Student laboratory experiments exploring optical fibre communication systems, eye diagrams, and bit error rates

Douglas Walsh; David Moodie; Iain Mauchline; Steve Conner; Walter Johnstone; Brian Culshaw

doi:10.1117/12.604505

8 June 2005 Student laboratory experiments exploring optical fibre communication systems, eye diagrams, and bit error rates

Douglas Walsh, David Moodie, Iain Mauchline, Steve Conner, Walter Johnstone, Brian Culshaw

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5827, Opto-Ireland 2005: Photonic Engineering; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.604505
Event: OPTO-Ireland, 2005, Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

Optical fibre communications has proved to be one of the key application areas, which created, and ultimately propelled the global growth of the photonics industry over the last twenty years. Consequently the teaching of the principles of optical fibre communications has become integral to many university courses covering photonics technology. However to reinforce the fundamental principles and key technical issues students examine in their lecture courses and to develop their experimental skills, it is critical that the students also obtain hands-on practical experience of photonics components, instruments and systems in an associated teaching laboratory. In recognition of this need OptoSci, in collaboration with university academics, commercially developed a fibre optic communications based educational package (ED-COM). This educator kit enables students to; investigate the characteristics of the individual communications system components (sources, transmitters, fibre, receiver), examine and interpret the overall system performance limitations imposed by attenuation and dispersion, conduct system design and performance analysis. To further enhance the experimental programme examined in the fibre optic communications kit, an extension module to ED-COM has recently been introduced examining one of the most significant performance parameters of digital communications systems, the bit error rate (BER). This add-on module, BER(COM), enables students to generate, evaluate and investigate signal quality trends by examining eye patterns, and explore the bit-rate limitations imposed on communication systems by noise, attenuation and dispersion. This paper will examine the educational objectives, background theory, and typical results for these educator kits, with particular emphasis on BER(COM).

Citation Download Citation

Douglas Walsh, David Moodie, Iain Mauchline, Steve Conner, Walter Johnstone, and Brian Culshaw "Student laboratory experiments exploring optical fibre communication systems, eye diagrams, and bit error rates", Proc. SPIE 5827, Opto-Ireland 2005: Photonic Engineering, (8 June 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.604505

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
12 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Telecommunications

Eye

Signal attenuation

Light emitting diodes

Transmitters

Interference (communication)

Error analysis

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years