A Complete Guide to Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaners: The Ultimate Cleaning Solution for Fiber Optic Cables

Written by Don Schultz, trueCABLE Senior Technical Marketing Specialist, BICSI TECH, INSTC, INSTF, Fluke Networks Copper/Fiber CCTT Certified

One of the most common and pernicious issues facing fiber optic installations (and failing to achieve the performance expected) has to do with contaminated fiber optical connection hardware. Specifically, a contaminated end face. Seemingly inconsequential to the uninitiated, a dirty end face on a connector can actually block correct light pulse transmission or even damage your delicate equipment -- especially with singlemode fiber (referred to also as SMF or SM). Consider the core of singlemode fiber is a mere 9µ (9 micron) and you might begin to realize the criticality of cleanliness. A mere fingerprint or tiny scratch in the wrong spot can spell doom for performance!

What is a Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner?

Fiber optic cassette cleaners are part of an installer’s tool kit, but may also be used by IT personnel. Fiber optical cassette cleaners have the typical characteristics:

• Self contained tool, easily stored and compact in nature
• Broad compatibility between connector end face types
• Provides fresh cleaning ribbon via an advancement lever
• Permits wet or dry cleaning of fiber optical end faces
• May or may not have replaceable cleaning ribbon cartridges
• Not meant to clean bulkhead connectors/couplers

There are several types of fiber optical end face cleaning tools and accessories, and the goal of them is all the same - get the end face clean! That said, each tool confers greater or lesser advantages over other tools, so installers often carry a combination of them. Here is a quick comparison:

* Pen style fiber click cleaners are connector type specific, and not compatible from one connector type to another. An example of this -- LC style click cleaners are not compatible with SC style connector end faces nor couplers/bulkhead connectors. You will need multiple click cleaners if you are cleaning different connector types.

Here is an example cassette cleaner:

For comparison, here is a typical pen style “click” cleaner:

Cassette cleaners and click style pen cleaners are self-contained cleaning devices that can be deployed and used anywhere, where swabs and wipes (usually using a separate cleaning solution) have multiple easy to lose pieces that require a sturdy flat surface like a table.

It should be pointed out that cassette cleaners and other end face cleaners are not used as a fiber optic cable cleaner nor used to clean fiber optic cable in general. There are multiple steps required to prepare fiber for splicing and/or connector attachment that do require separate cleaning steps that have nothing to do with end face cleaning. For more information on this topic, please see Preparing your Fiber Optic Cable for Connectors or Splices.

Why Proper Cleaning Matters

Fiber optical end faces and connection hardware rely upon extremely high precision alignment to transmit light pulses for data transmission. Essentially, if you have a contaminated fiber optic end face, that is the same thing as you attempting to view something through a dirty window.

It should be noted that in the past, the recommendation was “clean, clean, clean!” but that has changed. Currently, the recommendation is to “inspect, inspect, inspect!” and clean when necessary. Inspection can be accomplished with a hand held fiber optic scope (hand held microscope) or fiber optical inspection scope used in conjunction with a fiber optical test device like a Fluke Versiv2.

Over time, it was discovered that “blind cleaning” (without inspection first) may actually introduce contamination to your end faces and couplers/bulkhead connectors.

Please see Cleaning Fiber Optic End Faces: Contamination Sources and Cleaning Methods for more detailed information.

Key Features of a Quality Cassette Cleaner

Many different brands of cassette cleaners exist on the market. How do you know you have purchased a high quality one? Here are some key features to help guide you.

• Broad end face compatibility: LC, SC, FC, ST, MU, MTP/MPO, D4, DIN
• Minimum of 600 cleaning cloth advances prior to replacement
• Ability to monitor cleaning cloth level remaining
• Anti-static ABS cloth to prevent re-contamination and damage to delicate connector end faces
• Protective sliding dust cover
• No-alcohol, one-click slide cleaning mechanism
• Compatibility with fiber optical cleaning solutions, if needed, for stubborn contamination

Step-by-Step: How to Use a Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner

As an example, we will demonstrate the trueCABLE fiber optic cassette cleaner (CASSETTECLEAN).

