Digital-frequency locking system
The DFL-5720 digital-frequency locking system enables the integration of wavelength lockers with frequency-tuning devices such as tunable lasers. The system automatically or manually locks the frequency of a laser source to a reference optical filter like a gas absorption line or a Fabry-Perot transmission peak. With its three programmable input and output ports, the DFL-5720 is a versatile, standalone instrument that uses advanced digital processing to control the frequency of a large variety of tunable devices with precision down to 50 MHz. It replaces an oscilloscope, two function generators, a lock-in amplifier, a feedback loop controller, and a programmable signal-processing computer.
EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc., Quebec City, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 301 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw
Multichannel meters
The RX3 series multichannel meters, which measure insertion loss and backreflection for single-fiber connectors as well as multifiber-ribbon connectors, have added two features: three-laser wavelength testing and a 10-mm indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) detector. The meter's third internal laser allows cable-connector and passive-component manufacturers to measure wider optical wavelength ranges when testing components and connector assemblies. It measures seven different output sources, from 850- and 1310-nm multimode to 1310-, 1480-, 1550-, 1625-, and 1650-nm singlemode. The built-in InGaAs detector measures high-count 24-channel ribbon cables. While the detector adds increased span of power detection, the RX3 meter retains its capability to measure low backreflection at -75 dB.
JDS Uniphase, Ottawa, Ontario, and San Jose, CA, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 302 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw
Dynamic gain equalizer
Built on the company's Programmable Optical Processor (POP) platform and powered by its Simple Subsystem Management Protocol, the POP1020 SmartDGE dynamic gain equalizer (DGE) allows optical systems vendors to automatically manage and control wavelength power and balance channel output, without having to attenuate strong signals. Instead SmartDGE amplifies weaker signals, monitoring each incoming signal and adjusting its amplification accordingly to achieve an equal output level without the need for an optical performance monitor. With a speed of 200 microsec, the DGE is transient-resistant. It is designed for metro WDM applications.
Dowslake Microsystems, Santa Clara, CA, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 304 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw
Variable-gain EDFA series
The MGMFV-1 variable-gain erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) series is designed to deal with the increasingly dynamic nature of the metro-networking environment, offering more flexibility through its intelligent remote provisioning capabilities, improved gain control, and smaller form factor. Delivering the functionality and performance of traditional fixed-gain amplifiers, MGMFV-1 handles rapidly changing input powers through high-speed gain control as signals are added, dropped, and split from and switched around the network. Simultaneously, the amplifier maintains accurate output power control with minimum overshoot and undershoot errors, enabling dynamic networking. It improves on fixed-gain EDFAs by integrating a variable optical attenuator (VOA) to allow flexible gain settings. Housed in a compact package (150x125x20.3 mm), the amplifier has several options to accommodate an adjustable gain range (10-25 dB in the C-band), output power (17 dBm), and VOA configurations. Its electrical connector is based on the DB25 standard interface, and its dual-load-capable firmware can support a range of protocols.
Nortel Networks UK Ltd., Berkshire, UK, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 306 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw
Add/drop multiplexer
The WavelengthDirector optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) allows carriers the flexibility of software provisioning and can add and drop wavelengths with single-channel granularity along network routes. It is based on next-generation optical filtering technology that allows very small portions of the optical spectrum to be selectively added and dropped. According to the company, the OADM allows significant reductions in capital and operational costs associated with deploying networks by replacing back-to-back terminals that process all wavelengths with a device that processes only the wavelengths needed at the site.
Ciena Corp., Linthicum, MD, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 307 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw
Optical link design software
The LinkSIM Version 3.2 optical communications system design software enhancements include a new physics-based erbium-doped fiber-amplifier (EDFA) model, dispersion maps, and upgraded layout features. The EDFA model provides a variety of pump and signal configurations to match most systems and supports component specifications at multiple levels of complexity. The dispersion map shows accumulated dispersion versus link distance along an optical communications system, ensuring signal integrity for a specified system length and making it simpler to design a dispersion compensation scheme for long-haul links such as 10- and 40-Gbit/sec systems. The layout features make it faster to model large, complex WDM systems-a single icon can now represent entire arrays of physical components, saving time and effort in defining and changing parameters when running simulations.
RSoft Design Group Inc., Ossining, NY, FOR FREE DATA, enter NO. 312 at www.onlinecenter.to/lw