Industrial Fiber Optics Hookup Guide
Nick Poole Fiber Duplex Breakout
We designed the Fiber Duplex Board for creating simple fiber links to embedded devices. This board has the same pinout as our Serial Breakouts, so they will connect directly to the serial header of many dev boards such as the Arduino Pro or Pro Mini.
To create a fiber link between two dev boards, simply connect the Fiber Duplex Breakout to each board, connect them with two pieces of fiber cable, and then use the Serial library to send and receive data as you normally would.
This board also works in concert with the Serial Fiber Modem to create a fiber link from a dev board to a computer. We’ve even had success loading Arduino code over fiber this way (although because the fiber doesn’t carry a DTR signal, we had to manually reset the Arduino board during upload)
What is the CURRENT LIMIT Jumper?
This jumper can be found on both the Fiber Duplex and Simplex Breakouts. Because the boards will operate at both 3.3V and 5V, this jumper is provided to halve the current limiting resistance to the transmitter LED. In most cases, you’ll never need to close this jumper because the LED will simply operate at 3.3V with reduced brightness. If you’re having trouble transmitting over a long distance at 3.3V, however, closing this jumper will allow the LED to operate at it’s full rated current.