Fiber optic cables: How they work

Bill uses a bucket of propylene glycol to show how a fiber optic cable works and how engineers send signal across oceans. More info at http://www.engineerguy.com. You can translate captions at http://www.engineerguy.com/translate

• Category

  Science & Technology

[thebigJ1er]

If it's flashing on and off, how's it handle multiple simultaneous calls?

[engineerguyvideo]

Typically they would use Wavelength-division multiplexing ... essentially using a different wavelength (color) of light for each signal. The wikipedia article on it is pretty good.

[Rob Johnson]

It would primarily use Time Division Multiplexing. In the US we use Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET). Which basically sends the signal n times faster so that you can send n signals in the time it normally would tae to send one. Outside the US we use Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) which is the same idea just formatted differently. SONET is typically used initially and when wanting to send multiple SONET (or SDH) circuits on a single fiber we use DWDM technology as Bill mentioned.

[engineerguyvideo]

Thank you for adding this! Much appreciated.

[Lazaros Papadopoulos]

Great video! Clear and easy to understand!

[richard octovianus]

Yeah

[polka23dot]

William S. Hammack said: "at speeds up to 16 hundred meters per SECOND."

As a matter of fact, the maximum speed of a glass fiber drawing tower is 1800 meters per MINUTE in laboratory and 1200 meters per MINUTE in production.

I have seen errors in his other videos as well.

[roflcopter2225]

Awesome video, you explained it way better than my optics professor. Sick ass demonstration as well!

[PatnRichard Needham]

Multiplexing, high bandwidth and packets. Lets say that 1 second of you talking on the phone is broken up into 1000 pieces (packets) and transmitted through the optical cable, behind that is a packet belonging to another voice on a different phone call and behind that is someone else's (multiplexing) essentially the ability to send lots of different channels of data through the same cable. The higher the bandwidth the more voices/clarity you get!

[sammy srour]

haha just hilarious

[BitchinRidge]

Why not just watch the end of the video to find out what he said instead of asking what he said?

[NichoTBE]

Did he say at the end they have to amplify the signal every 50km under the ocean, if so how?

[Robson Rosa da Silva]

Free online course >>>>>>>>>> Materials for Photonic Applications<<<<<<Glass, Optical Fibers and Sol Gel Materials .. More informations: search for "SAMPA PROJECT" into Google

[TheAmpiboy]

tripping the fuck out hahahaha solid