Sep 12 2007
Stratos Optical Technologies, a leader in fiber optic connectivity and OEO solutions for military applications, has announced the availability of the HTP-TR4 Quad Port Hybrid transceiver, a highly ruggedized, highly miniaturized component-level unit for 1 to 2.5 Gbps multimode optical data link applications. The Quad Port Hybrid is the first product of its kind to combine three critical design attributes for avionics equipment applications – a one square inch footprint that fits within a maximum height of 0.235”, full compliance with 1x/2x FiberChannel standards, and ruggedness that will withstand avionics vibration and shock requirements.
The Quad Port Hybrid is designed to be insertion mounted with 15 pounds of force to a surface-mount BGA socket soldered to the application card. The socket includes an integrated retaining clip for high-vibration environments. This design avoids exposing the transceiver to high soldering temperatures, simplifies initial production, and enables faster and easier board re-works once the device is integrated into a specific product. Removal is accomplished via a specially-designed tool that lifts the transceiver out of the BGA socket.
“The Quad Port Hybrid transceiver is a revolutionary new product for Stratos Optical,” said Grover Brower, site General Manager for the Florida operations of Stratos Optical Technologies. “The inspiration for its design came from discussions we had with several customers who needed this type of compact, rugged form factor for their avionics applications. It has recently been designed into a major avionics platform for the U.S. military by one of their prime contractors, and will also serve other optical datalink applications, such as aircraft sensors, that require its low profile, small footprint, and ruggedized packaging.”
The optical interface of the Quad Port Hybrid is a polyimide optical flex pigtail cable terminated into an industry standard 1x12 MT connector. The device may be customized to have different optical flex lengths, custom within flex routing, or use alternate types of fiber termini such as ST, SC, or MIL-T-29504. The Quad Port Hybrid also contains an embedded processor with interface to allow the application layer to control the power level of each transmit channel, read the receive strength on each receive channel, and perform low-level diagnostic tests that determine that the device is running at proper voltage and is performing as designed.