AFL has extended its M-series line of optical time domain reflectometers (OTDRs) with the M710-40. The new OTDR features the company’s recently announced TruEvent Technology event analysis capabilities.
The company describes the M710-40 as its longest-reaching singlemode OTDR, covering fiber-optic network links in excess of 200 km. The instrument offers an integrated optical power meter and visual fault locator. It also integrates with the company’s Test Results Manager (TRM) Certification Reporting Software to create reports compliant to TIA/ISO guidelines.
Like other members to AFL’s M-series, the M710-40 OTDR supports live fiber detection, pass/fail reporting, and front-panel check and inspection capability. The new OTDR also supports Full Auto, Expert (manual), and Real-Time OTDR test modes, multi-wavelength testing and visual inspection using the DFS1 Digital FiberScope. Users can store thousands of OTDR test results as standard .SOR files internally or on the supplied USB drive. Test results are transferable via USB to a computer for analyzing with the supplied Windows-compatible TRM software.
“Fiber networks can be long or short, have many connections and splices or very few. Combining high dynamic range performance and superior event analysis makes the M710-40 OTDR a powerful test solution for many applications,” comments Lee Kellett, director of product marketing for AFL’s test equipment division.
Notably, the M710-40 OTDR incorporates AFL’s new TruEvent Technology software, designed to provide event analysis in conjunction with the company’s M-series OTDRs. The company says the software improves event analysis accuracy and reliability in a wide range of test and measurement applications, from data centers to long-haul applications.
The software is designed to aid technicians who need to test new fiber cable installations and locate faults in deployed fiber-optic networks using either multimode fiber or singlemode fiber. AFL’s OTDRs display a trace of the link under test and report pass/fail results for optical losses that can be caused by such factors as imperfect splices or fiber-optic connectors as well as micro- or macro-bends in fibers. Fiber length is reported along with location and loss of detected events.
“The introduction of TruEvent Technology provides industry-leading event analysis that makes AFL’s newest models the most accurate OTDRs in the market,” adds AFL‘s Kellett. “Our research focused on developing software that reported all events accurately, while not reporting false events. More accuracy translates into faster, lower-cost troubleshooting and data you can count on.”
AFL says that several additional M710 OTDR models with the TruEvent Technology will be available by mid-year.