Active Optical Cable Structure Principle and Application Area

Active optical cable is a new type of transmission optical cable. It needs external energy to convert electrical signals into optical signals, or optical signals into electrical signals. The optical transceivers at both ends of the optical cable provide photoelectric Conversion and optical transmission functions.

What is the principle of active optical cable AOC?

At one end of the active optical cable, the data is input to the electrical signal, and the electrical signal is converted into an optical signal of a specific wavelength by a photoelectric conversion device. The optical signal is modulated and coupled and then input into the transmission optical cable. After the optical signal reaches the other end, the photoelectric detection device The optical signal is detected, amplified, and processed, and then the corresponding electrical signal is output. The same principle applies to reverse transmission.

Compared with high-speed cables, it has strong interchangeability, low cost, and good heat dissipation.

Active optical cable AOC has advantages over high-speed cables. Let’s compare the difference between active optical cable AOC and high-speed cables.

Disadvantages of high-speed cables:

1. Short transmission distance, heavyweight, large volume, and difficult to manage.

2. It is susceptible to electromagnetic interference, such as bad response, degradation, and other problems.

Advantages of active optical cable:

1. Larger bandwidth: No equipment upgrade is required, with a throughput of up to 40Gbps.

2. Lightweight: much lighter than high-speed cables.

3. Low degree of electromagnetic interference: Since optical fiber is a dielectric, it is not easily affected by electromagnetic interference.

In contrast, it can be clearly seen why active optical cables have achieved broad development despite the advantages of high-speed optical cables and their high costs.

Through the above, we know the basic situation, structure, and advantages of active optical cable AOC.

So, where are active optical cable AOC products applied in our lives?

In teaching centers and laboratories, active optical cables connect multiple machines with the host, which not only ensures high-speed data transmission but also realizes a secure network system.

In data centers and cloud computing systems, in order to achieve higher bandwidth and lower power requirements, the 10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ in the active optical cable can be well connected to devices such as switches or routers with high-speed optical communication ports. In common digital signage, active optical cables also play an important role, which can meet the requirements of supporting 1080p resolution in outdoor HDMI environments. Not only that, but active optical cables are also useful in outdoor large-scale interactive games.

The above information is provided by optical transceiver manufacturers.