Bristol 828A

The 828 Series Optical Wavelength Meter from Bristol Instruments is designed to revolutionize the production of tunable transmitter lasers used in WDM applications.

A Fizeau etalon design is used to generate a spatial interferogram that is detected by a fast InGaAs photodetector array. An on-board digital signal processor quickly converts the interferometric data to wavelength. Because this calculation is done within the instrument, a sustained measurement rate of 1 kHz is achieved.

This speed enables greater efficiency in the production of WDM transceivers by dramatically reducing the time needed for wavelength testing.

The optical signal enters the model 828 through an FC (UPC or APC) fiber-optic connector on the front panel. The system’s high sensitivity results in an input power requirement as low as -40 dBm (0.1 µW). Automatic attenuation instantly adjusts the signal for optimum performance.

A convenient touch-screen display on the instrument's front panel controls the 828 system and reports the measured wavelength and power. The measurement data can also be sent to a PC using a variety of interface options that satisfy virtually any test application.

An RS-422 serial interface is available for data streaming that can be triggered by the instrument itself or with a user-supplied signal. As many as one million measurements can be stored to an internal data buffer for analysis at a later time. Or, interfacing can be done via a library of SCPI commands using a standard USB or Ethernet interface, or an optional GPIB interface.

Key Features:

• Fastest sustained measurement rate of 1 kHz
• Wavelength accuracy as high as ± 0.3 pm
• Automatic calibration with built-in wavelength standard
• Measurement confidence level ≥ 99.7%
• Traceable to NIST standards
• Power measured to an accuracy of ± 0.5 dB
• Wavelength range from 1250 to 1650 nm
• Convenient touch-screen display reports measurement data in a variety of formats
• Data streaming available using RS-422 serial interface
• Internal data storage for up to one million measurements
• Interfacing via SCPI using USB, Ethernet, or GPIB
• Rugged design for manufacturing environments