Breakout-style fiberoptic cable (also called breakout cable or fanout cable), is an

optical fiber cable A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an electrical cable, but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with ...

containing several jacketed simplex

optical fiber An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass ( silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a mea ...

s packaged together inside an outer jacket. This differs from distribution-style cable, in which tight-buffered fibers are bundled together, with only the outer cable jacket of the cable protecting them. The design of breakout-style cable adds strength for ruggedized drops, however the cable is larger and more expensive than distribution-style cable. Breakout cable is suitable for short riser and

plenum Plenum may refer to: * Plenum chamber, a chamber intended to contain air, gas, or liquid at positive pressure * Plenism, or ''Horror vacui'' (physics) the concept that "nature abhors a vacuum" * Plenum (meeting), a meeting of a deliberative asse ...

applications and also for use in conduits, where a very simple cable run is planned to avoid the use of any splicebox or spliced fiber pigtails. Because each fiber is individually reinforced, the cable can be easily divided into individual fiber lines. Each simplex cable within the outer jacket may be broken out and then continue as a patch cable, for example in a fiber to the desk application in an office building. This enables connector

termination Termination may refer to: Science *Termination (geomorphology), the period of time of relatively rapid change from cold, glacial conditions to warm interglacial condition *Termination factor, in genetics, part of the process of transcribing RNA ...

without requiring special junctions, and can reduce or eliminate the need for

fiberoptic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

patch panel A patch panel is a device or unit featuring a number of jacks, usually of the same or similar type, for the use of connecting and routing circuits for monitoring, interconnecting, and testing circuits in a convenient, flexible manner. Patch ...

s or an optical distribution frame. Breakout cable requires terminations to be done with simple connectors, which may be preferred for some situations. A more common solution today is the use of a

fanout kit Fiber cable termination is the addition of connectors to each optical fiber in a cable. The fibers need to have connectors fitted before they can attach to other equipment. Two common solutions for fiber cable termination are pigtails and fanou ...

that adds a jacket to the very fine strands of other cable types.

Ribbon fanout pigtails

Ribbon fanout pigtails are made of ribbon fiber optic cables. It is generally installed in closet area or horizontal patch extension from consolidation point to the workstation outlets. It includes: jacket ribbon fanout pigtails and bare ribbon fanout pigtails. Jacket ribbon fanout pigtails have outer jacket. Bare ribbon fanout pigtails have no outer jacket and generally protected by transparent tube.

Bunch fanout pigtails

Bunch fanout pigtails are made of multi-core round bunch fiber optic cable, which is also called distribution fiber optic cable. It is generally installed in closet area like rack mount or wall mount splice boxes or patch panels.

Ribbon fanout pigtails

Bunch fanout pigtails

References

See also