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Fun Stuff - Photos of some
unusual fiber optics projects
In addition to teaching fiber optics installers, I
occasionally have the opportunity to do some fiber optics work myself. In
addition to the usual connectors and fusion splicing jobs, some of my projects
are more interesting than others, so I'm sharing them here...
Virginia State Police Bomb Squad Robot
Repairing the fiber optic control tether after it
was accidentally broken during training. A single optical fiber in the tether
carries control signals to the robot and simultaneously returns video to the
operators. Instead of driving the robot indoors, it was easier to just
repair it in the parking lot.
(Click
on any photo for a larger image)
Submarine Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV)
Replacing the tether cable for the ROV (like the
ones seen in the movie Titanic) was a unique experience. The ROV is controlled
from a ship on the surface and is often used to support the submarine "Marian
S201" shown below, especially if the sub were to become entangled underwater and
needed to be cut free. Electrical conductors inside the heavy-duty cable carry
power to the ROV, while optical fibers carry control signals to the robot and
return video to the operators. The loose-tube gel-filled buffer tube is
stainless steel to protect it from crushing pressure at depths of
thousands of feet, so it was really a challenge to work with. Allowing my son
Marc and I to get a brief "tour"
inside while the systems were powered up was a bonus. Too bad we couldn't take
it for a dive. The sub's outer hull coverings were removed for maintenance. More
info on the sub can be found on the
Submergence
Group Website.
(Click
on any photo for a larger image)
Phone and internet distribution system upgrades, Aberdeen Proving Grounds Army
Base, MD
Providing assistance with phone system upgrades at
the base proved to be both fun and challenging. The challenge was mostly due to
the large number of installation locations where I had to set up the workstation
(see photos of a few spots), then do the splicing work and break it all down
again to move to the next spot. Most of the work involved fusion splicing
pigtails onto outdoor fiber cables upon building entry, terminated in racks at the originating
communication huts and wall-mounted panels in the destination buildings. Some of the work involved splice closures placed into
underground concrete vaults. For the outdoor
locations, I set up the fusion splicer workstation in the back of my van (plenty
of room in a Dodge Grand Caravan with the rear seats removed) so I could do the
work in nice shady air conditioned comfort, as you can see in some of the
photos, except once when I only had a single tray to do and did the work on a
table outside the van. In the last two photos, you can see down inside one of
the vaults when the manhole cover and risers were removed for resealing. Note
the top splice closure and cable storage loop. The lower metal splice closure
contains copper splices in conventional phone cables.
(Click
on any photo for a larger image)
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