Rail
Specialist fibre optic technology overcomes data link obsolescence in rail applications
Fibre optics has mostly replaced copper wire communications in rail and mass transit applications, as well as in other sectors such as marine, automotive, aerospace and defence
I
n use in the rail industry since the late 1970s, fibre optic links are most commonly found in train braking systems and signal transmission applications, where they provide light- speed data links between essential systems. They offer other key advantages too: the ability to be optically isolated to protect sensitive electronic equipment from electrical spikes; interference-free control signal transmission; and last but not least, security – they are one of the most secure means of data transmission available, being almost impossible to tamper with or modify without very specialised knowledge and equipment.
Although in common use, the 40-year lifespan of trains places considerable demands on engineers when replacing or repairing fibre optic links, as necessary parts are frequently found to be obsolete. The same applies to mass transit systems
using optical fibre for signalling. One solution for one-off repairs or complete systems is offered by British company, OMC, a long-established specialist manufacturer of standard and bespoke fibre-optic components using both polymer and multimode fibre, including transmitter/receiver devices, connectors, housings and joiners. OMC’s proprietary technology, Active Alignment, offers a solution to the problem of unobtainable fibre optic parts, as it enables the performance of each and every device involved in the fibre optic system to be exactly matched to precise requirements. If replacement transmitters or receivers are required to simply replace ageing parts to the same or similar specification as those currently installed, OMC can easily produce them to the required specifications. Active Alignment technology can not only be used to
optimise system performance, it can also be used to tune it down, so it offers particular advantages for data transmission in extended lifetime products. If a complete fibre-optic system needs to be replaced, OMC carries out the necessary optical budget calculations from the customer-supplied technical requirements and manufactures a new, matching custom link. The alternative to using OMC’s Active Alignment technology would be to remove the controller cards and start again, which means re- designing all the electronics, so not only is turnaround time faster, network downtime can be avoided. OMC also produces cables to specific customer requirements rather than just offering off-the-shelf data links. This service is suitable if old cables need to be swapped for new ones, especially in installations where thousands of replacement cables featuring different lengths are required. OMC’s manufacturing facility is designed to accommodate exactly this sort of requirement cost-effectively. Individual identification tags can be attached to the ends of each cable to
make installation faster, more cost-effective and to avoid mating mistakes.
Even if connectors on existing cable sets
require replacing but have since become obsolete, engineers don’t necessarily have to renew the complete fibre-optic system. As OMC manufactures connectors and holds designs for many connectors which used to be popular, the company is able to remake many connector types and terminate cables with them. OMC’s engineers can even completely re-engineer an obsolete connector type if required.
www.omc-uk.com
www.cieonline.co.uk
Components in Electronics
June 2016 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56