 Cork, Ireland - On the heels of the successful integration of Firecomms’ Optical Ethernet OptoLock® transceiver into STMicroelectronics’ newest HD IPTV STi7105 set-top box (STB) reference design, Firecomms Ltd. is delighted to announce the first live demonstration of this technology on its booth #95 at this week’s IPTV World Forum in London’s Olympia Grand Hall. Developed by Firecomms, a leading developer of high speed Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) transceivers and Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs), OptoLock is an easyto- use, low-cost transceiver for instant termination of bare POF. This innovative plugless connector enables the optical fiber to be cut and terminated to the exact required length on site, allowing even novice consumers to quickly and easily terminate the bare optical fiber directly into the STB. OptoLock is based on world-class photonics technology, so it’s ideal for Ethernet applications with stringent quality-of-service requirements such as IPTV gateways, set-top boxes, and hubs.POF provides home users with all the benefits and none of the disadvantages typically associated with optical fiber connections. Significantly, Mitsubishi Rayon, the world’s largest fiber manufacturer, will use this opportunity at IPTV World Forum to present OPTOHOME™, the company’s latest fiber optic cable specifically developed for the costcompetitive home networking market. “Although we have seen many thousands of POF connections installed with external network adapters, this integration step and demonstration illustrates to set-top box manufacturers the level of maturity that POF has reached within the IPTV home network,” said Hugh Hennessy, Firecomms vice president of sales and marketing. ”With this increased level of interest in this low-cost embedded solution, we are hopeful to announce first platform releases by leading set-top box manufacturers in the coming months.” |
The Plastic Optical Fiber Trade Organization strives to actively promote the proliferation of Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) systems serving both data communication and non-data markets.
Firecomms to Include STMicroelectronics IPTV Set-Top Box Reference Design in Demonstration of Low-Cost Optical Home Networking at IPTV World Forum
Review of POFTO Activities at OFC/NFOEC 2009
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In addition to the "POF Applications Center', POFTO organized:
Presentations of both these events are available to POFTO members in the Member Resources section. The 2009 POF Directory was also available to POFTO exhibitors for distribution to key contacts. Hardcopies of the 2009 Edition are now available for purchase here. Please find information about listing and advertising in the 2010 Edition here. Furthermore, POFTO has arranged for a 20'x50' booth for the 2010 show which will be held in the same location March 23-26, 2010. POFTO members may register for exhibit space here. |
This year's OFC/NFOEC Conference and Exhibition held March 24-27 at the San Diego Convention Center had a total attendance of 9,300 down from about 11,000 in 2008. This is to be expected with the economy the way that it is. Despite the lower attendance, the POF Applications Center had a brisk flow of interested attendees. Firecomms Shortlisted for Prestigious Ireland Technology Award
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The Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), in partnership with Ireland’s The Irish Times newspaper, will present the award at Stanford University on April 14th. Ireland’s Trade Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister (Tánaiste), the Hon. Mary Coughlan T.D., will deliver the keynote address at the awards ceremony. “Firecomms is honored to be included among this prestigious group of technology innovators,” says Declan O’Mahoney, Firecomms’ CEO. “With strong roots in research and development, we strive to develop products like OptoLock that will be recognized for innovation, while providing substantial advantages in applications like home networking and automotive networks." “Firecomms is representative of the high-tech semiconductor technology that is emerging from Ireland and gaining a position on the world stage,” says John Hartnett, ITLG chairman. “This innovative company is exactly the type that ITLG chooses to recognize with this award.” |
COMOSS Announces New GAPSW Series Gigabit POF Switch
Taipei Taiwan – COMOSS has just announced a new product – the Gigabit POF switch. With 1 Giga POF, 1 Giga SFP and 8 fast Ethernet OPTOLOCK. Not only is this a new fast Ethernet POF product but now COMOSS can offer Gigabit POF solutions to the customer. With an excellent R&D experience, COMOSS has developed a full series of POF products. Now, COMOSS can provide customers with even more POF product solutions. Please contact our sales people for detail spec and test data. sales@comoss.com.tw COMOSS will demonstrate whole POF products in OFC San Diego 24-26 March 2009. Please visit COMOSS website for more information of POF products: http://www.comoss.com/news.htm Optolock™ is a trademark of Firecomms. Download PDF Data Sheet for the GAPSW Series Switch
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DiMoto and FiberFin Announce New U.S. Distribution Agreement
 DiMoto Pty Ltd, a leading provider of Plastic Optic Fiber (POF) based networking solutions, today announced it has entered into a new distribution agreement that will enable the company to extend its global reach and promote its products broadly in the United States with FiberFin Inc., a full service supplier of plastic optic fiber products for industrial, video, lighting and data applications.
