EXFO FLS-2800 User manual

Tunable Laser Source
FLS-2800
i
Copyright © 2009–2013 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, be it electronically, mechanically, or by any
other means such as photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
EXFO Inc. (EXFO).
Information provided by EXFO is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed by EXFO for its use nor for any infringements of patents or
other rights of third parties that may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or
otherwise under any patent rights of EXFO.
EXFO’s Commerce And Government Entities (CAGE) code under the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) is 0L8C3.
The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice.
Trademarks
EXFO’s trademarks have been identified as such. However, the presence or absence of such
identification does not affect the legal status of any trademark.
Units of Measurement
Units of measurement in this publication conform to SI standards and practices.
Version Number: 4.0

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Contents
Certification Information ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Conventions ........................................................................................................................................ 1
1. Safety Information..................................................................................................... 2
2. Introducing the FLS-2800 Tunable Laser Source.......................................................... 4
3. Features .................................................................................................................... 6
4. Technical Specifications ............................................................................................. 8
5. Hardware Connections ............................................................................................ 10
Connecting the Ethernet (recommended)........................................................................................ 10
Connecting the USB (optional).......................................................................................................... 10
6. Connecting Optical Output....................................................................................... 12
Cleaning and Connecting Optical Fibers ...........................................................................................12
7. Operating the FLS-2800............................................................................................ 14
Output Enable/Disable...................................................................................................................... 14
Powering On/Off the FLS-2800 .........................................................................................................14
Remote Operation of the FLS-2800 ..................................................................................................14
The LCD Control Interface.................................................................................................................15
Navigating within the LCD Control Interface ....................................................................................15
Changing Numerical Values ..............................................................................................................15
Changing Numerical Units.................................................................................................................15
Changing Step Size ............................................................................................................................15
Viewing Network Settings.................................................................................................................15
Changing Network Settings...............................................................................................................16
8. Installing the Software............................................................................................. 17
Client System Minimum Requirements ............................................................................................17
Tunable Laser Manager Software Installation ..................................................................................17
9. Tunable Laser Manager Software............................................................................. 18
Tunable Laser Manager Interface .....................................................................................................18
Main Display......................................................................................................................................19
Unit View........................................................................................................................................... 19
Chart View.........................................................................................................................................19
Laser Selection Control .....................................................................................................................20
Laser Output Control ........................................................................................................................20
Laser Parameter Control...................................................................................................................20
Tool buttons...................................................................................................................................... 22
System Update..................................................................................................................................24

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Module Update.................................................................................................................................24
10. Programming Guide ............................................................................................. 25
Programming Conventions ...............................................................................................................25
Common Command Summary..........................................................................................................26
Common Command Descriptions .....................................................................................................26
Specific Command Summary ............................................................................................................27
Specific Command Descriptions........................................................................................................28
Slot Commands .................................................................................................................................28
Configuration Commands .................................................................................................................28
VISA Programming Example: MATLAB..............................................................................................33
MATLAB Test and Measurement Tool (tmtool) ............................................................................33
MATLAB Example Code: Query the FLS-2800...................................................................................35
11. USB Connection Web Interface............................................................................. 36
Network Configuration (Ethernet)....................................................................................................36
Download Log File............................................................................................................................. 37
12. Maintenance........................................................................................................ 38
Recycling and Disposal (Applies to European Union only) ...............................................................38
13. Technical Support................................................................................................. 40
Contacting the Technical Support Group.......................................................................................... 40
Transportation ..................................................................................................................................40
14. Warranty ............................................................................................................. 41
General Information .........................................................................................................................41
Liability.............................................................................................................................................. 41
Exclusions..........................................................................................................................................41
Certification.......................................................................................................................................42
Service and Repairs...........................................................................................................................42
15. EXFO Service Centers Worldwide.......................................................................... 43

Tunable Laser Source
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FLS-2800 (v1.1) 1
Certification Information
North America Regulatory Statement
This unit was certified by an agency approved in both Canada and the United States of America. It
has been evaluated according to applicable North American approved standards for product safety
for use in Canada and the United States.
Electronic test and measurement equipment is exempt from FCC part 15, subpart B compliance in
the United States of America and from ICES-003 compliance in Canada. However, EXFO Inc. makes
reasonable efforts to ensure compliance to the applicable standards.
The limits set by these standards are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with the user guide, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this
equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instructions, maybe cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
-Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different form that to which the
receiver is connected.
-Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Conventions
Before using the instrument described in this manual, you should understand the following
conventions:
WARNING
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could
result in death or serious injury. Do not proceed unless you understand and
meet the required conditions.
CAUTION
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result
in minor or moderate injury. Do not proceed unless you understand and

