Active Optical Connectors from Hirose

Most of the optical connectors people are familiar with are the usual ones found on networking cables such as LC, ST & SC to name but a few.   Rarely do we think about the connectors that transport the optical signal to the device PCB.

This week I am going to showcase the BF4MC connector series from Hirose, so you can see how we transfer the optical signal to electrical.

Hirose developed the micro “BF4MC connector” that enables optical transmission of data between boards that are incorporated in devices.

According to Hirose “It converts an electrical signal that is received from a board by using the semiconductor component built-in the connector and transfers the data via optical fiber.  BF4MC connector is a revolutionary design that enables easy use of electromagnetic noise-free, insulated, long-distance, high-speed transmission”.

“These are the merits of the optical transmission, mounted inside devices achieving dramatic downsizing and lower power consumption when compared to existing optical products.  It can be used in a wide range of applications, medic appliances Measurement equipment, FA system etc”

Product Features:

• Supporting high speed transmission up to 6.25 Gbps using optical fiber
• Enabling simplex communication with signal fiber
• VCSEL and VCSEL drivers are mounted in the TX plug
• PD and TIA+LA are mounted in the RX plug
• Low power consumption (during operation at room temperature)80mW or less (when running on a dual power supply)120 mW or less (when running on a single power supply)
• Supporting SLVS-200 interface (LVDS tolerant)
• Supporting the flexible fiber (GI80/50)¢Power supply Mode Transmitter (TX)+2.5 V or +3.3 V Receiver (RX)+2.5 V and +1.5 V [with a dual power supply mode enabled] (Note 1)+3.3 V [with a single power supply mode enabled] (Note 2)
• Mis-insertion prevention structure

For many people the use of fiber optics may seem some time off however, the cost of ownership is coming right down and with the ever-increasing demand of bandwidth for many devices it’s a must have element of data connectivity.

Questions that you need to ask are what are the limiting factors that hold you back from incorporating fiber into your products? and have you considered the benefits it can bring to the device?

You have probably guessed it by now, I’m a massive fiber fan.  It is the future, and already a major part of the 5G network and the host of devises that support it.

Take a look today at how you can use fiber and the improvements you can offer your customers!