| Question | Answer |
| Fiber Optic Cable | A cable comprised of light-conducting glass encased in plastic fibers and surrounded by protective cladding and a durable outer sheath |
| Coaxial Cable | A cable comprised of two conductors that share the same axis. There is a center cable, then plastic foam, then a second cable, then foil wrap, then a plastic sheath |
| Coax Cable Termination | Coax cable must be terminated at both ends. Terminate by connecting inner wire to outer wire via a resistor of a specific size. No data transmission possible without termination. |
| 10Base5 (Ethernet)
Cable Type
Termination (ohms) | RG8 and RG11
50 |
| 10Base2 (Ethernet)
Cable Type
Termination (ohms) | RG58
50 |
| Cable TV
Cable Type
Termination (ohms) | RG59
75 |
| ARCnet
Cable Type
Termination (ohms) | RG62
93 |
| Facts about Coax Cabling
Cost
Ease of Installation
Capacity
Attenuation
EMI | Moderate (30-40 cents/ft)
Clumsy for workstations, good for connecting buildings or hubs
1-100 Mbps, 10 most common
Moderate to low. Max 1000s of meters w/ repeaters
Some EMI sensitivity |
| Coax Cable grounding | The outer conductor grounded at one end. Most terminators have a grounding wire that can be attached to an Earth ground (eg. a water pipe). |
| BNC | Bayonet Nut Connector
A 2-pin coax cable connector that uses a slide lock to hold a connection together |
| F-Type Connector | A coax cable connector used for Cable TV |
| Fiber Optic Cable
-Cost
-Ease of Installation
-Attenuation
-EMI Immunity
-Max Speed | Moderate to Expensive
Tedious and expensive
Extremely low, max distance <=2 km
EMI Immune, highly secure
4 Gb/Sec |
| Fiber Optic Cable Classification | Common cables are classified by core diameter in microns
-Almost all LAN fiber cable has a 63.5 micron core, and the outer diameter is 125 microns, so it is classified as 62.5/125 cable |
| MMF
-Core diameter
-Transmission method | Multi-mode Fiber (Cable)
-Usually 62.5 microns (50 microns also avail.)
-Light travels down the cable in many rays (modes)
-works with LED light sources of different wavelengths, depending on desired speed |
| SMF
-Core diameter
-Transmission method | Single-mode Fiber (Cable)
-9 microns
-Light travels down the cable in one ray (mode)
-Optimal for very fast transmissions |
| FSD | Fixed Shroud Device
-A common Fiber Optic Cable connector |
| ST | -A common Fiber Optic Cable connector
-A keyed BNC-style connector |
| SC | -A common Fiber Optic cable connector
-Is an Int'l std. push/pull connector
-Has a single duplexed chip for send and receive fibers |
| LC | -A common Fiber Optic cable connector
-Developed by Lucent Corp.
-A smaller connector for saving space on patch panels |
| MTRJ | -A common Fiber Optic cable connector
-Has a small form factor
-Can be used with MMF and SMF fiber |
| SMA | -A common Fiber Optic cable connector
-A threaded connector that is no longer used because twisting the fiber to connect/disconnect the cable scratched the core |
| Fiber Optic Cable Connector Mounting | Used to be a tedious process of cutting and polishing the fiber before mounting the connector
-Now cutters polish at the same time, which makes it much easier |
