LC Connector Vs. SC Connector

Fiber patch cable plays an important role in optical links. It is a fiber optic cable terminated with one fiber optic connector on both ends. Among the various types of fiber patch cables, LC to LC patch cable and SC fiber optic cable are two of the most commonly used fiber patch cables. It is not difficult to understand that the difference between LC and SC fiber patch cable lies in LC connector and SC connector. So, learning about LC connector and SC connector will help you know more about LC and SC fiber patch cable.

Overview of LC Connector And SC Connector

LC connector has a push and latch structure, with plastic shell and accurate 1.25mm ceramic ferrule. It is in small size and has good performance. Standing for Subscriber Connector or Square Connector or Standard Connector, SC connector is a kind of push and pull connector. It has a locking tab which can make accurate alignment through ceramic ferrule. The following figure shows LC connector and SC connector.

Comparison Between LC Connector And SC Connector

This part will make comparison between LC connector and SC connector from three aspects: size, handing and application.

Size: LC connector is half the size of SC connector. The ceramic ferrule of LC connector is 1.25mm, while SC connector’s ceramic ferrule is 2.5mm.

Handing: LC is a push and latch connector while SC is a push and pull connector. You can have better understanding of this from the above figure.

Application: Structured with half the footprint of the SC connector gives LC connector huge popularity in data communication and other high-density patch applications. In addition, the combination of small size and latch feature makes LC connector very popular and widely used for dense installation. While SC connector features low cost, simplicity as well as good durability, and it remains the second most common connector for polarization maintaining applications. The SC connector is ideally suited for data communication and telecommunication applications including point to point and passive optical networking.

Another Fiber Patch Cable

As LC connector and SC connector have their own advantages, both LC patch cable and SC patch cable are widely used in optical network deployment. But, is there a kind of fiber patch cable that combines LC connector and SC connector The answer is “Yes”. There is a kind of SC to LC patch cable on the market. As the figure below shows, it is a high quality 50/125μm OM4 multimode fiber patch cable. This LC to SC cable is housed in a PVC (OFNR) retardant jacket, with UPC polish. It support 850/1300nm wavelength. It’s a great option for high-speed, high bandwidth transmissions over Gigabit Ethernet/fiber channel networks.

Conclusion

As the demand for higher bandwidth is increasing, fiber patch cable is commonly used in network deployment. Both LC patch cable and SC patch cable are designed to achieve such a kind of transmission, and they have their own advantages. What’s more, LC to SC fiber patch cable is also available to realize the transmission between devices terminated with LC and SC connector.