Twelve Channel Optical Fiber Connector Assembly: From Commercial Off the Shelf to Space Flight Use

The commercial off the shelf (COTS) twelve channel optical fiber MTP array connector and ribbon cable assembly is being validated for space flight use and the results of this study to date are presented here. The interconnection system implemented for the Parallel Fiber Optic Data Bus (PFODB) physical layer will include a 100/140 micron diameter optical fiber in the cable configuration among other enhancements. As part of this investigation, the COTS 62.5/125 microns optical fiber cable assembly has been characterized for space environment performance as a baseline for improving the performance of the 100/140 micron diameter ribbon cable for the Parallel FODB application. Presented here are the testing and results of random vibration and thermal environmental characterization of this commercial off the shelf (COTS) MTP twelve channel ribbon cable assembly. This paper is the first in a series of papers which will characterize and document the performance of Parallel FODB's physical layer from COTS to space flight worthy.