FiberFin will now be stocking DiMoto’s entire product range consisting of POF Media Converters, POF Switches, POF USB Adapters and POF PCI Cards. DiMoto’s products will also be available through FiberFin’s online store. Ethernet over Plastic Optic Fiber is a simple, secure and high performance local area networking solution which is ideal for installations where the ability to install alongside power, terminate in seconds and route inconspicuously significantly reduces deployment costs. The technology is also widely deployed where electrical noise, ground potential variations or lightning is of concern. "DiMoto is delighted to announce the partnership with FiberFin. The team at FiberFin has over 44 years of combined experience in the plastic optic fiber market and is well positioned to provide a high level of sales support." said Michael Stevens, Commercial Director for DiMoto. "We are confident that the combination of our high quality and reliable line of products and FiberFin’s in-depth support will provide the confidence necessary for US businesses to explore the benefits of POF." "The partnership with DiMoto strengthens our POF hardware solutions portfolio with quality and innovative products that have a strong synergy with our other product lines," said Paul Mulligan, managing director of FiberFin inc "we expect to see strong interest from our existing customer base in the industrial and process control sectors. DiMoto is a clear leader in the market." |
ODVA Approves Important POF Standard
The 2009 CIP Networks Conference & 13th Annual Meeting of ODVA was Held in Orlando, Florida, the week of February 22-26, 2009. This conference is for the automation industry, attended by executives, marketing professionals, and technical experts from around the world. The conference features technical, marketing, and training sessions and was attended by more than 100 members. A number of pieces presented at the conference are available in the ODVA 2009 Library. These include a Report on the Affairs of the Corporation Presentation, by Katherine Voss and Rich Harwell, ODVA, (in which POF is highlighted on page 23) as well as both a paper and presentation by Bob Lounsbury of Rockwell Automation on "Polymer Optical Fiber for EtherNet/IP Networks". The EtherNet/IP Chapter 8 Volume 2 ed. 1.6 was published as of November 2008 and has included 1mm POF fiber in two classes of numerical apertures: 0.5NA and 0.3NA. This standard also includes the connectorless transceivers like the Optolock ® and the AVAGO clip style. These are bare cable retaining mechanisms that hold the fiber jacket. This is very big news for the POF industrial community. The connectorless transceiver will be used inside the cabinet (IP-20). This will be welcome news for installers for the ease of routing a bare cable (no connectors), no patch cords, no predetermined lengths, and for the final installation into the transceivers. This installation lets the installer just finish the bare cable using a disposable razor cutter like the FiberFin® model and then simply insert the finished cable into the end of the transceiver and lock it in. It really is that simple! Designers will like it since this is one of the most cost-effective ways to interconnect and has one of the lowest costs of ownership. The new release, Chapter 8 Volume 2 Ed. 1.7, which should be passed in April, will have two 1mm POF connectors: the SCRJ, which is an IP-20 connector, and the IP-67 SCRJ variant 1 shell. This SC-RJ version has a sealed variant 1 shell that is compliant to the IEC standard. These two connectors will cover the industrial needs very well, as the SCRJ, which was founded by Reichle & De-Massari (R&M), is a very robust connector but still fits the small form factor for duplex connectors. |
Discussion & Strategy on the Development of POF Standards
