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Appendix
Appendix. Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines and Electrostatic
Discharge Precautions
A.1 Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines
Fiber optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to contamination
by particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path and cause
performance degradation. Good system performance requires clean optics and
connector ferrules.
1. Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own fiber) only from
a reputable supplier; low-quality components can cause many hard-to-diagnose
problems in an installation.
2. Dust caps are installed at Black Box to ensure factory-clean optical devices.
These protective caps should not be removed until the moment of connecting
the fiber cable to the device. If you disconnect the fiber device, reinstall the
protective dust caps.
3. Store spare caps in a dust-free environment, such as a sealed plastic bag or
box, so that when reinstalled they do not introduce any contamination to the
optics.
4. If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate between
blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with methanol to remove
particles of dirt.
A.2 Electrostatic Discharge Precautions
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can cause damage to any product, add-in modules,
or standalone units containing electronic components. Always observe the
following precautions when installing or handling these kinds of products:
1. Do not remove unit from its protective packaging until ready to install.
2. Wear an ESD wrist grounding strap before handling any module or component.
If the wrist strap is not available, maintain grounded contact with the system
unit throughout any procedure requiring ESD protection.
3. Hold the units by the edges; do not touch the electronic components or gold
connectors.
4. After removal, always place the boards on a grounded, static-free surface, ESD
pad, or in a proper ESD bag. Do not slide the modules or standalone units over
any surface.
WARNING: Integrated circuits and fiber optic components are extremely
susceptible to electrostatic discharge damage. Do not handle these
components directly unless you are a qualified service technician, and use tools
and techniques that conform to accepted industry practices.