1. Best Practices for Cleaning MPO Assemblies, cassettes & transceivers
May Brian Teague

2. Best practice : Inspect → Clean → Re inspect
Replace
Assembly
Permanent
Defects
None
Inspect
End Face
Connect Assembly
Removable
Clean
Assembly
Recommended process from iNEMI IPC & IEC
Never assume a new cable assembly or transceiver is clean
No cleaning process is 100% every time so inspecting the end face is important

3. Critical factors for Mating MT Ferrules
Fiber protrusion varies between 1m to 3 m
Fiber Arrays
Guide Pin Hole
Image 24 fiber MT interferometer image courtesy of Data Pixel
Guide Pin
Fiber protrusion and end face geometry
Shape & tolerance of guide pins
Tolerance of the fiber and guide pin hole
Fiber Ribbon
It only takes a minuscule dust particle in the right place to wreak havoc

4. Wear debris is a common source for causing dust particulates
Mating MPO Connectors
Mated MPO connector image courtesy of US Conec
Contact Friction Creates Wear Debris:
Connector slider
Retention clips in adapters and transceivers
Guide pins
QSFP 40GBASE-SR4 image courtesy of Arista
Wear debris is a common source for causing dust particulates
You have to inspect & clean both ends of the connector pair to do it right

5. How to Clean using the MPO CLICKER
To clean MPO cable assemblies:
Open the lid of the clear end cap to insert the MPO connector
Push cleaner to advance the cleaning ribbon
To clean MPO In Adapters & MPO Interface Optical Transceivers:
Remove the end cap to insert the MPO cleaner
Push cleaner to advance the cleaning ribbon
Additional Recommendations:
To do a wet-dry cleaning process, the best method is to spray a small amount of the cleaning onto a wipe
Take the tip of the clicker and touch the wet spot and engage the cleaner
The objective with using the wipe is to meter the amount of the cleaning used so that you do not waste it or oversaturate the cleaning ribbon

6. MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 Cleaner key features
Sticklers Part Number: CCMPO
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 End Face Cleaner
Magnified Forward View of Cleaning Tip of
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
The mushroom shaped spring on the cleaning tip controls the consistency of the contact force as the cleaning ribbon wipes the ferrule end face
The spring has two holes to accommodate the guide pins for cleaning male MT ferrules
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon synthetic composition wicks away residue based contamination
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon catches dust particulates in the weave during the wipe process
Ultra sonic cutting and washing processes remove loose fibers and fuses the ends of the cleaning ribbon to prevent loose strands
Magnified Side View of Cleaning Tip of
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker

7. Side View of Cleaning Tip of MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 Cleaner key features
Sticklers Part Number: CCMPO
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 End Face Cleaner
NEW No orientation key on tip which enables the operator to insert the cleaner with the spools facing or down during cleaning process
Clear housing makes it easy to visually identify how much cleaning ribbon remain
Push engagement advances gear system to dispense 12 mm of cleaning ribbon
The life of the cleaner is good for 600 MT end faces
Cleaning tip and the end caps (not shown) ensures the cleaning ribbon is always cleaning is always wiping the fiber arrays
The cleaning tip is compatible with all 12, 24, 48 and 72 fiber MPO connectors that are IEC compliant including the MTP® and MPO optical transceivers (i.e. QSFP, CFP)
Side View of Cleaning Tip of MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
on a MPO connector

8. How To Clean in adapter MPO using Sticks & Fluid
To clean MPO In Adapters & MPO Interface Optical Transceivers:
Take one stick out of the package
Tilt the can of the cleaning fluid and dispense a small amount of the fluid into the side port
Insert the stick into the side port to wet the tip.
Wipe the MT end face going in a single direction
Additional Recommendations:
Do not oversaturate the stick with cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid is highly effective an only a small amount of needed to be an effective agent.
Do not reuse sticks to avoid cross contamination. The contamination taken off the ferrule will still be on the cleaning it.

9. Fiber optic splice & Connector Cleaner key features
Sticklers Part Number: POC03M
FIBER OPTIC SPLICE & CONNECTOR CLEANER Cleaning Fluid
Triton cap give operator three ways to dispense cleaning fluid
Steel cans are hermetically sealed to protect the cleaning fluid from spills and cross contamination
Cans hold 85ml (3oz) of the cleaning fluid making them acceptable for carrying on luggage
Cleaning fluid is a fast evaporating, no residue chemistry that is non flammable and non toxic
Cleaning fluid is globally GHS, RoHS, and REACH compliant
Fluid has no restrictions for shipping or storage
Labels contains safety statement in multiple languages

10. MT CLEANSTIXX Sticks key features
Sticklers Part Number: XMT
MT CLEANSTIXX Optical Grade Cleaning Stick
Part Number: XMT
Sintered fiber cleaning tip wicks up contamination during the wipe process
Sintered strand cleaning tip provides a superior level when compared to other common cleaning tip materials like foam used by competitive manufacturers
Sintered fiber tips do not use any adhesives or binding agents which would leach into and cross contaminate the cleaning tip
Mechanical crimp eliminates the need for adhesives for securing the cleaning tip which would leach and cross contaminate the cleaning tip
There are 50 sticks to a box
There are 5 sleeves with 10 sticks per sleeve
Each sleeve has a Lot # printed on the label for traceability

11. How To Clean MPO ASSEMBLY using Cassette
Advance the wheel to 3 positions for a fresh section of the cleaning ribbon
Place MPO connector at the top of the cleaning window
Pull connector across the cleaning ribbon going in a singe direction
Rotate wheel 3 clicks 3 2 1
Additional Recommendations:
To do a wet-dry cleaning, apply a small amount of the cleaning fluid in the cleaning window
Place connector end face in the wet area and wipe towards the dry section of the cleaning ribbon

12. Cassette cleanclicker key features
Sticklers Part Number: CCWRC
Cassette CLEANCLICKER End Face Cleaner
Manually advance cleaning ribbon
Clear window to easily identify remaining cleaning ribbon
Open cleaning window for easy access to cleaning ribbon
Static dissipative material in cleaning window
Compact size fits easily fits your hand
115mm (4 ½”) x 55mm (2 ¼”) X 25mm (1”)
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon synthetic composition wicks away residue based contamination
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon catches dust particulates in the weave during the wipe process
Ultra sonic cutting and washing processes remove loose fibers and fuses the ends of the cleaning ribbon to prevent loose strands

13. Telltales For Identifying Fake, Knock Off Products
Cutting corners with knock off products
Clickers and cassettes cleaning performance is 100% dependent on all of the components working together as a mechanical system
The Chinese knock off manufacturers reduce their production costs by using lower quality components, expanding the tolerances on the components, and eliminating quality control steps
The Chinese knock off products cleaning performance are inferior, inconsistent and usually require the operators to engage the cleaners multiple times
Telltales For Identifying Fake, Knock Off Products
No contact for manufacturer
No brand names
Usually from China
Generic white packaging
The Chinese suppliers are pirating legitimate manufacturers’ products and hide in the shadows.
Question – How much should you trust a company who steals designs & hides?

14. Caveat emptor on knock off products
When YOU make the decision to purchase knock off products, You just exposed Your company to:
Using products that will have no support when quality instances happens
Jeopardized relationships and lost trust with legitimate suppliers and expose your company to potential legal action for violating active patents
Lower profits (if you are a distributor reselling the knock off products or end user having to clean end faces multiple times)

15. Product Line Manager – Sticklers® Fiber Optics
Thank you for your time.
Brian Teague
Product Line Manager – Sticklers® Fiber Optics C: