Characteristics, application areas, and procurement solutions of industrial grade optical modules

1、 Characteristics of industrial grade optical modules

Optical modules can be classified into commercial grade (0 ℃ -70 ℃), expansion grade (-20 ℃ -85 ℃), and industrial grade (-40 ℃ -85 ℃) based on their operating temperature range. Generally, commercial grade optical modules are required for indoor use, but industrial grade optical modules are required for outdoor use in harsh environments with uncertain and fluctuating temperatures (such as remote mountainous areas, tunnels, etc.).

2、 Application field

Industrial grade optical modules are commonly used in industrial and factory automation, outdoor applications, railway and intelligent transportation systems, power facility substations, industrial fiber optic medium converters or Ethernet switches in fields such as ocean, oil, natural gas, mining, etc. Industrial grade optical modules can meet the persistent stability of industrial Ethernet in harsh working environments.

3、 Purchase Plan

a. Packaging speed

1x9: Used for 0-2M

SFF: Used for 0-10M

SFP: Used for 0~10M, 155M, 1.25G, 2.5G, 6G optical modules

SFP+: Mainstream Packaging for 10G Optical Modules

Packaging form of SFP28:25G optical module

Packaging form of QSFP+: 40G optical module

QSFP28: Packaging Form of 100G Optical Module

When selecting optical modules, the relevant main equipment will specify the supported optical module packaging and speed.

b. Transmission distance

The transmission distance of optical modules can be divided into three types: short distance, medium distance, and long distance. Generally, short distance transmission refers to transmission distances below 2km, with a medium distance of 10-20km 30km refers to long-distance transmission, such as common 40km, 80km, 120km, etc. We can choose the appropriate transmission distance of the optical module based on the actual usage situation. Additionally, it should be noted that the transmission distance of the optical module we choose should be slightly larger than the actual application transmission distance, so as to Transmission quality.

c. Transmission method

Optical modules can be divided into single fiber optical modules and dual fiber optical modules based on their transmission methods. The single fiber optical module only has one fiber interface, and one fiber simultaneously transmits and receives optical signals; The dual fiber optical module has two fiber optic interfaces, connecting two fibers, with one transmitting and one receiving fiber. When selecting optical modules, it is important to note that if the opposite end optical module is a single fiber or dual fiber module, a consistent selection must be made to ensure connectivity.

d. Interface

Common optical modules include LC interface, SC interface, and MPO interface. The electrical module uses RJ45 interface. To achieve information exchange between optical modules, the two types of optical modules need to be connected. When selecting an optical module, it is important to match the jumper connector before inserting it for transmission.

e. Wavelength

Common optical module wavelengths include 850nm, 1310nm, 1550nm, CWDM, DWDM, etc. It should be noted that in the dual fiber transmission method, the wavelengths of the two interconnected optical modules must be consistent. Single fiber optical modules need to be used in pairs, for example, if one end has a wavelength of TX1310/RX1550nm (TX is the emitting wavelength, RX is the receiving wavelength), then the other end must choose an optical module with a transmitting and receiving wavelength of TX1550/RX1310nm.

f. Working temperature

The optical modules can be divided into:

Commercial grade temperature (0-70 ℃): Used in data hubs and enterprise data centers. Because air conditioning is installed inside the data hub and computer room to maintain room temperature

Extended temperature (-20-85 ℃): If used in outdoor nodes in tropical regions, modules with extended temperature can be considered.

Industrial grade temperature (-40-85 ℃): Used in outdoor, remote mountainous areas, tunnels and other environments with large temperature changes, the industrial grade optical module will import temperature compensation software, which is used to The optical module has a stable working current supply, and when the temperature changes, the temperature compensation software will take effect.

The optical module is greatly affected by temperature during operation. If the operating temperature of the optical module is too high or too low, the optical power will generally decrease, the sensitivity will decrease, and the eye diagram will deteriorate. In severe cases, it can cause communication data errors and even lead to the scrapping of the optical module. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the appropriate temperature level optical module according to the actual usage environment.

g. Compatibility

Equipment manufacturers of optical modules will encrypt their devices to varying degrees, which is what we call compatibility. Our own branded modules can only be used on our own devices, while other branded optical modules cannot be matched with our own devices. Compatibility manufacturers need to perform different compatibility adaptations on optical modules, and it is particularly important to effectively solve the adaptation problem.