FO Cable Port and Connector Types

Various different types of connectors are used for terminating the Fibers of Fiber-Optic (FO) cables. 

Here is a description of various standard Port / Connector types which are commonly used for terminating the FO cables. :

 

1. BFOC (ST ) Connectors
BFOC ( Bayonet Fiber Optic Connectors ) - Polularly known as ST ( Stick & Twist ) connectors are used for many devices e.g. Profibus Optical Link Modules OLMs and SCALANCE X100 and X200 series of switches.
 

Fig-1 - BFOC (ST) - Socket & Connector


2. SC Connectors

SC connectors are standard connectors for fiber optic cables. The SC connector is usually found in the duplex version, but can be used as a simplex connector by disconnecting it from the separator bar.  


Fig-2 - SC  - Socket & Connector

3. SC RJ Connectors

SC RJ45 is the smallest SC duplex plug-in connector. These are used in many new devices.
The overall size of the Sockets is about the same size as Ethernet RJ45 Ports. These are commonly used in devices with replacable / selectable ports.

Fig-2 - SC (RJ45) - Socket & Connector


4. LC Connectors

 LC connectors are highly compact "small form factor" (SFF) connectors of the new generation. The connector is available as a duplex version and is locked by the push/pull mechanism. They are used above all for connecting to SFP plug-in transceivers.


Fig-2 - LC - Socket & Connector



 

Different Types of Fiber Optic cables

The following fiber optic cables are available for Industrial Ethernet:

• Glass fiber optic cable
• PCF FO (Polymer Cladded Fiber)
• POF FO (Polymer Optical Fiber)

The following fiber optic cables are available for PROFIBUS:

• Glass fiber optic cable
• PCF FO (Polymer Cladded Fiber)
• Plastic FO

The table below gives you an overview of the connectors for connecting the above-mentioned fiber optic cables to the optical connections of the network components and terminals.