Fiber Optic Digital Audio Cable White Paper

Introduction

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) is finding its way into many applications from communications, data transmission, lighting, imaging, sensing and light transmission. POF has also become very popular interconnect in home audio applications. Optical fiber offers numerous advantages over traditional copper audio interconnection technology namely durability, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and low cost. Our goal at Accell was to create a fiber optic cable that provides the highest digital audio connectivity for today's sophisticated home theater systems. Our team of experienced engineers took a great deal of care in designing the Accell line of UltraAudio fiber optic cables. A summary of most important facts about POF appears in the following pages.

Plastic Optical Fiber Basics

If you were to look into the optical fiber receptacle on your DVD player while it is turned on, you will notice a red light. What you will not see, however, is that the light is actually turning on and off up to 10 million times per second! Although the light shouldn't damage your eyes with short exposures, we don't recommend that you stare into the light. Plastic optical fibers act as "light pipes", funneling light from source to receiver. In a typical home theater application, your DVD player acts as the source of the audio signal while your digital receiver or television set acts as the receiver of the signal. At the source end in your DVD player, a red colored LED is pulsed on and off according to the audio signal that it is transmitting. At the receiver end, a light sensitive photo detector translates the optical signal to an electrical signal that can be processed and output to your speakers.

Benefits of Optical Fiber

So why would you use fiber instead of a copper digital coaxial cable? Optical fibers offer several advantages:

· EM and RF Interference Immunity
· Durable/Flexible
· Cost

EM and RF Interference Immunity
Fiber optic audio cables provide a benefit to component manufacturers because optical cables make it easier for components to meet FCC requirements for radiated noise. Because optical signals do not radiate magnetic interference, they do not represent a source of radiated noise. Furthermore, your digital audio optical signal is immune EM and RF noise that is emanated by other components in your system.

Durability
Polymer optical fibers are very durable, unlike their glass-based counterparts. Minimal losses occur even when bent to a 25mm radius. Accell's fiber optic audio cables are extremely strong and vibration resistant. Our cables also feature our UltraFlex™ jacket and gas-injected insulator that are specifically designed to provide additional fiber protection providing you with a long-lasting, high quality connection.

Cost
As the popularity of optical fiber increases, cable costs are expected to drop dramatically. Economically, plastic fiber optic cables can be mass manufactured at lower cost than coaxial cables and jacks. With its injection molded connector design, POF cables are easily terminated without manual soldering or crimping.

The TosLink™ Interface

What does the term TosLink refer to? TosLink is the name of the interface used to connect plastic optical fiber to components. Developed in Japan by a group of large manufactures, the TosLink connection was created as an alternative to the standard RCA coaxial interface for audio connections for the reasons mentioned above. Toshiba was the lead manufacturer and the term TosLink actually refers to "Toshiba Link". Accell UltraAudio Fiber Optic Digital Audio Cables Accell UltraAudio fiber optic digital audio cables offer unparalleled sound quality for studio and home theater needs. Accell UltraAudio cables are made to exacting standards using only the highest quality materials, and are designed to ensure distortion-free digital audio transmission. The result is a clean digital signal for in-theater stereo sound reproduction. The UltraAudio fiber optic cable uses ultra-high purity fiber with extremely low dispersion that yields crisp, clear audio. Super-polished connector end-faces ensure low back-reflection and superior optical coupling while our 24K gold-plated contacts guarantee a secure connection every time. Accell's UltraFlex™ jacket and gas-injected insulator are specifically designed to protect the fiber providing you with a long-lasting, high quality connection.

Summary

Plastic fiber optic cables are gaining popularity in home theater applications and you will truly appreciate the difference that Accell's fiber optic cables make. Try one, and you'll hear the difference.