Notes continued from transmission media…..
Fiber Optic cables
Fiber optics is defined as a technology that uses glass or plastic threads to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves. It is completely base on the principle of total internal reflection.
In fiber optics the optical transmission system has 3 components
- Light source
- Transmission medium
- Detector
The transmission medium is an ultrathin fiber of glass. The detector generates an electric pulse when the light falls on it.
Constituents
By attaching a light source to one end of an optical fiber and a detector to the other end, forms an unidirectional data transmission system that accepts an electrical signal , converts and transmits it by right pulses and then re converts the output to an electrical signal at the receiving end.
The core cable is in diameter. The core is surrounded by glass cladding with a high refraction index than the core
Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional metal communications lines:
- Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables. This means that they can carry more data.
- Fiber optic cables are less susceptible than metal cables to interference.
- Fiber optic cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires.
- Data can be transmitted digitally (the natural form for computer data) rather than analogically.
**The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to install. In addition, they are more fragile than wire and are difficult to splice.
Fiber optics is a particularly popular technology for local-area networks. In addition, telephone companies are steadily replacing traditional telephone lines with fiber optic cables. In the future, almost all communications will employ fiber optics.
If you want to watch how a fiber optics cable is made
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Questions
- What are optical fibers?
- What are the 3 basic components of a optical fiber cable?
- What are the advantages of using optical fiber cables?
Filed under: Data communication and Networking
