What is APC and UPC in fiber?
The main difference between APC and UPC connectors is the fiber endface. APC connectors feature a fiber endface that is polished at an eight-degree angle; UPC connectors are polished with no angle. UPC connectors are not exactly flat, however; they have a slight curvature for better core alignment.
Which is better APC or UPC connector?
There is no doubt that the optical performance of APC connectors is better than UPC connectors. In the current market, the APC connectors are widely used in applications such as FTTx, passive optical network (PON) and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) that are more sensitive to return loss.
Are APC and UPC interchangeable?
Simple answer is – yes, they are different, and no, you shouldn’t use them together. UPC stands for Ultra Physical Contact connector. It refers to the connector with a flat polished end like in the image below.
What is UPC fiber connector?
UPC Fiber Connector UPC is the acronym for Ultra Physical Contact. It is an improvement of the PC fiber connector with a better surface finish after an extended polishing and the return loss is better than PC structure, nearly -50dB or higher.
What are APC and UPC connectors?
Where are APC connectors used?
APC connectors handle multi-play systems which are why they are mostly employed in Radio Frequency (RF) applications, like CATV or Distribution Antenna Systems. They are also used in optical passive applications, such as PON networks architectures or passive optical LANs.
What is the difference between blue and green fiber connectors?
Blue singlemode connectors feature a UPC (ultra physical contact) fiber endface, while green singlemode connectors feature an APC (angled physical contact) fiber enface. And yes, it’s important to understand the difference – especially when it comes to testing.
Can you connect SC UPC to SC APC?
It is a hybrid adapter, the male side is a SC/UPC connector, the female side is a SC/APC which has a 8 degree angle. This is a single mode adapter. You can plug in SC/APC connector on the female side, which is then converted to SC UPC without angle, usually used for your SFP transceiver port.
What is the difference between SC UPC and SC APC?
Generally speaking, SC APC connector and SC UPC connector are distinct from each other based on fiber end face. SC APC connector is polished with an 8-degree angle, while SC UPC connector is polished with no angle, which causes difference in light reflection.
What does FC APC stand for?
Angled Physical Contact
The connectors are typically designated “FC/APC” (for Angled Physical Contact), or merely “FCA”.
What does APC stand for fiber?
Angle Polished Connector
APC stands for Angle Polished Connector. It is the green connector in the picture below. Note that the tip of the white ceramic has an angle on it. This angle prevents backreflections which will seriously degrade the performance of any analog fiber optic system, such as CATV and Satellite.
Why are there multiple connector types for fiber optic cables?
Fiber optic cables utilize a few different connectors that can be used to terminate the cable. While they do bear some similarities, each kind has a different enough size and shape that they are not interchangeable.
Should I use APC or UPC for optical fiber signals?
With those applications that call for high precision optical fiber signaling, APC should be the first consideration, but less sensitive digital systems will perform equally well using UPC.
What is a UPC fiber connector?
UPC Fiber Connector UPC is the acronym for Ultra Physical Contact. It is an improvement of the PC fiber connector with a better surface finish after an extended polishing and the return loss is better than PC structure, nearly -50dB or higher.
Why do we use APC connectors?
Since some applications are more sensitive to return loss, APC connectors are preferred in these fields, for instance, in higher wavelength range like those used for RF video signals, especially FTTx applications and for applications such as passive optical networks and other WDM systems using high wavelength via single mode fiber.
What is PCPC fiber connector?
PC fiber connector refers to the connector that is polished in the physical contact style. It is the most common polish type that is found on OM1 and OM2 multimode fiber.