BC860-OperationGuide-v2 4
Overview
Thank you for purchasing this Bluebell Opticom professional broadcast video product. If you
are new to Bluebell products, or to the subject of transmitting signals and/or data over fibre
links, please take the time to read through this document before putting the BC860 to use.
Introduction
The BC860 plug-in card belongs to the range of the Bluebell Opticom BC Series modular fibre
interfaces, designed primarily for Outside Broadcast (OB) and studio applications. It performs
the function of a copper-to-fibre converter, allowing full duplex transport of Ethernet data
between two locations remote from each other over a single or dual fibre-optic link.
BC860 cards will normally be used in pairs, though individual cards can also be used in
conjunction with certain other Bluebell interfaces (see “Compatibility with other cards” on
page 12), or third-party products fitted with compatible SFPs. Standard RJ45 sockets are
provided for the electrical (copper) Ethernet connection, while the optical ports are LC fibre
couplers on an SFP cartridge. Several variants of the BC860 are available; these differ only in
the type of SFP cartridge fitted. Singlemode dual fibre versions exist for both standard fixed
(1310 nm) and CWDM ITU Grid wavelengths. In addition, the range includes a matched pair
of cards with integrated dual-wavelength singlemode WDM optics within the cartridge, thus
allowing a single fibre link. A multimode fibre version is also available. The optical option must
be specified at the time of order.
10base-T, 100base-T and 1000base-T (‘Gigabit’) Ethernet standards are supported by the
copper (RJ45) side. Data rates are auto-negotiated. The optical side supports data speeds of
100base-FX or 1000base-X, selected by a faceplate switch.
BC860 versions – PCB revisions
BC860 PCBs were updated from Issue 1 to Issue 2 in Q4 2015: cards fitted with Issue 1 PCBs
were shipped before this date, and Issue 2 PCBs were fitted to cards until Q4 2016, when they
were in turn superseded by Issue 3 PCBs.
All BC860 versions have identical functionality. Apart from the faceplate changes, cards with
Issue 2 and 3 PCBs have enhanced status reporting capabilities. These detail differences are
indicated in the following sections of the Guide.
Issue 2 and 3 versions are identical in all visual and operational respects. They can be
clearly distinguished from Issue 1 versions by the additional faceplate LEDs – see “BC860
connections” on page 6.
This Operations Guide covers all BC860 versions.
All references to Issue 2 apply equally to Issue 3.
