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Greg_C
12-17-2006, 02:11 PM
Does anyone know if someone manifactures an optical cable that we can run in wall? I'm trying to avoid having to deal with any type of optical to coax adapter.

OEX
12-17-2006, 08:09 PM
i believe you can use the fiber that is bundled with 2x2 cable and terminate yourself. Or you could buy fiber yourself but be careful during installation. Its glass. Terminating isnt hard but can be somewhat expensive to get started. I wouldnt think it would need to be cl rated. its not wire and has no current thru it.

def90
12-17-2006, 08:31 PM
I could be wrong but doesn't part of the CL2 rating have to do with how the material (Jacket/insulation/wire) performs in a fire? or is that a plenum only issue?

Special-Ed
12-17-2006, 08:54 PM
eventhough i am trained on fiber and have all the tool to terminate and test it. i do not know if it is "inwall rated" most of the time i use arial or direct burial fiber, but for some reason i think the orange and grey jacket stuff is in wall rated.

i purchased a crap load for a house a few year back and my spec to graybar was it had to be inwall rated.

ed

Greg_C
12-17-2006, 09:27 PM
I could be wrong but doesn't part of the CL2 rating have to do with how the material (Jacket/insulation/wire) performs in a fire? or is that a plenum only issue?


That is exactly what I am talking about. We have a couple of installations where the LG plasma we are installing has an ATSC tuner with Optical out, and the client has not yet upgraded to a HD sat box. He wants to be able to watch local HD and have DD by connecting the plasma to his surround processor. I don't think that any of the optical cables that we normally use have a CL-2 jacket, and I don't have enough need to try to make custom cables.

Special-Ed
12-17-2006, 10:23 PM
sorry you will have to use digital coax. you cannot make toslink connectors. i have looked for about 5 years for a vendor, gepco no, leviton no, avad no, graybar no.... it seems nobody makes field terminated toslink connections... you are shit out of luck.

but if someone has a source for toslink field terminations please share....

OEX
12-17-2006, 10:29 PM
ed

leviton makes them/made them. i took a fiber class by leviton and they had reusuable fiber ends. they were slick.

metrognomicon
12-17-2006, 10:50 PM
Is it actually possible to send Toslink distances of 500 feet or so? What would be the type of fiber (single mode, multi-mode, 50 micron, etc, etc)? I know there basically shouldn't be any loss over fiber, but I don't know how powerful the laser drivers in your typical consumer DVD player are.

Pilgrim
12-17-2006, 10:52 PM
Talk to your inspector and see if you can run 'smurf tubing' to house the cable. It is allowed here.

def90
12-17-2006, 11:08 PM
Monster makes CL rated toslink cables:

http://www.lcdtvs.com/lcd/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_MLS1000FO2M_Z_whi_Y_ACables_Z_ whi_sub_Y_TOS%20Link%20Fiber%20Optic_Z_whi_main_Y_ Audio%20Cables

Special-Ed
12-17-2006, 11:15 PM
ed

leviton makes them/made them. i took a fiber class by leviton and they had reusuable fiber ends. they were slick.


send me a link please, because when i was getting trained by leviton the factory guy at leviton never heard of toslink and the rep could not locate them either.

oex are you sure they were toslink?

Special-Ed
12-17-2006, 11:16 PM
Monster makes CL rated toslink cables:

http://www.lcdtvs.com/lcd/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_MLS1000FO2M_Z_whi_Y_ACables_Z_ whi_sub_Y_TOS%20Link%20Fiber%20Optic_Z_whi_main_Y_ Audio%20Cables


its not field terminated its factory done....

def90
12-17-2006, 11:22 PM
its not field terminated its factory done....

The original poster is looking for something to put in the wall and never specified that it needed to be field terminated. Anyway, his concern of using optical to coaxial adapters would most likely be cheaper and easier in the end than running fiber, buying the tools and learning how to terminate it.

avophile
12-18-2006, 12:49 AM
Not to hijack too much, but how well do the optical to toslink adaptors work? I have to use a few from Calrad this week for an Autopatch switcher that came configured with both types.

As for the OP, why not run the usual "structured" banana cable with fiber and RG-6s or whatever else... more is almost always better.

vette84
12-18-2006, 10:08 AM
Most fiber is not rated by the CL designation. It is rated by the CM designation, which is more of a commercial spec. The rating applies to the jacket and not what's inside... it's a fire rating.

Jackets will either be rated CM or CMG (general, single floor only), CMR (riser, can be run between floors), or CMP (plenum, a/c return spaces)

Most fiber designed to be a horizontal run will have a CMR rating. It will have a fairly stiff jacket, and generally has 4 or more fiber strands in it. Standards also call that multimode is orange jacket, and singlemode is yellow jacket. The floppy fiber patch cords are not rated to go in-wall, so they're a no-go.

Ultimately, I agree with def90... converters will be way easier and cheaper to get the job done in this particular instance.

jayson
12-19-2006, 08:06 AM
Toslink is extremely easy to field terminate.

Heres the plugs:

http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=MCMProducts&product%5Fid=27%2D4955

And the cable:

http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=MCMProducts&product%5Fid=24%2D7220

And the tool:

http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=MCMProducts&product%5Fid=24%2D7225

Fastfred
12-19-2006, 08:28 AM
Monster makes CL rated toslink cables:

http://www.lcdtvs.com/lcd/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_MLS1000FO2M_Z_whi_Y_ACables_Z_ whi_sub_Y_TOS%20Link%20Fiber%20Optic_Z_whi_main_Y_ Audio%20Cables


I looked for Greg yesterday. It's interesting to note that Munster's web site does not mention the cl rated jacket.....

ATOH
12-19-2006, 08:47 AM
What about Audioquest? Many of their cables are inwall rated I think.