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DEVISER AE 120 Optical Power Meter
DEVISER AE 120 Optical Power Meter
74 TELE-satellite International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2012 www.TELE-satellite.com
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TEST REPORT
Pawlowski checking the AES120 Optical Meter by Deviser. A DVB-T signal is converted into an optical signal and the results measured with the AES120
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DEVISER AE 120 Optical Power Meter Extremely simle to use but at same time very accurate
www.TELE-satellite.com/12/1 1/deviser
76 TELE-satellite International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2012 www.TELE-satellite.com
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tuned to. It could not be simpler! The AE120 has selectable wavelengths. As you could expect, there are the common 1310 nm, 1490 nm and 1550 nm bands. But not only. One can order additional, user defined wavelengths.
Our test unit had four additional bands: 850 nm, 980 nm, 1300 nm and 1610 nm so seven in total. The button is used to cycle through different wavelengths. On power up, the smallest one is selected (850 nm in our case). You should switch to
the correct wavelength in order to get the correct result. You can easily guess the function of the other buttons. The dBm/W button is used to cycle the units of the measured power. The REF button is used to store the current measurement
result as the reference level to which you will be able to compare the next measurement most likely - in the other nodes of the network. To store the reference level you press and hold a button for a longer while. Another short press - and you are back in the normal mode when you measure the present value. Having stored a result as the reference, you can press the dB button to express the current measurement with respect to the stored value in decibels. For example, if you had measured in one node a value of +3.66 dBm and stored it as a reference and then moved to another node of the network and measured -3.38 dBm, pressing the REF button would show you -7.04 dB. The meaning of this would be that at the second node the signal was 7.04 dB weaker than in our reference point. In this way, we can conveniently check if the optical splitters located between the two nodes do not introduce too much attenuation. The function of the two remaining button is self-explanatory: one turns on and off the back-light of the display and the other is just the power on/off switch. As you can see, once you get familiar with this meter, you will never forget how to use it it is so straightforward and logical. In order to test the AE120 meter, we used an optical transmitter converting a DVB-T signal into an optical one. We compared the meter to another similar tool dedicated for the installers. (graph 1.) As you can see in the attached graph, the results of both meters were quite similar. However, when we attenuated the signal, AE120 was still able to measure it (-19.97 dBm) while its com-
78 TELE-satellite International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2012 www.TELE-satellite.com
petitor displayed just LOW message. Thats because the AE120 has an impressive dynamic range of 68 dB. It can measure optical power from -43 dBm through to +25 dBm. Moreover, the Deviser AE120 was able to measure power with 0.01 dBm resolution while its competitor was not able to discriminate changes smaller than 0.5 dBm. The AE120 measurement uncertainty is merely 0.17 dB (3%) which is an impressive figure. Deviser made it possible to re-calibrate the meter if the user has access to laboratory grade equipment. It is possible to switch the meter to the calibration mode and enter the correction if needed. The range of the possible correction is from -1 dB to + 1dB. It is described in the manual how to do that. Also this operation is quite simple to perform. To sum it up: the AE120 is extremely simple to use but at the same time very accurate and stable. It is a perfect companion for every installer who deals with todays modern fiber optic networks.
Very handy: small and lightweight Extremely simple to operate Switchable wavelengths Available reference level measurement mode Wide dynamic range and high accuracy All popular fiber cable connectors supported The display back-light is rather weak
Expert Opinion
Manufacturer Fax E-mail Web page
Jacek Pawlowski TELE-satellite Test Center Poland
TECHNICAL
DATA
Tianjin Deviser Electronics Instrument Co., Ltd. +86-22-27645002 overseasbiz@deviser.com.cn www.devisertek.com AE120 Optical Power Meter 0.17 dB (3%) -43 dBm ~ +25 dBm 0.01 dBm, mW 1310 nm, 1490 nm, 1550 nm plus user defined FC/SC/ST -10 ~ +60 C / < 80% 50 hours with two AA bateries 119 x 70 x 29 mm 200 g without bateries
Model Function Basic Accuracy Input Range Resolution Calibrated Wavelengths Connectors
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1-6. Do you know the wavelength of your fibre optic system? No problem, measure the same signal for different lambda and the highest reading indicates the wavelength; in our case this is evidently 1490 nm because the maximum reading is just for this setting 7. After pressing the REF button for 2 seconds, the current level (-0.57 dBm) becomes the reference level 8. Now we have switched to reference measurement mode by pressing the dB button 9. Measurement results are reffered now to -0.57 dBm 10. If you prefer, you may use mW rather than dBm units
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