EXFO MaxTester MAX-94x Handheld Fiber Certification Series

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Automatic optical tester series EXFO MaxTester 94x specially designed for detailed characterization of single-mode and multimode optical fibers and their certification. Devices of this series are excellent for the construction and subsequent maintenance of structured cabling systems (SCS) of industrial enterprises, office centers and data processing centers (data centers).

The EXFO MaxTester 94x series consists of four models. Three models with the number 940 perform all types of measurements except reflection measurement (ORL). The MAX-945-ICERT-Q1-QUAD performs all types of measurements, including reflection. Automatic fiber certification requires two devices (one at each end of the fiber). This mode of operation is called FasTesT, it allows you to perform the entire set of measurements of the parameters of one fiber, including its certification, in just 5 seconds. You can download a full description of all the characteristics of EXFO MaxTester 94x below on this page in the section Documentation.

Main characteristics:
Wavelengths: 1310 nm and 1550 nm (model MAX-940-ICERT-SM1).
Wavelengths: 850 nm and 1300 nm (model MAX-940-ICERT-Q1).
Wavelengths: 850 nm, 1300 nm, 1310 nm and 1550 nm (model MAX-940-ICERT-Q1-QUAD).
Wavelengths: 850 nm, 1300 nm, 1310 nm and 1550 nm (model MAX-945-ICERT-Q1-QUAD).
Operating modes: insertion loss measurement, reflection measurement (model MAX-945), fiber length measurement, radiation source, power meter.
Complete set of bidirectional fiber tests in 5 seconds (FasTesT mode).
Automatic fiber certification to meet various standards.
Ability to connect video microscopes of the series EXFO FIP-400B.
Russified interface. 2 GB internal memory (150,000 results).
17.8 cm widescreen touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution).
Interfaces: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi (RF option), Bluetooth (RF option).
Battery life: till 12 o'clock. Rugged and comfortable case design.
Weight: 1.5 kg. Dimensions: 166 x 200 x 68 mm. Working temperature: from -10°С to +50°С.
Maximum features for fast and accurate optical fiber certification

Impressive feature set for fiber measurement and certification

The portable testers of the EXFO MaxTester 94x series are ideal for quality assurance and certification of fiber optic systems. Compact and convenient body, large touch screen, user interface in Russian, fast microprocessor, capacious battery - all this allows you to very effectively measure the parameters of hundreds of fibers during the whole working day.

Two identical devices are required for operation - one for each end of the fiber. During the measurement, one device acts as a master (the test settings are set on it), and the second - as a slave. Both devices are completely interchangeable and display full information about the course of the measurement itself and its results. This photo shows a pair of instruments after a duplex measurement (two fibers at once). As you can see, the information on their screens is the same and very detailed, which allows the engineer at the far end of the fiber to fully participate in the work.

FasTesT Simplex mode - complete fiber certification in 5 seconds

A pair of MaxTester 940 or MaxTester 945 testers can fully measure a single fiber in two directions and at two wavelengths in just 5 seconds. The MaxTester 940 testers will measure insertion loss and fiber length, while the MaxTester 945 testers will also measure reflection (ORL - Optical Return Loss).

This figure shows a screen shot of one of the two EXFO MaxTester 945 certifiers after successfully running the FasTesT Simplex test. The parameters of one single-mode fiber were measured at two wavelengths (1310 nm and 1550 nm) and in two directions (from A to B and from B to A). At the top of the screen for each of the two wavelengths, the largest insertion loss (Insertion Loss) is shown: 3.46 dB at a wavelength of 1310 nm and 4.40 dB at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Below are the reflectance values (return loss) for each wavelength and for each of the test directions - a total of four values. The measured length of this fiber is displayed at the bottom of the screen: 4 kilometers and 463 meters.

FasTesT Duplex mode - certifies a pair of optical fibers in 2.6 seconds

The FasTesT Duplex test is designed to certify systems that use a separate fiber for each direction of transmission (duplex transmission). In this type of test, the insertion loss of each fiber is measured in only one direction (data direction). Also, the FasTesT Duplex test measures the length of the fibers, but does not measure their reflection. It requires a pair of EXFO MaxTester 940 or EXFO MaxTester 945 testers. The test itself is very fast - certification of two fibers at two wavelengths is completed in less than 3 seconds.

This screenshot shows the screen of one of the two EXFO MaxTester 940 certifiers after running the FasTesT Duplex test. The insertion loss of two multimode OM3 fibers was measured at two wavelengths (850 nm and 1300 nm). One fiber (upper in the screenshot) was measured in the direction from A to B, and the second in the opposite direction (from B to A). The first fiber successfully passed the test (losses were 2.38 dB and 1.31 dB), while the second fiber was defective (losses were 11.47 dB and 10.53 dB). The length of the fibers is displayed at the bottom: 526.1 meters.

If you click on the "Pass" icon, you can see a list of standards for which the measured parameters of the corresponding fiber meet the criteria. You can choose the standards themselves in the device settings. Their list contains all the necessary standards: both for the physical layer of the fiber itself, and for the transmitted protocol and transmission speed. How it looks is shown in the screenshot below.

Automatic verification of optical connectors for compliance with IEC and IPC standards

According to statistics collected by leading international operators, about half of all optical network failures are due to contamination or defects in optical connectors. Therefore, to ensure the reliability of networks, it is necessary to introduce the practice of 100% verification and documentation of the quality of all optical connections. To unify this process, international standards IEC and IPC have been developed, which describe the methods and criteria for such testing.

The EXFO MaxTester 940 and MaxTester 945 optical fiber certifiers are fully compatible with the range of video microscopes EXFO FIP-400B, which allow you to check and document the condition of optical connectors in less than 10 seconds in a fully automatic mode. The image from any FIP-400B series microscope is displayed directly on the screen of the MaxTester, which also provides processing, analysis for compliance with standards and documentation of results.