Outline:
1. History and Development of Fiber Optics
• Tyndall’s guided light experiment
• Bell’s photophone
• Key innovators
• First US systems
• Development timeline
• Advantages of optical fiber systems

2. Fiber Optic Transmission Theory
• Structure of the optical waveguide
• Total internal reflection
• Fiber types
• Basic fiber parameters

3. Fiber Manufacturing
• Laydown
• Consolidation
• Draw

4. Fiber Optic Cable Design
• Terminology review
• Design objectives
• Classes of fiber protection
• Loose tube cable
• Tight-buffered cable
• Specialty Cables

5. Practical Exercise
• Demonstrate loose tube cable sheath removal and fiber access
• Illustrate fan-out kit installation for direct termination of loose tube cable
• Discuss application for wire mesh pulling grip

6. Fiber Cable Placement Overview
• Comparison of optical fiber and metallic media installation concerns
• Basic installation parameters
• Key points for “pre-pull”
• Key points for short indoor runs
• Key points for long outdoor runs
• Key points for “post-pull”

7. Fiber Termination
• Function of fiber connectors
• Fiber connector types
• Field installation advantages and disadvantages
• Factory termination advantages and disadvantages
• Techniques for installing factory-terminated solutions
• Techniques for field installation
• Field installation critical steps

8. Practical Exercises
• Demonstrate installation of anaerobic field installable connector
• Construct MM, 900 micron jumpers using anaerobic connectors
• Demonstrate installation of FAST™ Connector

9. Field Testing
• Identify the basic fiber optic field tests
• Basic visual/continuity check
• Applications of the attenuation test set
• Use of the light source and power meter
• Applications of the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)
• Use Optical Fiber Identifiers
• Generating an OTDR baseline trace
• OTDR trace interpretation

10. Fiber Splicing
• Applications for splicing
• Selection of splice hardware
• Selection of splice solution
• Types of fusion splicers

11. Practical Exercises
• Demonstrate fiber cleaning, preparation and cleaving
• Demonstrate single-mode fusion splicing with both v-groove and core alignment machines
• Complete single-mode fusion splices with both v-groove and core alignment machines

12. Practical Exercises
• Evaluate connector end-face using a 200x microscope
• Demonstrate jumper attenuation loss measurement using the light source and meter
• Evaluate jumpers constructed in class using the light source and meter
• Demonstrate connector event loss measurement and length measurement using the OTDR
• Measure connector event loss and fiber spool length using the OTDR

13. Standards and Codes
• Fire code listings on optical fiber cables
• Introduction to standards and codes reference material in
course book

14. Attenuation Budgeting
• Standard attenuation metrics
• Class exercise: compute a link loss budget

15. Wrap-up and Review