6-4 CHAPTER 6: TROUBLESHOOTING THE SYSTEM
Cleaning Dirty Fiber Optic Ports and Connectors
Fiber optic transceivers are sensitive optical devices.
Handle them carefully. If dirt collects on a fiber optic
lens, the associated LED may not light. You may also
notice degradation in port performance, indicated by
an increase in the Link Error Rate (LER) count on a
port.
To prevent dust from collecting on the fiber optic lens,
keep the dust covers on the ports at all times when
they are not in use.
WARNING: Follow all safety precautions in Chapter 3
when working with fiber optic components.
To clean a fiber optic lens, take these steps:
1Remove any accumulated dust or debris from the port
or connector by blowing across all surfaces with a
canned air duster.
Compressed gas is recommended, such as
Chemtronics’ Ultrajet or the Triangle Tool Group’s
Liqui-Tool Dust-A-Way. Do not use commercial
compressed air or “house air” because of the risk of
oil contamination.
2Reconnect the cable to the port to check whether
dusting has corrected the problem.
3Gently wipe the ports with a lint-free, nonabrasive,
nonadhesive swab. Microswabs by Texwipe are
recommended.
4Gently wipe the connectors with a lint-free,
nonabrasive wipe or pad. Texwipe pads are
recommended.
Avoid touching any surface after you clean the
connectors.