prevent errors

For major singlemode fibers, insertion loss is a function of the bending angle. Although the angles differ, the behavior remains the same.

The LFD-300B FiberFinder brings a unique approach: the power loss is monitored as the angle is changed. Therefore, the angle is automatically optimized for each fiber type and each singlemode wavelength. This results in clear-cut advantages:

• Maximum loss of 1 dB guaranteed for most singlemode telecom fibers (most jacket types) and any wavelength
• No damage to the fiber: bending is always minimal, and the fiber is released when no power is detected
• Traffic detection and direction identification
• In-line, non-disruptive power estimation
• Safe to be used in long-haul applications and on high-payload fiberscontrary to traditional live fiber detectors
• Optimized for 900 ‰_m, 1.6 mm and 3 mm jackets; no need to replace the headpiece

EXFO's LFD-300B performs an ambient light offset prior to fiber bending, which makes it less sensitive to ambient light. A push-down cap can also be placed on the head-end to block intense ambient light.

For detecting dark/live fibers or identifying a particular dark fiber using a pulse light (270 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz), traditional LFD functionalities do the trick. However, they cannot pinpoint a specific live fiberespecially with doubtful labeling and poor record-keepingand help you ensure you disconnect the right one.

In addition, disconnecting the wrong fiber causes downtime, a costly consequence that can easily be avoided. For instance, at US$10,000 per hour and per wavelength, downtime can cost up to US$160,000 per hour for a 16-channel 10 Gbit/s WDM system.

Combined with the TG-300B, a non-intrusive, non-disruptive clip-on signature generator that is based on FiberFinder technology, EXFOs LFD-300B addresses this need with guaranteed low loss. Installed at the transmitter site, the TG-300B adds a typical 0.25 dB signature to the live signal by applying a soft low-frequency modulation pressure to the fiber. This signature is then detected at the other end by the LFD-300B, in mere seconds.