What is the difference between MPO and MTP connector?

Posted byVijay Gupta14/01/20240 Comment(s)

1. MPO and MTP connector

MPO is the abbreviation of Multi-fiber Push On in English, the first generation of multi-core optical fiber connector designed by NTT Corporation of Japan. Its main industrial standard is IEC-61754-7, the current national standard is YD/T1272.5-2009, and the American standard is EIA/TIA-604-5.

MTP is the abbreviation of Multi-fiber Termination Push-on in English. It is a trademark registered by the US Conec for its own MPO connector. Through multiple innovative designs, it has done a lot of optimization on the MPO connector and has its own patent protect. Therefore, MTP connectors are MPO connectors, but they have better mechanical and optical properties than ordinary MPO connectors. MTP connectors, in full compliance with the professional standards of all MPO connectors.

MTP is a high-performance MPO connector.

2. Composition of MPO connector

The MPO connector is a multi-core multi-channel plug-in connector. Its main feature is a rectangular ferrule with a standard diameter of 6.4mm×2.5mm. It uses two guide holes with a diameter of 0.7mm on the left and right sides of the ferrule end face and guide pins for precise positioning. The pitch of the needles is 4.6mm.

It is mainly used for the connection of multi-core side-by-side optical fibers. The common ones are 8 core, 12 core, 24 core, etc. At present, some companies can provide 72 core or even 96 core fiber connection, and the distance between fibers is 250um. When the MPO connector is docked, a spring installed at the end of the ferrule exerts an axial pressure on the ferrule until the outer frame of the connector is locked with the adapter. There is a key on the side of the ferrule, which is used to determine the correct wire sequence when connecting. There is a white dot on the side of the outer frame sleeve, which is used to identify the position of the optical fiber. Take the MPO12 fiber optic connector in the figure below as an example. The one on the same side as the white dot is P1 (fiber position 1), and the other side is P12.

MPO structure and components

MPO connectors include: tail sheath, adapter, stop ring, spring, guide pin, retainer, MT ferrule, outer frame sleeve, dust cap and other components.

In addition, according to the grinding method of MT ferrule, MPO connector can be divided into:

  • MPO plane connector: MPO connector with a flat ferrule end face;
  • MPO Angled Connector: MPO connector with a beveled ferrule end face (usually 8° angle)

3. Where is the MTP connector optimized?

(1) The guide pin of the MTP connector is a stainless-steel ellipse, which can improve alignment accuracy and reduce wear on the guide hole.

In the traditional MPO connector, although the guide pin has been chamfered, the surface of the needle head is still very sharp. Repeated insertion and extraction will cause cracks or damage to the end surface near the guide hole, which will affect the stability of the connector insertion loss. The figure below is a comparison of the reliability test of MTP and MPO connectors. After 600 times of plugging and unplugging of the MTP connector, the end face near the guide hole is basically intact; after 500 times of plugging and unplugging of the MPO connector, the end face near the guide hole has Visible damage.

MTP and MPO connector plug reliability test comparison

(2) The spring design of the MTP fiber optic connector maximizes the ribbon gap for multi-core ribbon fiber applications, thereby preventing fiber damage.

The following figure is a comparison of the internal structure of MTP and MPO connectors. We can see that the spring section design of MTP is not a conventional circular design, but an elliptical design, which can maximize the space for the ribbon fiber and reduce the impact of spring activity during insertion. Fiber damage.

In addition, there is a groove on the fixing clip of the guide pin of the MTP connector, which can fix the spring in the groove and center the spring force.

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