How To Clean MPO cable assemblies, MPO cassettes, and QSFP+ and other MPO interface transceivers. Brian Teague briant@microcare.com

2. BEST PRACTICE : INSPECT → CLEAN → RE INSPECT
Inspect
End Face
Defects
Replace
Assembly
Clean
Assembly
Connect
Assembly
None
Removable
Permanent
 Recommended process from iNEMI IPC 8497-1 & IEC 61300-3-35
 Never assume a new cable assembly or transceiver is clean
 No cleaning process is 100% every time so inspecting the end face is important

3. CRITICAL FACTORS FOR MATING MT FERRULES
Image 24 fiber MT interferometer
image courtesy of Data Pixel
 Fiber protrusion and end face geometry
 Shape & tolerance of guide pins
 Tolerance of the fiber and guide pin hole
Fiber Ribbon
Fiber Arrays
Guide Pin Hole
Guide Pin
It only takes a minuscule dust particle in the right place to wreak havoc
Fiber protrusion varies between 1m to 3 m

4. MATING MPO CONNECTORS
Mated MPO connector image courtesy of US Conec
QSFP 40GBASE-SR4 image courtesy of Arista
Contact Friction Creates Wear Debris:
 Connector slider
 Retention clips in adapters and transceivers
 Guide pins
Wear debris is a common source for causing dust particulates
You have to inspect & clean both ends of the connector pair to do it right

5. HOW TO CLEAN USING THE MPO CLICKER
To clean MPO cable assemblies:
1. Open the lid of the clear end cap to insert the MPO connector
2. Push cleaner to advance the cleaning ribbon
To clean MPO In Adapters & MPO Interface Optical Transceivers:
1. Remove the end cap to insert the MPO cleaner
2. Push cleaner to advance the cleaning ribbon
Additional Recommendations:
 To do a wet-dry cleaning process, the best method is to spray a small amount of the cleaning onto a wipe
 Take the tip of the clicker and touch the wet spot and engage the cleaner
 The objective with using the wipe is to meter the amount of the cleaning used so that you do not waste it or oversaturate
the cleaning ribbon

6. MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 CLEANER KEY FEATURES
Ultra sonic cutting and washing processes
remove loose fibers and fuses the ends of the
cleaning ribbon to prevent loose strands
The spring has two holes to
accommodate the guide pins for
cleaning male MT ferrules
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon synthetic composition
wicks away residue based contamination
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon catches dust
particulates in the weave during the wipe process
Magnified Forward View of Cleaning Tip of
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
Magnified Side View of Cleaning Tip of
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
The mushroom shaped spring on the cleaning tip
controls the consistency of the contact force as the
cleaning ribbon wipes the ferrule end face
Sticklers Part Number: CCMPO
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 End Face Cleaner

7. MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 CLEANER KEY FEATURES
Clear housing makes it easy to visually identify
how much cleaning ribbon remain
Cleaning tip and the end caps (not shown) ensures the cleaning ribbon is always cleaning
is always wiping the fiber arrays
The cleaning tip is compatible with all 12, 24, 48 and 72 fiber MPO connectors that are
IEC 61754-7 compliant including the MTP® and MPO optical transceivers (i.e. QSFP, CFP)
Push engagement advances gear system to
dispense 12 mm of cleaning ribbon
The life of the cleaner is good for 600 MT end faces
NEW No orientation key on tip which enables the operator to insert the
cleaner with the spools facing or down during cleaning process
Side View of Cleaning Tip of MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 clicker
on a MPO connector
Sticklers Part Number: CCMPO
MPO CLEANCLICKER 600 End Face Cleaner

8. HOW TO CLEAN IN ADAPTER MPO USING STICKS & FLUID
To clean MPO In Adapters & MPO Interface Optical Transceivers:
1. Take one stick out of the package
2. Tilt the can of the cleaning fluid and dispense a small amount of
the fluid into the side port
3. Insert the stick into the side port to wet the tip.
4. Wipe the MT end face going in a single direction
Additional Recommendations:
 Do not oversaturate the stick with cleaning fluid. The cleaning
fluid is highly effective an only a small amount of needed to be
an effective agent.
 Do not reuse sticks to avoid cross contamination. The
contamination taken off the ferrule will still be on the cleaning it.

