DIN EN 61300-3-4:2013-11

This part of IEC 61300 describes the various methods available to measure the attenuation of optical components. It is not, however, applicable to dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) components, for which IEC 61300-3-29 should be used. This connection technique is a centerpiece of optical fibre communication systems and thus represents a failure-relevant part in optical fibre cabling. This cable is present in many areas of today's communication technology. Mobile/cellular phone calls are transferred via fibre optic routes from the transmitter and receiver stations to landlines; the connections of the network nodes of the telecommunication network and also modern DSL and data highways would be impossible without these fast transmission lines. In order to satisfy the ever-growing demand for bandwidths of companies and private users, entire computer centers are being equipped with more and more parallel multimode routes. The currently introduced fibre-to-the-home projects, by which these glass fibre networks are extended to the end user, increase the range of bandwidth necessary in the computer center. This makes it even more important to ensure quality of the passive optical network components present in this environment. The ever-decreasing power budgets of modern transmission methods such as the 10 Gigabit/s Ethernet or, also, the forthcoming 40/100 Gigabit/s Ethernet, can only be reached with perfectly polished and controlled endfaces. For this purpose, in 2010, DIN EN 61300-3-35, "Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and measurement procedures - Part 3-35: Examinations and measurements - Fibre optic connector endface visual and automated inspection" was published. This standard specifies various variations and different cases to ensure that the measurements are carried out with equal accuracy by all parties involved in network construction and operation. The responsible committee is DKE/UK 412.7 "LWL-Verbindungstechnik und passive optische Komponenten" ("Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive optical components") of the DKE (German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) at DIN and VDE.