In this video, we will test the polarity of an 8 by 8 shuffle system using the OP415 Polarity Analyzer and OPL-Max.
For this test, we will use two OP415s to show how multiple units can be used to test complex systems.
The cables being used split the 24 source and detector channels from each unit into 12 fiber ribbon cables that connect to the shuffle.
With two units, we are able to connect to half the source ports and half the receive ports of the shuffle at once.
This is the mapping that we are testing the shuffle against. The number of signal pathways being evaluated requires that we conduct the test in 4 rounds, scanning through a total of 48 pathways each round.
Between rounds, the cables must be moved to different ports on the shuffle in order to scan through the entire system.
To achieve this, we will follow a sequence in software to alternate the groups of source and receive ports that are connected from the shuffle to the units.
This is represented in OPL-Max by a single test step instructing the software to execute the steps needed to test the entire shuffle system.
A test in OPL-Max always begins by prompting the user to take a reference.
For a polarity test this step isn’t necessary.
The next window is the first in a series of prompts that tell the operator what ports to have connected for the current step of the test.
This first prompt tells the user to connect the source and receive cables to ports 1,7,2,8 on each side of the shuffle, which was done prior to starting the test.
Progress windows will show the results of the polarity test as is scans through the different pathways.
The results will append as each step of the test is executed.
At every step of the test, the operator can choose to continue the test, retest the current batch of pathways, or abort the test.
The next prompt window instructs the user to move the receive cables onto the second batch of receive ports in order to scan the next set of pathways.
As the test continues, the source and receive cables will alternate through the different ports in order to scan through all possible signal pathways.
The final progress window lists the full mapping that was tested against and what was found.
The test report contains a single line result showing that the shuffle system passed the polarity test.