TA的首页[转帖]What is a “Bellcore test?”
[转帖]What is a “Bellcore test?”
Telecommunications suppliers for years have used test chambers to assure the quality of their equipment, making the phone system in the USA extremely reliable and cost-efficient. The regional phone companies have set common standards for quality, centrally issued by Bellcore (now called Telcordia). Up until the last couple years, these standards have remained in obscurity. But with today’s complete rebuilding of our telecommunications infrastructure with fiberoptics, they have come to the forefront.
Even if you aren’t involved in this industry, I think you may find it interesting to learn more. As more and more communications-related companies are created, the need to do this type of testing has increased dramatically (fiberoptic components are quite sensitive to environmental conditions, as opposed to copper-wire). Also increasing is the number of people unfamiliar with this type of test, but required to comply.
There is no single Bellcore test—each test is specific for a type of component and its application. They are all numbered. Most are called Generic Requirements, and are prefixed by GR. The name “Bellcore” has stuck to them, although they are now all officially called Telcordia standards.
For example, one of the popular standards is GR-1221-CORE for fiberoptic passive components. Within this standard are several different environmental tests including simulated storage at extremes, operational tests, and thermal shock tests.
In trying to comply with some of the specific test requirements, it has been our experience that the descrīption of the environmental conditions in the standards are not always written in consideration of the operation of a test chamber. More likely, they describe what was programmed into the test chamber, without considering what the test chamber actually does.
For example, one test (GR-1209-CORE 5.1.2) requires going from –40 to 75°C. At 2°C, the humidity control is required to start, controlled at 80% ±2%. Actually, when the humidity system is turned on, it takes a few minutes to heat up the water to generate moisture, then a little while to gain control at 80%. Meanwhile the temperature has increased, as required by the program. So the chamber never actually achieves the beginning condition of 2C/80% as the standard indicates!
I share this with you to let you know that following a test standard is not a process that doesn’t require you to think. What is acceptable to you, your company, and your customer? Only you can decide. Luckily, it has been our experience that those involved in the requirement for these tests have been reasonable and realistic.
Telecommunications suppliers for years have used test chambers to assure the quality of their equipment, making the phone system in the USA extremely reliable and cost-efficient. The regional phone companies have set common standards for quality, centrally issued by Bellcore (now called Telcordia). Up until the last couple years, these standards have remained in obscurity. But with today’s complete rebuilding of our telecommunications infrastructure with fiberoptics, they have come to the forefront.
Even if you aren’t involved in this industry, I think you may find it interesting to learn more. As more and more communications-related companies are created, the need to do this type of testing has increased dramatically (fiberoptic components are quite sensitive to environmental conditions, as opposed to copper-wire). Also increasing is the number of people unfamiliar with this type of test, but required to comply.
There is no single Bellcore test—each test is specific for a type of component and its application. They are all numbered. Most are called Generic Requirements, and are prefixed by GR. The name “Bellcore” has stuck to them, although they are now all officially called Telcordia standards.
For example, one of the popular standards is GR-1221-CORE for fiberoptic passive components. Within this standard are several different environmental tests including simulated storage at extremes, operational tests, and thermal shock tests.
In trying to comply with some of the specific test requirements, it has been our experience that the descrīption of the environmental conditions in the standards are not always written in consideration of the operation of a test chamber. More likely, they describe what was programmed into the test chamber, without considering what the test chamber actually does.
For example, one test (GR-1209-CORE 5.1.2) requires going from –40 to 75°C. At 2°C, the humidity control is required to start, controlled at 80% ±2%. Actually, when the humidity system is turned on, it takes a few minutes to heat up the water to generate moisture, then a little while to gain control at 80%. Meanwhile the temperature has increased, as required by the program. So the chamber never actually achieves the beginning condition of 2C/80% as the standard indicates!
I share this with you to let you know that following a test standard is not a process that doesn’t require you to think. What is acceptable to you, your company, and your customer? Only you can decide. Luckily, it has been our experience that those involved in the requirement for these tests have been reasonable and realistic.
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