Need Advice: What's the concern regarding not bending your Optical Audio Cables?

[ironmonkey]

I was told or have heard through the grapevine that your optical audio cables should not be bent when connecting from your dvd player to the receiver. Do they mean the connectors plug should not be bent or the cable wire should not be bent? If its the later, then isn't that very difficult to prevent during the connection process. Maybe I am reading too much into this "bending" issue. Somebody please enlighten me.

Thanks

[Frank S]

Tha cables can be bent but I think a better word would be crimped instead of bent. The optical cables can bend somewhat just not to the point of being crimped. In most cases this will be no problem what-so-ever.

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[bilwil]

Just to elaborate, fiber optics send the digital signal via light impulses. These impulses can travel through curves in an optical cable just fine, but like frank s said, if the cable gets kinked or 'creased', the signal may not be passed correctly. These cables are somewhat delicate compared to non-optical cables, so care should be taken when using them, but for the most part, normal usage while connecting cables will not cause problems.

Good luck,

Bill~

[PoorBoy]

They're essentially glass...bend it too much and it'll crack.

[ironmonkey]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this post. All the advice and clarification was very helpful espcially the analogy regarding "glass". http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[WOWZY]

I work with fiber cables all the time, mostly Allen Bradley cables.

The best rule when installing these type of optics is, when you take off the protective caps,DON'T LET THE ENDS TOUCH ANYTHING!! That includes your finger tips. The least amount of oil from your fingers or lint could affect your signal. Treat them like your own eyes, you wouldn't stick your finger in your eyes or want to get dirt in them would you?

If you think that you've damaged your cable,a good test is to shine a bright light at one end and look through a magnifying glass or Jewelers Loupe at the other end and look for dark spots. If you see any dark spots or dim areas, save yourself some headache and throw it in the trash and buy a new one.

Also with optics, the shorter the cable, the better. <font size=-2>

[This message has been edited by WOWZY (edited January 02, 2001).]