8. Wavelength/AUTO button - press the button to change the output wavelength for the selected port; hold the button to set the unit into AUTO mode (i.e. if two wavelengths are present, the source will alternate between these two wavelengths). When activating AUTO mode, the display will indicate AUtO
9. Power button
10. PORT select button - switches the unit between PORT A and PORT B.
11. 7-segment LED display - shows the currently selected wavelength, or any changes in status of the light source.
Applications
WaveSource light sources can be used as diagnostic and measurement tools of optical transmission systems and fiber optic links. These applications can be found in several industries, including premise, LAN, CATV, and Telco.
WaveSource fiber optic light sources are designed to emit a temperature-stabilized source of light to be used for optical loss measurement. The WaveSource serves as an optical reference, which is otherwise known as the “zero” point when a power meter is “zeroed”. Optical loss measurements are useful for measuring the attenuation, or loss, of a fiber link. The loss value can then be compared to a pre-calculated link budget, which is used to determine if the fiber link will operate within the parameters of the transmission equipment.
The formula for calculating loss in a fiber link is: L = Pa - Pr, where L is the amount of optical loss in dB, Pa is the absolute power in dbm, and Pr is the reference power in dBm.
Optical loss measurements can also be used for fiber optic link certification. Link certification is a process where optical loss measurements are compared to a link budget calculated using fiber optic cabling standards.