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.

MOST® Forum 2010 Invites Automotive Professionals to Participate as Speakers


logoStarnberg (Germany) 29 April 2009 - The MOST Forum 2010 will take place on March 23, 2010, concurrent with the MOST Cooperation's All Members Meeting. This one-day industry event on automotive infotainment technology will take place in Stuttgart, Germany, presenting the latest and future technologies and applications based on MOST. " We received very positive feedback for the MOST Cooperation's support of the MOST Forum and have decided to combine the event with the 2010 All Members Meeting", states Harald Schoepp, member of the MOST Cooperation Steering Committee. "MOST Cooperation members will enjoy exclusive benefits when attending the conference and exhibiting their solutions to the MOST community. We encourage all infotainment experts to submit a conference paper on their latest MOST designs and application results."

Suggested topics include but are not limited to MOST physical layer, MOST networking and system architecture, MOST software and protocols, MOST compliance and quality, MOST series projects experience, MOST and other standards, as well as research and miscellaneous topics such as consumer products in the car. The Call for Speakers is now open and anyone interested is invited to submit a proposal for a paper by June 19, 2009. The goal is to cover a broad field of topics with a wide range of information. The MOST Forum provides an ideal venue to share ideas and experiences, and to discuss the latest news on this de-facto automotive infotainment standard. The international conference and exhibition will bring together top professionals from the automotive electronics industry and academia to exchange information and results of their recent work on the leading infotainment technology. The broad international audience will include researchers, designers, engineers, system developers, as well as purchasers and journalists, up to managers of the industries involved. The industry partners SAE International (http://www.sae.org) and ZVEI (Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association, http://www.zvei.org) as well as the media partners Auto Electronics (http://www.autoelectronics.com), Elektronik automotive (http://www.elektroniknet.de) and ElektronikPraxis (http://www.elektronikpraxis.de) are contributing their expertise and technology know-how to set up a premier conference program.





Electronic Links International Awarded Two POF Related Patents


logoBinghamton, NY - Electronic Links International, Inc. today announces that the United States Patent office has granted to the company founder two patents in the field of Plastic Optical Fiber. The first patent titled: EMI SHIELD FOR OPTICAL CONNECTOR, identified with the number US 7,367,719 has 22 claims. It covers features such as shielding, alignment, heat sink for Rosa and Tosa, etc. When mated with a connector cable assembly, the connector system has one of the best data rates in the industry.

The second patent titled: IEEE 1394 TO COAXIAL ADAPTER, identified with the number US 7,380,044 has 9 claims. It is for an adapter that is able to transport digital data using a 1394 platform. The media used is the existing coax wire already installed in the homes. The adapter also has a plastic optical connector where the media to transport data is the Plastic Optical Fiber.

Both patents are for application of systems for the automotive, avionics, home networking, medical, and industrial markets. These patents should help in the proliferation of usage of the plastic optical fiber as a link to transport data effectively and be competitive.

Both patents are also pending in Asia and in Europe.




POFWORLD WEST 2009 Abstract Deadline Extended


logoOne of the main focal points of POFWORLD WEST 2009 will be "POF in Short-Distance Applications.” There is a growing need for high-speed, low-cost interconnects in a wide range of applications, including supercomputers, data centers, storage area networks, home networks, terminal devices, in-box, box-to-box, rack-to-rack, and on circuit boards, to name only a few. These applications are from a few centimeters to 100 meters. Short-distance POF applications have already found their way into automobiles, with over 70 models of automobiles and over 55 million optical nodes on the road in Europe and Asia. This has resulted in economies of scale, allowing POF to reach its low-cost potential. This same technology will soon find its way into short-distance interconnects in industrial, consumer, medical, computer, and aerospace fields. Both presentations and results that have not been presented previously at POF Conferences and describe new technical contributions as well as applied presentations which describe new applications and advances in older applications are being sought in the following two categories, and should be submitted online here.

The current submission schedule:
Abstract deadline April 30, 2009
Notification of Acceptance May 15, 2009
Submission of Full Manuscript June 15, 2009




Firecomms Announces OptoLock® Compatibility with Broadcom’s Highly-Integrated BCM7405 IP Set-Top Box SoC Solution


logoCork, Ireland - Firecomms, a provider of high-speed Plastic Optical Fiber components, today announces the compatibility of its OptoLock® Fast Ethernet optical transceiver with the Ethernet PHY integrated in Broadcom’s BCM7405 IP set-top box (STB) system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution. Firecomms will demonstrate its OptoLock technology at this week’s IPTV World Forum on Firecomms booth #95 in London’s Olympia Grand Hall.

An easy-to-use housing for instant termination of bare Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), OptoLock will enable the quick and easy connection of POF directly to the STB in home networks. The inclusion of OptoLock POF ports directly into the set-top box enables operators and homeowners to quickly lay ultra-thin POF cable.

“This announcement is a significant milestone in our efforts to enable integration of our OptoLock transceivers across set-top box platforms,” says John Lambkin, Firecomms’ chief technology officer. “Operators recognize the benefits POF brings to reducing installation time and complexity. Integration of POF ports directly into the set-top box enables reductions in bill of material costs as compared to external network adapters."

“With an integrated PHY capable of driving both copper and optical ports, our collaborated solution enables deployment efficiencies that allow set-top box manufacturers, service providers and consumers in Europe to quickly realize the benefits of home networking,” said Aidan O’Rourke, Broadcom’s Senior Director of Product Marketing. “Broadcom is pleased to work with Firecomms to meet the requirements of Europe’s connected digital home and enable an enhanced consumer entertainment experience.”




Firecomms to Include STMicroelectronics IPTV Set-Top Box Reference Design in Demonstration of Low-Cost Optical Home Networking at IPTV World Forum


logoCork, 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.”




Review of POFTO Activities at OFC/NFOEC 2009


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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.

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.




Firecomms Shortlisted for Prestigious Ireland Technology Award


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Cork, Ireland - March 30, 2009 - Firecomms, an Ireland-based provider of high-speed Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) components, has been nominated for the Irish Technology Leaders Silicon Valley Award 2009. One of seven finalists, Firecomms has been chosen for its pioneering development of high-speed optical components, including Optolock®, that drive IPTV home networks and in-car multimedia entertainment systems.

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


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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





DiMoto and FiberFin Announce New U.S. Distribution Agreement


logoDiMoto 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


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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.




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