VOL-0563M - 3M Interconnect Solutions

VF-45™ Fiber Optic Connector

Quick Install Kit

Instructions

January 2004

78-8097-8734-0-D

• Cable Jacket Stripper

• Snips

• Buffer Stripper

• Duplex Stripper

• Puck Assembly

• Cotton Swabs

• Lint Free Cloths

• Alcohol Bottle

• Polishing Station

• Lapping Film

• Carrying Case

• Tool Pouch

• Instructions

• Cleaning Wires

• Fiber Microscope (with three adapters and case)

• Removable Cleave Blade

1.0 3M™ VF-45™ Fiber Optic Connector Quick Install Kit Contents

Warning: Do not touch cleave blade. Any material or solvent that contacts the blade can cause damage.

2.0 Features

The 3M™ VF-45™ Fiber Optic Connector Quick Install Kit is used to field terminate VF-45 multimode and single

mode sockets. The VF-45 sockets are dual optical fiber connectors that are primarily used in fiber-to-the-desk LAN

applications. The duplex fibers are terminated simultaneously using this tool kit.

The VF-45 Fiber Optic Connector Quick Install Kit has the following hardware features and benefits:

a) Carrying case for ease of use with compartments for all required tools.

b) Integrated installation tool comprising:

• Easy scribe and break of fibers to prepare for polishing

• Fiber stub catcher

• Slip resistant polishing base

• Tool pouch storage for all hand tools

• Adhesive backed lapping film for polishing

• Versatile dual illumination microscope with adapters for inspection of:

1) Polishing puck end-face

2) Patch cord plug-fibers

3) Standard ferruled connectors

c) All fiber measurements made with hand tools (no precise measuring)

d) Easy fiber insertion and socket assembly

e) Audible click verifies socket assembly

f) Cleaning with cotton swab

g) Quick assembly of VF-45 socket

h) Angle polishing for low loss, low reflectance connections

i) Replaceable polishing pad

j) Replaceable scribe assembly

k) Replaceable polishing face

Caution: Wear safety glasses during all work operations.

3.0 3M™ VF-45™ Socket

3.1 Contains the following:

a) Housing c) Boot

b) Socket fiber holder (SFH) d) Base

Note: The VF-45 Socket is sold separately.

4.0 Installation

4.1 Position polishing base.

At the patch panel area, place the polishing base on the

patch panel work tray or on a nearby suitable surface. At

the work area outlet, choose a suitable surface. Open the

hinged scribe cover.

Attach a sheet of lapping film to polishing surface of the

station. Removal of the release liner from lapping film

exposes adhesive backing to secure the lapping film to the

polishing surface.

Tech Tip: Before placement of the lapping film, clean the

polishing surface with a lint free wipe moistened

with isopropyl alcohol. Lapping film will last for

about 50 connectors.

Tech Tip: All Isopropyl Alcohol should be reagent grade, 99%

or better. The use of inferior alcohol will adversely

effect interconnect losses. This can be purchased

from a chemical supply house.

Note: Carefully follow safety, health and environmental

information on container label or Material Safety Data

Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used.

4.2 Position the polishing puck assembly.

Remove the polishing puck assembly from the storage

compartment beneath the polishing pad and place it on

the dovetail on top of the hinged scribe cover.

Open the top of the polishing puck assembly by

unlatching it from the side and opening it by its hinge to

expose the inner cavity.

4.3 Position socket fiber holder in polishing puck

assembly.

Ensure that the cavity is clean of debris and that the face

of the puck is in the up position. Position a socket fiber

holder into the cavity of the polishing puck assembly.

Tech Tip: Do not press on the activation cap of the SFH

during insertion. It should be held by the four

prongs only. (See insert)

4.4 Adjust the jacket stripper so they cut only the outer jacket

and not the Kevlar® strands. Move the stop location

with a small, flat-head screwdriver until the hole size is

correct.

4.5 Remove outer cable sheath.

Cut outer cable jacket at a length of 1 meter (39 in.) and

set tool aside.

Remove the outer sheath by pulling on the end of the

cable jacket, sliding it off the Kevlar® strands and inner

optical fiber buffer tubes. Do not use the tool to slide the

outer jacket off the inner Kevlar strands and buffer tubes.

Discard the outer jacket.

4.6 Remove Kevlar strands.

Use the snips to cut the Kevlar strands flush with the

cable jacket. Discard the strands.

Use a cable tie to strain relief cable in patch panel or

outlet within 2.5 mm (1 in.) of end of sheath.

Note: Do not over tighten the cable tie around the cable jacket.

Pinched fibers may experience optical power loss.

