IP-16 Hybrid LC Connector

What the IP-16 hybrid LC connector is

The IP-16 hybrid LC connector joins an optical path and a power path in one sealed body. The manufacturer lists it as an LC two-fibre interface plus two 12 AWG power conductors, rated IP68, with a Safe Lock Ring. It sits in the IP-ONE hybrid group, which the manufacturer describes as fibre plus power in one IP68 connector. The IP-16 size is the smaller of the hybrid sizes; the larger IP-21 and IP-25 carry heavier conductors.

Two things make the part useful. First, a remote unit such as a radio, a camera or a Wi-Fi access point needs a fibre for data and a feed for power, and a hybrid plug turns two connectors, two glands and two cables into one. Second, the LC fibre interface is the one most remote equipment already uses. The full family is explained on the IP-ONE hybrid optical and power connectors page, and the fibre-only relative is the IP-16 LC connector.

Radix can supply this connector loose, or built onto hybrid cable to your drawing and quoted from Pune. The matching fixed port for a box wall is the IP-16 hybrid LC adapter.

What the 12 AWG pair can and cannot do

A 12 AWG conductor has a cross-section of about 3.3 mm square. At typical copper resistance, about 5.2 ohms per kilometre at room temperature (a standard planning value, so use the cable data sheet for a real design), a long thin feed loses voltage quickly. The connector may be rated for a high voltage, but what a remote unit actually gets depends on the length, the supply voltage and the current drawn.

The table is arithmetic on assumed values, not a the manufacturer or Radix claim. It shows that a connector's voltage rating says little about how far a given load can be fed. Work out the drop for your own load before you pick the cable. If the answer is poor, the fix is a higher supply voltage, a heavier conductor (look at the IP-21 hybrid LC connector) or a separate power run.

Fibre side: LC duplex and Safe Lock Ring

The optical interface is a standard LC duplex pair, so it works with transceivers and radios that take LC. Transmit on one end must meet receive on the other, and that is a polarity matter that the cable build must get right; the simplex vs duplex guide explains why. The Safe Lock Ring is a locking ring that keeps the plug seated against vibration, wind and accidental pulls. It also tells an installer by feel and by sight that the plug is fully mated.

Single-mode is normal for outdoor access and radio, so the order should say OS2 and the polish in full. The general LC format is covered by the LC connector guide, and the choice of polish by LC UPC vs LC APC. The manufacturer’s series figure for single-mode insertion loss on LC versions is 0.05 to 0.12 dB typical and 0.15 to 0.25 dB maximum, but ask for the data sheet of the exact hybrid part when you budget.

Safety and installation

This connector carries electrical power, and the people who install it should be qualified to work on the supply it connects to. Do not mate or unmate a live feed unless the data sheet states that the connector may be operated under load. Isolate first, then connect, then energise. Follow the electrical rules of the site and the country; Radix cannot advise on those for your installation. A connector rating is a property of the part, not a permission to run any circuit up to that figure.

Keep fibre and copper both in mind during routing. Hybrid cable is stiffer than plain fibre cable and has a larger bend radius, so a tight corner that suits a fibre jumper may kink a hybrid one. Strain relief matters more here too, since the extra weight of copper pulls on the plug. For jacket choice outdoors, read the jacket types guide.

Where it fits in a site design

• Remote radio and small cell links on masts and poles, with one cable from the cabinet.
• CCTV and PTZ cameras on long runs where PoE reach on copper would be exceeded; see CCTV and surveillance.
• Smart-city street equipment such as signal controllers and sensors; see smart city and traffic.
• Outdoor Wi-Fi and distributed antenna systems where each node needs fibre and a feed.

For a plain data link where power is already at the site, the fibre-only waterproof LC connector is simpler and cheaper.

Worked example: ordering for 12 remote cameras

The project below is assumed.

A campus needs 12 outdoor cameras, each fed at 48 V DC with a load of 2 A, at distances from 40 m to 130 m from a cabinet. On the longest run, 130 m out and 130 m back is a loop of 260 m. At 5.2 ohm per km that is about 1.35 ohm, so 2 A drops about 2.7 V, or 5.6 percent of 48 V. That is workable for most 48 V loads, but the camera's allowed input window must be checked.

The far end of each cable may be a hybrid adapter in a distribution box, or it may be split into a fibre pigtail and a power lead. That choice needs a drawing. See the RFQ guide for fibre assemblies for a way to lay it out.

Buyer checklist

• Load voltage and current at the remote unit, plus its allowed input range.
• One-way cable length, so the voltage drop can be computed.
• Fibre type and polish for the LC pair.
• Hybrid cable construction: conductors, outer diameter, jacket, armour if needed.
• What the far end terminates in: adapter, split-out leads or another plug.
• Qualified electrician and local rules for the power side.
• Dust caps, spares and cleaning kit for the fibre faces.

When this is not the right part

Skip the hybrid when the remote unit has its own local power, or when the power must be many amps over a long way; a separate power cable is simpler and cheaper to size. Skip it when the load exceeds what 12 AWG can carry over the distance, and look at the 8 AWG IP-21 hybrid LC. Skip it when you need more than two fibres; the IP-16 hybrid MPO connector carries 24. And for indoor equipment, a plain LC patch cord, such as the LC to LC patch cord, is all that is needed.

What to send Radix to quote it

Send the quantity, fibre type, polish, load voltage and current, cable length per run, the far-end termination, and the cable you have in mind or its datasheet. Radix will check the match against the manufacturer data sheet and revert. Use the request a quote page, phone or WhatsApp from Pune. For made-to-drawing work, the custom fibre optic assemblies page explains the process.