Fiber equipment located too close to other fiber equipment? Having problems with transmissions? Data being corrupted? Getting system failures? The problem is easier to fix than you may think.

When a fiber device is very close to another one-for example, as little as 3 feet (0.9 m)-the signal is extremely strong. The light signal doesn't have time to attenuate or lose strength as it travels down the fiber. This is called receive saturation. The energy level of the fiber optic signal is too high and exceeds the operating range of the receiving equipment. So when the light reaches the other end, it reflects back along the cable. This reflection distorts the signal and disrupts data.

Solve the problem with Black Box attenuators. They feature guaranteed return-loss measures to attenuate the signal. To achieve the fixed return loss, the attenuators use a doped single-mode fiber with a wavelength of 1310–1550 nm.

Use the attenuators in CATV, LAN, WAN, and telecommunications applications. When you have multiple fiber runs, use the attenuators to make sure all are operating at the same optical level. You can also use the attenuators as part of your test kits to verify optical levels.