4.7 Even-up the fiber and buffer tube.

If the fiber extends past the buffer tube, trim the

end so the tube and fibers are the same length.

4.8 Position boot.

Place the boot onto the buffer tube, small end

first. Slide the boot along the buffer tube until it

is out of the way.

4.9 Remove buffer tube.

Verify that length guide is pushed flush against

back of tool. Insert the buffer tube into the buffer

tube stripper until it bottoms against the tool.

Squeeze the handles of the tool together and

pull the buffer tube off to expose the two 250 µ

optical fibers.

4.10 Strip the buffer coating from the fibers.

Insert both of the 250 µ fibers into the tube guide

of the dual fiber stripper until the buffer tube

is flush with the outer edge of the tube guide.

Squeeze the handles of the dual fiber stripper

together and pull the fibers out.

Note: Clean the stripper blades with the brush end of

the cleaning tool when needed. See “Dual Fiber

Stripper Maintenance” section.

orange

blue

4.11 Clean the fibers.

Moisten a section of a lint-free wipe with isopropyl

alcohol. Wipe the residue from the fibers using the

moistened lint-free wipe until the fibers squeak.

Tech Tip: All Isopropyl Alcohol should be reagent grade, 99%

or better. The use of inferior alcohol will adversely

effect interconnect losses. This can be purchased

from a chemical supply house.

Caution: Care should be used when handling fibers so as not

to break them, or to handle them in such a way that

they could penetrate your skin.

Note: Carefully follow safety, health and environmental

information given on container label or Material Safety

Data Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used.

4.12 Thread the fibers into the holder.

Spread the fibers slightly apart between your fingers

to feed them into the socket fiber holder. Refer to

label inside polishing puck for duplex A-B crossover

orientation. (e.g., patch panel A-to-B, outlet B-to-A).

Every link must cross (i.e. patch panel to patch panel).

Tech Tip: Make sure that the face of the polishing puck

assembly is in the closed position before the fibers

are inserted.

Slide the fibers along the fiber guide grooves of the

polishing puck assembly and into the socket fiber holder.

Fiber insertion is complete when the color coded fibers

enter the socket fiber holder and positively stop.

Tech Tip: If resistance is felt when inserting the fibers, back

the fibers out of the SFH and verify that all of the

coating residue has been removed then reinsert. If

resistance continues, it may be necessary to replace

the SFH.

Place the buffer tube into the strain relief foam so that

the two fibers are held with a slight bow in the socket

fiber holder.

Caution: Use care as bare fibers are now protruding through

the face of the polishing puck.

Caution: Care should be used when handling fibers so as not

to break them, or to handle them in such a way that

they could penetrate your skin.

4.12 Actuate the fiber holder.

Rotate and close the top section of the polishing puck

assembly by its hinge to actuate the socket fiber holder.

The top section will latch with an audible click when it is

fully closed.

4.13 Scribe and polish fibers.

Open the hinged scribe cover by rotating the polishing

puck assembly along with the dovetail to expose the

scribe area.

Lift the polishing puck assembly off of the dovetail.

Place the polishing puck assembly into the scribe

entrance by inserting the exposed fibers into the fiber stub

basin.

Caution: The catch basin of the polishing base should be

emptied often and before storing. Safely dispose of

fibers per your company’s practice. The basin should

only be used for fiber scraps, no other debris should

be inserted.

Tech Tip: Ensure that the polishing face is in the correct

orientation for the scribe motion. Note outline

of puck face in scribe track. Also, care should be

exercised in landing the polishing puck assembly

into the scribe entrance.

4.14 Move the polishing puck assembly smoothly through

the scribe channel. As the puck slides through the scribe

channel, continue the motion all the way across the

lapping film.

Tech Tip: Use caution when sliding puck through scribe

channel. Keep pressure on polishing puck. Do not

lift when going across scribe.

With medium pressure, slide the puck back and forth

across the entire length of the lapping film 10–15 times.

Use a different area of the film for each connector to

extend film life.

4.15 Clean the fibers.

Place the polishing puck assembly back onto the dovetail.

Moisten a lint-free wipe with isopropyl alcohol. Wipe the

polishing puck face assembly using the moistened lint-

free wipe.

Note: The puck face should feel completely smooth with

no fiber protrusion whatsoever. If resistance is felt,

continue to polish until the face is smooth.

Tech Tip: All Isopropyl Alcohol should be reagent grade, 99%

or better. The use of inferior alcohol will adversely

effect interconnect losses. This can be purchased

from a chemical supply house.

Tech Tip: This wipe can also be used to clean the lapping film.

Clean after every connector for maximum film use.

