Reliable fibre optic connector system for standard SMA diode housing styles

OMC offers its Keyed SMA (KSMA) fibre optic system in all of its standard SMA diode housings. The KSMA connector and diode receptacle system for the company’s fibre optic transmitters and receivers provide the rotational consistency of a keyed connector combined with the security and reliability of the SMA connector and is perfect for optically demanding and long service life applications. Thanks to the rugged, all-metal design, the connector system is sturdy and suits multiple applications, across many industry sectors, including transportation, medical, industrial and consumer, aerospace, petrochemical and power distribution. The company's connector system provides a mechanical keyway mechanism that removes any rotational variation when a cable is mated to the transmitter or receiver, while also offering the same secure hexagonal lock-nut fixing found in their standard SMA connector. Ensuring there is no rotational variation within matings is beneficial because if a cable is disconnected and reconnected, traditional non-keyed SMA devices can turn throughout a full 360-degrees, perhaps resulting in performance variations and limiting repeatability, which can be a problem in optically-demanding applications. The lock-nut ensures the optical fibre is kept firmly in place, unlike spring-loaded connectors which can let the fibre move and alter the attenuation of the link if the cable is subjected to any tension. OMC’s commercial director, William Heath commented: “Designing the fibre optic element of a system can be very challenging, as most companies that manufacture transmitters and receivers do not necessarily specialise in fibre optic cables and vice-versa. We design, manufacture and test all our transmitters, receivers and cable assemblies at our UK facility and can control optical performance to meet application requirements exactly. As well as over thirty years’ experience in the industrial fibre optics sector, we recently expanded into a new purpose-built manufacturing facility and invested in new, state-of-the-art CNC machining equipment to produce our advanced fibre optic connector systems and components even more cost-effectively and with greater design freedom than ever before.” The company's fibre optic systems are used in braking systems on trains; engine monitoring systems; defence radar systems; machine vision in robotics; automotive crash testing; data transmission in CNC machinery in industrial applications; petrol pump control systems at filling stations; high-voltage systems and many other applications across many industry sectors.