9. FIBER OPTIC SPLICE & CONNECTOR CLEANER KEY FEATURES
Cleaning fluid is a fast evaporating, no residue chemistry that is non flammable and non toxic
Cleaning fluid is globally GHS, RoHS, and REACH compliant
Fluid has no restrictions for shipping or storage
Triton cap give operator three ways to dispense cleaning fluid
Steel cans are hermetically sealed to protect the
cleaning fluid from spills and cross contamination
Cans hold 85ml (3oz) of the cleaning fluid making them
acceptable for carrying on luggage
Labels contains safety statement in multiple languages
Sticklers Part Number: POC03M
FIBER OPTIC SPLICE & CONNECTOR CLEANER Cleaning Fluid

10. MT CLEANSTIXX STICKS KEY FEATURES
Part Number: XMT
Mechanical crimp eliminates the need for
adhesives for securing the cleaning tip which would
leach and cross contaminate the cleaning tip
Sintered fiber cleaning tip wicks up contamination during the wipe process
Sintered strand cleaning tip provides a superior level when compared to other
common cleaning tip materials like foam used by competitive manufacturers
Sintered fiber tips do not use any adhesives or binding agents which would
leach into and cross contaminate the cleaning tip
There are 50 sticks to a box
There are 5 sleeves with 10 sticks per sleeve
Each sleeve has a Lot # printed on the label for traceability
Sticklers Part Number: XMT
MT CLEANSTIXX Optical Grade Cleaning Stick

11. To clean MPO Assembly:
1. Advance the wheel to 3 positions for a fresh section of the cleaning ribbon
2. Place MPO connector at the top of the cleaning window
3. Pull connector across the cleaning ribbon going in a singe direction
HOW TO CLEAN MPO ASSEMBLY USING CASSETTE
123
Rotate wheel 3 clicks
Additional Recommendations:
 To do a wet-dry cleaning, apply a small amount of the cleaning fluid in the cleaning window
 Place connector end face in the wet area and wipe towards the dry section of the cleaning ribbon

12. CASSETTE CLEANCLICKER KEY FEATURES
Clear window to easily identify
remaining cleaning ribbon
Sticklers Part Number: CCWRC
Cassette CLEANCLICKER End Face Cleaner
Static dissipative material
in cleaning window
Open cleaning window for easy
access to cleaning ribbon
Compact size fits easily fits your hand
115mm (4 ½”) x 55mm (2 ¼”) X 25mm (1”)
Manually advance cleaning ribbon
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon synthetic composition wicks away residue based contamination
The mircofiber cleaning ribbon catches dust particulates in the weave during the wipe process
Ultra sonic cutting and washing processes remove loose fibers and
fuses the ends of the cleaning ribbon to prevent loose strands

13. CUTTING CORNERS WITH KNOCK OFF PRODUCTS
 Clickers and cassettes cleaning performance is 100% dependent on all of the components working
together as a mechanical system
 The Chinese knock off manufacturers reduce their production costs by using lower quality components,
expanding the tolerances on the components, and eliminating quality control steps
 The Chinese knock off products cleaning performance are inferior, inconsistent and usually require the
operators to engage the cleaners multiple times
The Chinese suppliers are pirating legitimate manufacturers’ products and hide in the shadows.
Question – How much should you trust a company who steals designs & hides?
Telltales For Identifying Fake, Knock Off Products
No contact for manufacturer No brand names
Usually from China Generic white packaging

14. CAVEAT EMPTOR ON KNOCK OFF PRODUCTS
When YOU make the decision to purchase knock off products, You just exposed Your company to:
 Using products that will have no support when quality instances happens
 Jeopardized relationships and lost trust with legitimate suppliers and expose your company to
potential legal action for violating active patents
 Lower profits (if you are a distributor reselling the knock off products or end user having to clean
end faces multiple times)

15. Thank you for your time.
Brian Teague
Product Line Manager – Sticklers® Fiber Optics
briant@microcare.com
C: +1.860.406.2576
www.sticklerscleaners.com