Note: Carefully follow safety, health and environmental

information on container label or Material Safety Data

Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used.

Warning: Do not touch cleave blade. Any material or solvent

that contacts the blade can cause damage.

4.16 Inspect the fibers.

Attach the VF-45 puck adapter to the fiber microscope.

 DANGER—LASER

DO NOT use the microscope to view active fiber signals under

ANY circumstances. Active fiber signals contain laser light, and

direct eye contact with laser light should be avoided. The failure

to avoid direct eye contact with laser light can result in serious

damage to the eye. The microscope may magnify the laser

light in active fiber signals; direct eye contact with magnified

laser light should be avoided.

Insert the polishing puck into the puck adapter. An

audible click will be heard when the puck is fully seated.

(Note: the adapter is keyed to accept the puck in only one

direction).

Press the LED toggle switch to the desired illumination

mode and focus image at the eyepiece.

The microscope will show either coaxial or oblique

lighting views based on the direction of the toggle switch.

Slide the adapter side to side to view each fiber

individually.

coaxial (II) oblique (I)

Examine the fiber ends for flaws. Any flaw in core of the fiber is unacceptable.

Coaxial Illumination—UNACCEPTABLE

Coaxial Illumination—ACCEPTABLE

Oblique Illumination—UNACCEPTABLE

Oblique Illumination—ACCEPTABLE

4.17 Rotate open the polishing face of the polishing puck

assembly to expose the ends of the fibers. Use a cotton

swab moistened with isopropyl alcohol to clean the fibers.

Clean both fibers by running the applicator along the

length of the two exposed fibers, toward the fiber ends.

Stroke past the ends of the fiber in an outward motion to

make sure the entire shaft of fiber has been cleaned.

Tech Tip: Two strokes of the applicator on each side of the

fiber should be adequate.

Note: Carefully follow safety, health and environmental

information on container label or Material Safety Data

Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used.

4.18 Socket Assembly.

Close the hinge scribe cover and open the polishing puck

assembly top by releasing the latch.

Leave the fiber holder in polishing puck assembly.

Align the “pins” of the housing over the “hinge” of the

fiber holder.

Snap the housing onto the socket fiber holder.

Remove the housing from the polishing puck assembly

(the fiber holder will be attached to the housing).

Make sure the SFH sits flush in the housing.

Hold the base and align the base “hinge” over the pins of

the housing. Snap the “hinge” over the “pins.”

Rotate the base on the housing until the housing and base

latch closed with an audible click.

4.19 Verify fiber position.

Open the housing door with the wooden end of the cotton

swab, and ensure that the fibers lie in the “V” grooves.

4.20 Boot Placement.

Slide the boot along the buffer tube onto the fiber holder

until fully seated.

The VF-45™ socket termination is complete.

5.0 Tool Maintenance

5.1 Scribe Blade Assembly

The scribe blade assembly can be replaced by pushing

down on the old blade assembly and sliding it out. A

new blade assembly can then be inserted into the slot and

pushed into place until the detent ball snaps in place.

Caution: The diamond scribe blade is very sharp and can be

damaged. Use care in this process. Do not touch

blade!

Warning: Do not touch cleave blade. Any material or solvent

that contacts the blade can cause damage.

5.2 Wear indicator of puck face is located to the left of the

ferrules. The face needs to be replaced when a white dot

appears. wear indicator

5.3 The face of the polishing assembly can be replaced in the

fields by depressing the spring on the bottom of the puck

assembly and snapping new face into place.

5.4 If insertion of the fiber becomes difficult, inspect the

fiber guide holes of the polishing face.

Use the fiber view scope to inspect the fiber guide holes.

Check for debris in the fiber guide holes.

5.5 Clean the fiber guide holes of the polishing face.

If the fiber guide holes become plugged, they may be

cleaned by opening the face of the polishing puck,

holding the alcohol bottle against the inside face area

and directing alcohol through the holes. If alcohol stream

does not dislodge debris, a piece of cleaning wire may be

used to clean the holes (included in kit).

Note: Carefully follow safety, health and environmental

information given on container label or Material Safety

Data Sheet for isopropyl alcohol being used.

clean

6.0 Dual Fiber Stripper Maintenance

6.1 Tube Guide

The stripper tube guide should be cleaned periodically

to ensure good performance. Remove the tube guide by

unlatching the tube lock with the white pushout tool. Pull

the tube guide out of the pivot housing.

6.2 Clean the inside of the tube guide with compressed

air. A length of unstripped fiber may also be used for

cleaning if compressed air is not available. Also clean

around the outside tip of the tube guide.

