Webinar Recap: Passive Optic Interconnect Solutions

Our latest webinar was the first of a two-part series on optical interconnect solutions. In this first part, Ed LaMacchia, Radiall’s Director of Technical Sales, shared details about passive optics at Radiall, including optical termini, interconnects and cable assemblies. Continue reading for an overview of the webinar, or listen to the full session here.

Radiall’s mission is to provide complete end-to-end optical solutions for harsh environments by converting electrical signals to fiber optics, then transmitting the signals through active devices, through a number of interconnects and finally to a receiver where the optics are converted back to electrical signals. We provide all of the interconnect links along the way, as well as expertise in training kits, preparation tools, cleaning tools and measurement tools.

Our passive optic solutions are ideal for a variety of applications, including downhole drilling, factory automation, optical inspection equipment, in-flight entertainment, phased array radar, electronic warfare, video displays and more.

LuxCis
Radiall developed the LuxCis contact in the early 2000s, and it was later designated as the ARINC 801 standard for the aerospace industry. It is similar in mechanical ability to the LC, which is a piston spring-loaded solution, but it has been ruggedized for robust and demanding applications. The LuxCis termini can be installed in a wide variety of interconnects. We also have a wide varity of adapters to convert the size 16 LuxCis into a size eight cavity.

MTitan Series
Radiall’s MTitan series features MT-based, parallel optic, ruggedized solutions. At the center of these solutions is the MT ferrule, which we protect for multi-channel transmission.

C-MTITAN
In this contact, C stands for cartridge. It is a tool-less system for inside the box solutions. This is compatible with 12 or 24 ribbon fibers. At the center of C-MTitan is the MT ferrule, which is compliant with the IEEE standards. It can be organized into an EPX connector, which has five cavities of either 12 or 24 channels in each cavity, so there is a massive amount of bandwidth that you can achieve in a very small package. You can use a mountable adapter to mate two C-MTitans together in a quick tool-less disconnect and reconnect solution. C-MTitan is fully qualified and has been available for a number of years.

Q-MTITAN
With the Q in its name representing Quadrax, Q-MTitan fits inside a standard size eight electrical Quadrax cavity. We surround the MT ferrule with a ruggedized outer shell, which serves as an alignment feature for robust environments. It is primarily used for outside of the box applications for multi-channel transmissions that require harsh environment cables. The contact has a rubber boot that acts as a centering and sealing mechanism. Unlike so many of the 38999 connectors that are available on the market today, it does not require a custom insert and can be used with or without a backshell. This results in a tremendous cost savings. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars on a fiber optic connector that has fiber optic insert, you can use standard size eight electrical connectors with the Q-MTitan. This contact has been designated as the ARINC 846 industry standard.

Listen to the full webinar here, and stay tuned for part two on Radiall’s active optic solutions.