
MR380-0-UNI Instruction Manual
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example, transmitting from OM1 fiber (62.5µm core) to OM2 fiber (50µm core) produces a
loss of approximately 1.2dB, which is not a problem in most situations.
In the MR380-0 controller, the transmit fiber is OS1 9/125µm single mode fiber. Since the core
of the fiber is smaller than any other standard fiber, no losses are produced at this connection,
no matter which standard fiber the rest of the system uses. And, at the other end, the
controller’s receive fiber is OM1 62.5/125µm multimode fiber. Similarly, no losses are
produced at the receive connection because the OM1 fiber is larger than any standard fiber
the rest of the system might use.
As a result, the MR380-0 controller is compatible with any standard fiber, hence its
designation as a universal controller. Despite this designation, users should use the same fiber
throughout their system to avoid complications and simplify future alterations.
Functional Block Diagram
A functional block diagram is shown in Figure 10, showing the switch sensor, optical link and
controller module. The switch is connected to the controller by a duplex fiber optic cable of
readily available 50/125µm or 62.5/125µm multimode fiber or 9/125µm single mode fiber.
The controller’s 9/125µm single mode transmit fiber guides steady optical power from a near-
IR light source to the optical switch. Then, a 62.5/125µm multimode receive fiber returns the
light relaying if the switch is open or closed.
Controller
Figure 2. Block Diagram for a MR380-0 Controller System
The light source power is held constant under normal operating conditions allowing for a
known system loss budget when designing a system. Additionally, the optics within the switch
are designed to couple maximum light back into the receive fiber enabling the ability to
create long distance systems and chain multiple switches.
Next, the optical power is identified by the photodetector and translated into a logic signal
depending on the power level. The photodetector operates with an active low signal scheme