Prior to cleaning any fiber optic end face, please do the following:

• Carefully remove protective dust caps from the end face(s), but be certain to retain them
• Inspect the end face(s) if possible

If you have the tools to inspect the end face, and the end face is clean, replace the protective caps on the end face. You do not need to use a fiber optic cleaner.

However, if cleaning is necessary please follow the following steps:

Dealing with stubborn dirt

Not all cleaning will be this straightforward, however. Some end faces have grease contamination and/or difficult to remove dried-on contaminants. How do you deal with that?

• In extreme cases dry wiping may not be enough
• It may be necessary to add a few drops of fiber optical end face cleaning fluid directly to the dry tape, after advancing to a clean section
• After adding cleaning fluid, swipe the end faces again
• Advance the cleaning tape
• Swipe the end faces again to dry them
• Inspect

If you use the wet/dry method, it is imperative that you use an approved fiber optical end face cleaner. Other solvents, such as isopropyl alcohol, will likely leave contaminants behind and may even damage the end face!

Have a fiber end face that just won’t come clean with a click cleaner pen? This is precisely when a fiber cassette cleaner should be used with the wet/dry method to deal with tough dirt. Installers often keep cassette cleaners in addition to connector specific click cleaner pens in their kit for just such an issue.

Post-cleaning procedures & maintenance

• Place the protective end face caps on the cleaned connector to avoid recontamination
• Slide the dust cover closed on the tool when you are finished cleaning
• You may monitor the cleaning cloth level from the reverse (back) side of the CASSETTECLEAN tool
• The cleaning tape is not replaceable, replacement of the tool is necessary upon cloth depletion
• There are no user-serviceable parts inside CASSETTECLEAN

Best Practices for Fiber Cleaning

• Inspect all end faces and couplers prior to connection
• Clean only when necessary
• Avoid cross-contamination by keeping your fiber scope clean, and cleaning the scope between connection hardware inspections
• Keep the CASSETTECLEAN tool stored in a dry and dust free environment if possible, keeping the dust cover closed when not in use
• Hand washing, surface cleaning, and cleanliness in general will greatly reduce contamination and increase your success rates
• Always keep fiber optic end face caps in place after inspection or cleaning

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it work for MTP/MPO?
Yes! Fiber optic cleaning cassette tools are meant for all fiber optic connector types. The exceptions are MTP/MPO connectors with male metal pins. The pins will rip the fabric cleaning tape. There are dedicated cleaners on the market for those types of connectors.

Is alcohol required?
No. IPA (isopropyl alcohol) should NOT be used for fiber optical wet cleaning. CASSETTECLEAN may be used with approved fiber optic cleaning solution when needed, however.

How do I know when the cloth is used up?
The reverse (non label) side of CASSETTECLEAN has oval cutout windows that show the cloth tape depletion level.

Can I clean connectors in the field and in the rack?
Absolutely! Cassette cleaners and other self-contained cleaning tools like click cleaners are designed for portability in the field or in a telecommunications space. It should be noted, however, that cassette cleaners cannot clean bulkhead connectors or couplers.

Can I use it for both singlemode and multimode?
Yes! Cassette clean is compatible with all fiber mode types, as the mode type is not relevant--the connector end face is.

Conclusion

So there you have it! Now you realize why fiber optical connector inspection and end face cleaning is so important for a well functioning network. Plugging in contaminated connectors may result in poor data transmission or even damage to expensive equipment. Don’t take the chance! Inspect and clean like your system depends on it, because it does.

I encourage you to keep learning by visiting our Cable Academy, where we have a great deal of information pertaining to fiber optical cable technology.

HAPPY NETWORKING!

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