[chbot] Willowbank fibre network.

[Peter Ellens]

On 11/20/19 12:01 AM, Andy Gardner wrote:
>
> Is fitting a connector on the end as difficult as splicing two fibres 
> together to lengthen a cable?

You typically splice "pig tails" on the end of your fiber. They have 
connectors at one end.

What you normally have is a big coil on the wall at each end of the 
filly insulated multi core fiber that is run between buildings. (as it 
is better to have to much than to little fiber) This is joined to 
pigtails in a box on the wall. You then run patch cables from that box 
to your equipment.   (because we where cheap, we didn't use a box, we 
just ran the pigtails into our gear, but we knew it was physically 
secure and unlikely to ever be damaged or even touched. Not a 
recommended practice)

But I have put connectors on, we made our own patch cables. On large old 
ST connectors. Its is fiddly.  You strip the fiber bare, fill the 
connector with epoxy, poke the fiber through the connector (fiber poking 
out). Wait for it to cure, cleave off the excess fiber a little way from 
the end and then grind the end down smooth to an optical finish.  It 
takes a while.... It was all done by hand.