The Plastic Optical Fiber Trade Organization (POFTO) is organizing a workshop on March 23 at OFC/NFOEC on "Discussion and Strategy on the Development of POF Standards". All those interested in the development of POF Standards are invited to attend. This workshop is open to both POFTO and non-POFTO members and will include both POF and PCS. A review of existing POF standards and recent activities will be presented to start the discussion as well as the Global POF Installation Guide (GPOFIG) Proposal. Please take a few minutes to review this proposal and post your comments on the new Global POF Infrastructure Guide (GPOFIG) Topic on the POFTO Forum section of the website. The workshop will be held in Room 30A of the San Diego Convention Center from 2:00 - 5:00 pm on March 23. Please plan to attend if at all possible as this is a critical need for the future development of the POF industry. So that we have an idea of who may be able to attend, contact either Paul Mulligan or Paul Polishuk. |
POF Directory 2009 Ads & Listings Deadline Extended Through Friday
POFTO plans to distribute 5,000 copies of the 2009 Edition of the POF Directory at trade shows and through direct mail to qualified end users and design engineers in the computer, audiovisual, consumer, automotive, industrial control, medical and home networking fields. In addition, copies will be made available to advertisers as promotional tools.Two listing types are available, a basic listing (consisting of company name, contact information and a 25-word product description) or a one-page ad. The one-page ad option includes a B&W image of the company's logo or product as well as a listing of any additional sales offices. Click Here to Reserve Your Listings and Ads Today! POFTO members receive significant discounts as listed. Full page color inserts, inside and back cover ads are also still available. New listings and materials must be received by February 28, 2009 for inclusion. |
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MOST Cooperation Exhibits at the 1st International Automotive Electronics Technology Expo
On January 28th to 30th, 2009, the MOST Cooperation presented latest technology achievements to the Japanese public at the 1st International Automotive Electronics Technology Expo (CAR ELE) show in Tokyo, Japan. MOST50 and MOST150 demonstrations were shown at booth East 19-36 in the East Hall 1 at the Tokyo Big Sight. The CAR ELE Japan was an excellent opportunity for the MOST Cooperation to show both MOST50 electrical Physical Layer as well as MOST150 optical Physical Layer to a broad Asian audience. The numerous visitors were deeply impressed by the showcase that focused on the efficiency of MOST Technology due to synchronous transmission. On Friday, January 30th, Dr. Christian Thiel, Administrator of the MOST Cooperation, spoke about "Carmakers from Europe and Asia Integrate MOST as the Standard for Multimedia Networking in Vehicles" in the Technical Conference Session "The Most Recent Trends in In- vehicle Network for Ever-evolving Automobiles". His presentationfurthermore confirmed MOST as the international de-facto standard for automotive infotainment. |
Firecomms Announces Availability of MOST150 Transceiver Demonstrated in Hyundai Autonet Infotainment Network
Cork, Ireland?January 26, 2009?Firecomms today announces the availability of its new MOST150 fiber optic transceiver (FOT), which provides a bandwidth of 150 Mbps for highspeed automotive infotainment networks over Plastic Optical Fiber (POF). Firecomms new MOST150 FOT has been used successfully to demonstrate the capabilities of the next-generation MOST150 infotainment network being developed by Hyundai Autonet.
The FOT is included in a connector system developed and marketed by Alps Electric Co. Ltd. “Our collaboration with Hyundai Autonet culminated in a demonstration by the Tier 1 infotainment supplier that has proven the operation of our new devices within the pioneering Hyundai Autonet system,” says Niall Keegan, Firecomms’ general manager of Asia Pacific. “The Firecomms MOST150 FOT allowed us to demonstrate successfully, and in the shortest time possible, the features and capabilities of our new MOST150 system to our automotive customers,” says Mr. Jack Kim, manager of the AV Team, Multimedia R&D at Hyundai Autonet.
MOST150 is already making its way into future vehicles. In addition to higher bandwidth MOST150 features an isochronous transport mechanism to support extensive video applications, as well as an Ethernet channel for the efficient and seamless 15 transport of IPbased packet data. Thus, MOST150 provides the automotive-ready physical layer for Ethernet in the car.
