Updates and Significance of Precision Cleaning and Inspection of Fiber Optic and Hybrid Fiber Optic/Copper Connections Including ‘Military Style’ Round Types

First published in 1998, standards for inspection and cleaning fiber optic surfaces are based on a two-dimensional understanding of the connector and debris. Of course, these structures are three-dimensional as are all types of associated debris and contamination. There is a “primary surface” as often defined by IEC 61300-3-35. There are also “secondary surfaces” which I coin as Zone-4 and Zone-5 that can be ‘soil points’ unstudied and not considered until this time. This limited understanding may have been more acceptable in 1998 when transmission rates were mere fractions of practical deployments in this time. Over the years, a wide range of inspection and cleaning products, methods and procedures were developed. Some work well, some are outdated; others poorly conceived. There is need for a new ‘future-proof’ understanding for all industry segments. There is need to re-train many thousands of misunderstandings and misimpressions. It's anecdotally stated that improper cleaning is 60% of ‘network problems’. What was ‘theoretical’ for fiber optics, regularly becomes ‘practical’. Not only are fiber optic connectors advanced into multiple fibers per connector, but also, hybrid connectors contain copper low-voltage and high-voltage termini in close proximity. Smaller connections, ever more difficult to see, also become problematic to clean. Cleaning fiber optic termini is essential: a soiled surface is not unlike looking through a dirty windshield! Connector technology is amazing and outpaces advances within the bookends of standards issued or updated every five to ten years. Military style connectors have advanced and, like SMPTE for broadcast, may be “pure fiber”, or hybrid types with fiber, power, and data transmissions. In recent times, military style connectors have included ‘multiple fiber’ (MT-Types” as well as standard SC/LC. FC and the like. No matter the deployment types, properly cleaning these surfaces assures highest quality transmissions. Cleaning fiber surfaces has evolved to ‘convenience’ rather than practical best practice. For example, it is common to use a ‘dry tool’ to clean ‘dry debris’ when in reality, this process can transfer debris, create a static field that attracts more debris, or (simply) is not effective. In other “real world applications” dry-cleaning is used for a surface that is “wet”! Copper surfaces can gall or fret from repeated insertions: these surfaces can be properly cleaned and inspected. Cleaning and inspection techniques must be updated, re-thought and retrained to include all connector types. This paper reflects more than two decades of practical experience to consider a new technique to precision clean and inspect fiber optic surfaces that results in 1^st time cleaning. This is essential as many connectors are cleaned without benefit of inspection. Although the work is based on more than 2,500 years of established science, it is controversial within the fiber optic community.