A length of fiber, usually 1 to 3 m of 900 µm buffered or jacketed fiber, with one factory-polished connector. The bare end is fusion spliced to a cable fiber and the splice stored in a tray, giving the cable a factory-quality termination without field polishing. It is the standard way to terminate loose-tube outdoor cable in panels.
Splice 48 LC/UPC pigtails onto the feeder in the panel and label them by tube color before you close it up.
Also heard as
- pig tail
- tail
Do not mix it up with
- Jumper: A jumper has connectors on both ends; a pigtail has a connector on one end only.
Related terms
Fusion splice
A permanent joint made by melting two cleaved fiber ends together with an electric arc.
Jumper
A short fiber cable with connectors on both ends, used to patch equipment to panels or panels to each other.
Patch panel
A rack-mounted enclosure of adapters where permanent cable fibers end and jumpers connect them to equipment.
Splice-on connector
A connector with a factory-polished fiber stub that is fusion spliced directly onto the field fiber.
Same word, different worlds
Short length of wire spliced to several conductors so only one lead goes to a device terminal.
HVAC & RefrigerationA short jumper wire spliced into a group of conductors so they can share a single terminal.
Boilers & BurnersA looped siphon pipe between a steam boiler and its pressure gauge or control, filled with condensate to block live steam.