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meet the required conditions.
CAUTION
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result
in component damage. Do not proceed unless you understand and meet
the required conditions.
IMPORTANT
Refers to information about this product you should not overlook.
1. Safety Information
WARNING
This instrument must be used with an approved IEC cable with an
EARTH terminal. Do not attempt to use this instrument without a
proper earth terminal, doing so may lead to a hazardous condition
and/or damage to the equipment.
Do not install or terminate fibers while a light source is active. Care
must be taken to ensure that the instrument has been turned OFF
before inspecting the end face(s) of the instrument, or any optical
patch cords connected to this instrument. Never look directly into a live
fiber and ensure that your eyes are protected at all times.
The use of controls, adjustments and procedures other than those
specified herein may result in exposure to hazardous situations or
impair the protection provided by this unit.
IMPORTANT
For electromagnetic compatibility, this instrument is a Class A product.
It is intended for use in an industrial environment. There may be
potential difficulties in ensuring electromagnetic compatibility in other
environments, due to conducted as well as radiated disturbances.
When you see the following symbol on your unit , make sure that
you refer to the instructions provided in your user documentation.
Ensure that you understand and meet the required conditions before
using your product.

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FLS-2800 (v1.1) 3
Your instrument is a Class 1M laser
product in compliance with standards
IEC 60825-1:2007 and 21 CFR 1040.10.
Laser radiation may be encountered at
the output port.
VIEWING THE LASER OUTPUT WITH
CERTAIN OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS (FOR
EXAMPLE, EYE LOUPES, MAGNIFIERS
AND MICROSCOPES) WITHIN A
DISTANCE OF 100 MM MAY POSE AN
EYE HAZARD
L'OBSERVATION DE LA SORTIE DU
LASER AVEC CERTAINS
INSTRUMENTS D'OPTIQUE (PAR
EXEMPLE LOUPES D'HORLOGER,
LOUPES À MAIN ET MICROSCOPES)
À UNE DISTANCE INFÉRIEURE À 100
MM PEUT PRÉSENTER UN DANGER
POUR LES YEUX.
Figure 1a - Class 1M Laser Product Warning
Figure 2b –Avertissement : Produit de classe laser 1M

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2. Introducing the FLS-2800 Tunable Laser Source
The FLS-2800 Tunable Laser Source is a bench top single (or dual) channel Continuous Wave (CW)
laser system. With its high power output, narrow linewidth and the ability for high resolution tuning,
the FLS-2800 is a low cost solution for various applications including coherent detection of high
speed complex modulation formats, DWDM component testing and optical sensor interrogation.
There are several variants of this instrument. Depending on your configuration, the FLS-2800 will
have C, L or both C and L-band lasers. The FLS-2800-1-2-CC-H-89 model for example (shown below)
is a dual-channel unit. The various models available are listed in
IMPORTANT
These technical specifications can change without notice. The information
presented in this section is provided as a reference only. To obtain this
product’s most recent technical specifications, visit the EXFO Web site at
www.exfo.com.
Table 1 - FLS-2800 Specifications.
Figure 3 - EXFO FLS-2800 Tunable Laser Source
Figure 4 - LCD Control Interface
The laser is calibrated at the time of manufacture and
controls its wavelength through the use of a look-up
table and a small, low-frequency wavelength dither.
As such, the displayed wavelength will be accurate to
better than 1 MHz at the start of life; after 25 years,
the calibration may drift by as much as 1.5 GHz.
Note that the 100 kHz maximum linewidth specification is an instantaneous measurement. In order
to guarantee frequency stability, a small FM dither (magnitude of 47 MHz at 888 Hz) is used to make
the laser appear to have a linewidth of 47 MHz if any integration time greater than 1 ms is used.
The FLS-2800 can be controlled via the LCD Control Interface as well as remotely through a TCP/IP
connection (Ethernet or USB). Both methods of control can act in parallel as required, although the

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front-panel ‘Laser On/Off’ switch will override the software commands for that particular optical
output.
The Tunable Laser Manager software is provided to allow you to control the instrument remotely.
Alternatively, VISA programming environments such as MATLAB can also be implemented to
integrate with existing test software or data collection procedures.

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3. Features
FLS-2800 Front Panel
1. Power On/Off
2. LCD Control Interface
3. LCD Control Knob
4. Laser On/Off
5. Laser 1 Optical Output
6. *Laser 2 Optical Output
FLS-2800 Back Panel
7. USB 2.0 Connection
8. Ethernet Connection
9. AC Power 100-240V, 50-60 Hz
*NOTE: The number of laser sources depends on the FLS-2800 model. See