Differences Between Fiber Pigtails and Fiber Patch Cords

If you have doubts on the differences between fiber pigtails and fiber patch cords this article will help you to know their main differences. The main difference between these two cables is that pigtails have one side terminated with a connector and other side ends with bare fibers, while patch cords have two connectors terminated on both ends. Let’s see in more detail how these assemblies are used and how are they distinguished.

What is Fiber Pigtail?

A fiber pigtail usually has an optical connector pre-installed at one end and where the other end bare fiber is used for fusion splicing to another fiber. Pigtails can have female or male connectors. Fiber optic pigtails are usually unjacketed in order to be spliced and then protected in a fiber splice tray with a mechanical or thermal splice joint protector.

What is Fiber Patch Cord?

A patch cable, also known as patch cord or patch lead, is an electrical or optical fiber cable used to connect one electronic or optical device to another. The connectors of a patch cord can be installed at the ends with the same type of connector or different ones, for example, it can have an SC connector at both ends or it can have an SC connector at one end and an LC connector on the other end. Fiber optic patch cords are jacketed and are available in simplex (1 fiber), duplex (2 fibers), or in multiple fiber counts like MPO (12 fibers).

What Does Keystone Jack Mean?

Keystone jacks are keystone module connectors used in data communication and LAN wiring. It is the female connector that is usually mounted in a wall plate or patch panel and is connected to the matching male connector, called the keystone plug. A keystone module is a snap-in package that is used for mounting various types of low-voltage electrical jacks. It can also be used for mounting optical connectors into the wall plate or patch panel.

Keystone jacks are used in the wiring system of LAN and Ethernet connections. They are called keystone jacks because the jack looks similar to an architectural keystone, just like the standard RJ-11 wall jack that is used to connect telephones, fax machines and dial-up systems.

They offer the advantage of providing versatility. A single panel can be used to mount many types of keystone jacks in either shielded or unshielded forms. They are also capable of accommodating different types of cords or cables and various types and numbers of conductors. Shielded keystone jacks help protect data from electromagnetic interference.

Some keystone modules have a jack on the front with a different mechanism for the back end. Other modules may have a jack on both the front and the back side. Wiring a keystone jack can be done by punching down the wires into the blades built into the keystone jack.

How To Attach Keystone Jack To Wall Plate

Connecting a Keystone to a wall plate can be completed in just a couple quick steps. This is one of the final touches on any home or business network. Maybe your adding a connection to each bedroom or redoing an office connecting wall plates are a great tool for adding ethernet paths. In this DIY blog we will cover how to attach a keystone jack to a wall plate and how to remove a keystone jack from wall plate.

1. Grab your Keystone and Wall Plate

   Grab your keystone jacks and wall plates that you will be installing. For this example we will be using an un terminated keystone jack, which means it has no cable attached to it right now. Connecting your cables through the wall and on to the keystone jack first is the easiest way to complete this task. Then attach the keystone jack to the wall plate and once completed attach to the wall.

2. Use The Bottom of Keystone Jack

3. Look for the edge sticking out of the bottom of the keystone jack. You will be using this part to clip on to the wall plate first.

4. Put Bottom of Keystone Jack In First

5. Make sure that the wall plate is in Up position. Wall plate should have an arrow for you to see. If not The lip with a little opening on the top if the top. Ensure that the groove sticking out of keystone jack is over the back side lip of wall plate. This will make it so the jack can snap in to wall plate.

6. Press Down on Top Clip Of Keystone Jack etc.

Difference Between Cabinet and Cupboard

The terms cabinet and cupboard are almost synonymous. The truth is, they serve almost the same purposes with most people not being in a position to differentiate what is stored where. In that case, you won’t fail to find more people using a cabinet in place of a cupboard or referring to a cabinet as a cupboard. In the villages, for example, most people store their utensils in cabinets designed to look like cabinets.

The truth is, there are a few differentiating details about a cabinet and a cupboard. The main difference that most people refer to is the presence of shelves in cabinets. The shelves are not present in cabinets although this is a loose but pertinent distinction.

To shed more light on what makes a cabinet to be called so and a cupboard to be referred to as one, this post seeks to bring out the differences in detail.

The term cabinet refers to a box-shaped piece of furniture or storage furniture with doors and / or drawers. It is usually used for storing miscellaneous items at home or in a workplace.

While some cabinets are built to stand on their own, others can be inbuilt or mounted on a wall. The materials used to make them include wood and stainless steel and other synthetic materials. As for commercial grade cabinets that differ in the materials used, the names used are casegoods, casework, or case furniture.

A cabinet is usually fitted with one or more doors on the front side. The doors are mounted with door hardware and a lock in most cases.

A cupboard is sort of a closed piece of furniture used to display cookeries and other kitchen utensils mainly. Although the word was initially used to refer to open-shelved side tables for displaying dishwares like cups, saucers, and plates, the use of the term has gradually changed over time. The open cupboard initially had between one or three display tiers, and sometimes a drawer or multiple drawers were fitted to them.

There are three main types of cupboards. These are:

• Airing cupboard: – this is a storage space that contains a water heater. The heater can be a boiler for central water heating or an immersion heater for hot running water. The shelves in such a cupboard are slatted to allow for maximum heat circulation. They are also positioned around or above the heater to provide for storage for clothing, typically toweling and linen. This allows air to circulate freely around the fabrics stored in there and prevent damping.

• Built-in cupboard: – this is a storage space that usually forms a component of the design of the area it is to be installed in. It is not a moveable or free-standing one and is not the same as a cabinet.

• Linen cupboard: – linen cupboards are enclosed recesses of a room and are used to store household linen like towels, sheets, and tablecloths.

What Is A Server Rack in Data Center?

A server rack is an open frame structure designed for accommodating technical or electronic equipment including routers, network switches, hubs, servers, etc. The server rack makes it possible to securely hold multiple pieces of equipment in one area and are typically going to be used by businesses and kept either in data centers or communications closets.

Data center server rack can hold all standard 19-inch rack-mountable equipment, as long as it isn’t too deep for the rack cabinet or too high to fit in the available rack spaces. The equipment often includes removable mounting brackets that fasten to the vertical rack rails with screws. Heavier equipment may also include horizontal rails or rack shelves that mount in the rack to provide extra support. Other rack accessories that support the operation of the production equipment includes UPS systems, PDUs, cable managers, switches, patch panels and fiber enclosures. The following descriptions illustrate the common types of data center server racks.

Data center open server rack consists of mounting rails without sides or doors - an open-air structure for mounting network equipment. They can come in a wide range of different sizes so that they can house almost any type of equipment. These racks are installed in one location and are generally bolted to the floor in order to provide greater stability.

Additionally, open frame server racks are typically used for server rooms that don’t require physical security and don’t need added airflow control. They can provide easy access and offer plenty of open space for cable management, making this solution ideal for network wiring closets and distribution frame applications with high-density cabling. There are two basic types of open server racks: 2-post and 4-post rack. The difference is that 2-post racks generally require less depth but support less weight than 4-post racks.