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Laser Safety Information
Laser Safety Information (for IBM Fiber Optic Link Products)
CAUTION:
This system may contain laser products called the IBM Optical Link Module
(OLM), Serial Optical Converter (SOC), or Optical Link Card (OLC). In the
United States, these fiber optic links are certified by IBM as Class I laser
products that conform to the requirements contained in the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulation 21 CFR Subchapter J.
Internationally, these fiber optic links are certified as Class 1 laser products that
conform to the requirements contained in the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) standard 825-1 (1993), the CENELEC (European Committee for
Electrotechnical Standardization) European Norm standard EN60825-1 (1994), and
the Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE) standard 0837 (1986). The
German testing institute, VDE, has assigned certificate registration number 3642
to all IBM OLM, SOC, and OLC laser products.
The fiber optic links incorporate laser diodes that are either of the gallium
aluminum arsenide (GaAlAs) type that emits in the wavelength range of 770 to
860 nanometers or of the indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) type
that emits in the wavelength range of 1270 to 1355 nanometers. These fiber optic
links incorporate discrete laser diodes that are Class 3B laser products with a
rating of approximately 5.0 milliwatts peak power. Once the lasers are
assembled into the OLM, SOC, or OLC, the automatic laser control safety system
prevents laser emissions from exceeding Class 1 limits during both operation
and service. There are no user maintenance operations or adjustments to be
performed on IBM OLM, SOC, or OLC products. Class 1 laser products are not
considered to be hazardous under any conditions.
The fiber optic links are designed and certified for use in applications with
point-to-point optical links only. Use of these products with multiple input or
multiple output links (for example, star coupler or fiber splitter) is not
compatible with the OLM, SOC, or OLC design and function. In addition, the
fiber optic link products must be connected only to other IBM OLM, SOC, or
OLC (of the same model) or a compatible laser product. This is especially true
for those models that contain both the open link detection safety system called
Open Fiber Control (OFC) and the laser power control safety system. (All OLM,
SOC, and OLC models contain the laser power control safety system. All OLC
models contain OFC, all SOC model have No-OFC, but some OLM models are
available with OFC and some have No-OFC.)
These requirements are necessary for the correct operation of the IBM OLM,
SOC, and OLC products in any optical communication system. Failure to follow
these restrictions could result in the system not operating correctly and the
creation of points of access that emit laser radiation above the Class 1 limit
specified by either the IEC 825-1 (1993) standard internationally or the DHHS
regulation 21 CFR Sub J in the United States. (RSFTC211)
x Service Functions V5R2