6.3 Stripper Blades - Cleaning

a) If the stripper performance is unsatisfactory after the

normal cleaning procedure, the stripper blades may

need to be removed from the handle assembly for a

more thorough cleaning.

b) Remove the tube guide per section 6.1. Use the push-

out tool to push the blades out of the handle assembly.

6.4 Remove all foreign material from the front and back

sides of the blades, especially around the semicircular

region.

6.5 Replace the blades in the pivot housing. The molded

recesses in the blades should face outward.

6.6 Insert the tube guide into the pivot housing. Secure the

tube guide with the tube guide lock.

After installing blades, tube guide, and tube lock, close

the handles once to align the blades.

6.7 Stripper Blades - Replacement

a) If the stripper performance is unsatisfactory after a thorough cleaning, the blades need to be replaced.

Remove the blades.

b) Place the new blades into the pivot housing.

7.0 3M™ VOL-0563M Microscope

7.1 In addition to being able to view the 3M™ VF-45™ puck

end face with VOL-0563M Microscope, it also comes

with additional adapters to enable to user to view the VF-

45 male plug fibers or a standard ferruled connector fiber.

 DANGER—LASER

DO NOT use the microscope to view active fiber signals under

ANY circumstances. Active fiber signals contain laser light, and

direct eye contact with laser light should be avoided. The failure

to avoid direct eye contact with laser light can result in serious

damage to the eye. The microscope may magnify the laser

light in active fiber signals; direct eye contact with magnified

laser light should be avoided.

VF-45 Puck

Adapter

VF-45 Plug

Adapter

2.5 mm

Ferrule

Adapter

7.2 3M™ VF-45™ Plug Adapter

Screw the VF-45 Plug adapter onto the microscope.

Insert the VF-45 connector into the adapter.

Note: The adapter is keyed to accept this connector in only one

direction.

Press the LED toggle switch to the desired mode and

focus the image using the eyepiece. Slide the adapter side

to side to view each fiber individually.

Note: VF-45 plug fibers are best viewed with coaxial

illumination.

7.3 Universal 2.5 mm Ferrule Adapter

Screw 2.5 mm ferrule adapter onto the microscope.

Slide a connector ferrule into the adapter until a positive

stop is felt.

Press the LED toggle switch to the desired mode and

focus the image using the eyepiece.

Focusing Hint: If you have trouble finding the image, there

is a simple trick. Load the connector and check to see that the

light is on. Then, turn the focus adjustment clockwise until the

tube hits a stop. At this point the objective is actually touching

the sample. Look into the microscope and begin slowly turning

the tube counter-clockwise. This will slowly back the lens away

from the sample and eventually the fiber end face will come

into focus.

Technical Service

United States: 1-800-426-8688

Europe: 0-11-49-40-7520302

Asia: 0-11-65-354-2033

Spare Parts and Numbers

Cable Jacket Stripper .....................................VOL-0560A

Snips ..................................................................VOL-0560B

Buffer Stripper .................................................VOL-0560C

Duplex Stripper ...............................................VOL-0560D

Replacement Blade .......................................VOL-0562B

Puck Assembly .................................................VOL-0560F

Polishing Face ..............................................VOL-0560G

Cotton Swabs ....................................................VOL-0560N

Lint Free Cloth ................................................VOL-0560P

Alcohol Bottle ...................................................VOL-0560R

Polishing Station w/scribe blade assembly ...VOL-0562H

Scribe Blade Assembly .................................VOL-0562J

Lapping Film .....................................................VOL-0562K

Carrying Case ..................................................VOL-0562S

Tool Pouch ........................................................VOL-0562M

Instructions .......................................................78-8097-8734-0

Cleaning Wires .................................................80-6104-4345-1

Fiber Microscope 100X ....................................VOL-0563M

3M, Volition and VF-45 are trademarks of 3M Company.

Kevlar® is a trademark of duPont.

Important Notice

All statements, technical information, and recommendations related to 3M's products are based on information believed to be

reliable, but the accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed. Before using this product, you must evaluate it and determine if it

is suitable for your intended application. You assume all risks and liability associated with such use. Any statements related to

the product which are not contained in 3M's current publications, or any contrary statements contained on your purchase order

shall have no force or effect unless expressly agreed upon, in writing, by an authorized officer of 3M.

Warranty; Limited Remedy; Limited Liability.

This product will be free from defects in material and manufacture for a period of one year from the date of purchase.

3M MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. If this product is defective within the warranty period

stated above, your exclusive remedy shall be, at 3M's option, to replace or repair the 3M product or refund the purchase price

of the 3M product. Except where prohibited by law, 3M will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from this 3M

product, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential regardless of the legal theory asserted.

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800.426.8688

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