Rugged fibre connector lowers profile

The innovative, lower profile design of the modular Pro Beam Mini connector shortens the connector length and reduces its weight by over half of the weight of the original Pro Beam Jr.

For more than 20 years, the demands of the rugged fibre optics industry have been met and often exceeded by Tyco Electronics' Pro Beam optical interconnect systems, and the latest version is the Pro Beam Mini connector.

The innovative, lower profile design of the modular Pro Beam Mini connector shortens the connector length and reduces its weight by over half of the weight of the original Pro Beam Jr.

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The Pro Beam Mini connector was developed to provide quality solutions for rugged optic applications requiring tightly packaged connections outside the circular standard.

This modified design minimises use of board real estate and meets connection needs in stacked/matrix applications.

By incorporating the latest in Expanded Beam optics technology, the Pro Beam Mini connector family provides a noncontacting, separable interface for high datarate connections in harsh environments prone to thermal, mechanical, and vibrational extremes.

Pro Beam connectors utilise Expanded Beam technology to collimate a transmission signal into an optical beam over 14 times its original signal diameter and up to 200 times its cross-sectional area for multimode, and up to 45 times its original signal diameter and up to 2000 times its cross-sectional area for single mode.

The blind mating of Pro Beam connectors promotes resiliency against damage to the fibre connection and signal transmission by sealing and protecting fibre behind a spherical lens.

According to Tyco Electronics' Product Manager Earle Olson: "By sealing the fibre ferrules behind 'safety glasses' we have lessened the overall probability of induced failure by dirt/dust ingress into the optical path and expanded the working area of the light beam".

"This means end users can avoid up to 95% of maintenance and repair operations (MRO) for traditional physical contact designs by utilising the Pro Beam connectors, and consequently save the service and applied costs of equipment retrieval and repair of interfaces in the field".

Expanded Beam fibre optic interconnection technology provides the reliability necessary for field deployable communications, oil/gas exploration, geophysical sciences, sporting events and outdoor filming, aerospace and railway, and other rugged applications.

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