digipoi Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Got a 75' toslink cable to get audio from my PC in three rooms over to my digital receiver. Ive run the cable and section of it runs over a doorway. I have the proper staples and such Im just not sure if they can take a 90 degree bend. I know single-mode and multi-mode data fiber cannot stand bends or youll get data loss or even disconnects. The jackets on the toslink is 7mm which is pretty fat but not sure if it will handle the bend. Any ideas anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjordan2001 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Well, bending it will definitely weaken the signal, especially since the max you can even run a toslink without performance loss is about 20'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted March 12, 2006 Veteran Share Posted March 12, 2006 yeah, 75' is a VERY long run for toslink. a 90 degree bend will disrupt the signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Is it just the type of fiber that makes up toslink? SM fiber can carry signal for at least a couple of miles and MM is more for shorter distances but will still travel for a good bit, longer than 75'. The toslink connection sounds good right now but it looks pretty ghetto over the doorjamb. Would a 6' run with a 90 degree bend on it cause a disruption? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted March 12, 2006 Veteran Share Posted March 12, 2006 90 degree bends are a no no with home theater toslink cables. The light beam simply gets cut off. as far as cable length goes, it really depends on the output device. Some havea more powerful signal and can get a good 30m or so, while others fade out at 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Yeah, when I look back on it, fiber is fiber. Ill have to leave a small comfort loop around the 90 bends. Not very nice looking but my place is single wall construction so not much I can do for aesthetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjordan2001 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Could you use digital coaxial? It's better on bending and can run longer distances (up to 100 feet or so with no signal degredation) and can also achieve similar quality to toslink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Naw, I only have one coax and three optical. The coax is in use already and one optical, leaves me with two. If I could have hid the bugger behind a wall, wouldnt be as much of a problem. I prefer toslink but preferrably hidden because I could get away with the service soils. Also, 75' of toslink is not that cheap, Im trying not to ruin it tis' why the initial question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwanders Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I'm not sure why people are saying that coaxial can travel farther than optical for digital audio. The opposite is true, at least in what I've read. Optical is marginally better suited to long runs than coaxial. The light beam traveling down the fiber doesn't degrade and isn't susceptible to RF noise, as is the case with coaxial. The problem with optical, of course, is that the signal is prone to get cut off completely if the cable is put under too much stress due to a bend or crease. As long as you make your bends with a large enough radius, you should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 That was the impression Ive always had. The signaling is much different from each other. Optical is great like you said because very little affects it. Tis why you can run it through electrical conduit with existing electrical lines. My initial thought on this was if the size of the fiber in the toslink is large enough couldnt it take a tighter bend? I believe SM and MM is smaller. I already work with that stuff so I know what I can get away with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjordan2001 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I'm not sure why people are saying that coaxial can travel farther than optical for digital audio. The opposite is true, at least in what I've read. Optical is marginally better suited to long runs than coaxial. The light beam traveling down the fiber doesn't degrade and isn't susceptible to RF noise, as is the case with coaxial. The problem with optical, of course, is that the signal is prone to get cut off completely if the cable is put under too much stress due to a bend or crease. As long as you make your bends with a large enough radius, you should be fine. Well, optical is prone to jitter when placed over long runs whereas coaxial suffers less jitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 However, light can travel farther than an electrical signal. Unless you amplify the electrical signal using repeaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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