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Composite Power

#
dBm
dB
Composite Power --dBm

Net Power Change

#
#
Net Power Change --dB

Optical Parameter Converter

nm
GHz
↔
nm
THz
↔
nm
mW
↔
dBm
%
↔
dB

Optical Power & Conversion Tools - User Guide

Overview

This toolkit provides several calculators related to optical power levels and unit conversions commonly used in optical communications.

  • Composite Power: Calculates the total power when multiple channels of equal power are combined, considering combiner/filter loss.
  • Net Power Change: Calculates the change in total power (in dB) when channels are added or removed from a system, assuming equal power per channel.
  • Optical Parameter Converter: Converts between various related optical units (Power, Frequency/Wavelength, Loss/Coupling).

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Composite Power Calculator

Calculates the total optical power after combining multiple channels, accounting for losses.

Parameters

  • Total # Channels: The number of WDM channels being combined (N).
  • Per Channel Power (dBm): The power level of each individual channel (Pch) before combining.
  • Combiner/Filter IL (dB): The insertion loss of the component used to combine the channels (e.g., Mux or splitter loss).

Result

  • Composite Power (dBm): The total combined power: Pch + 10*log10(N) - IL.

Net Power Change Calculator

Calculates the change in total power (in dB) when the number of channels changes, assuming constant power per channel.

Parameters

  • Initial # Channels (N1): The number of channels before the change.
  • Final # Channels (N2): The number of channels after the change.

Result

  • Net Power Change (dB): The difference in total power: 10*log10(N2) - 10*log10(N1). This is equivalent to 10*log10(N2 / N1).

This is useful for understanding how amplifier gain requirements might change when channels are added or dropped.

Optical Parameter Converter

Converts between commonly used optical units.

Parameters

  • Center Wavelength (nm): Used for accurate Δf ↔ Δλ conversion. Defaults to 1550nm.

Conversions

  • Δf (GHz) ↔ Δλ (nm): Frequency separation vs Wavelength separation.
    Δλ ≈ Δf * λ² / c ; Δf ≈ Δλ * c / λ² (where c is speed of light).
  • Frequency (THz) ↔ λ (nm): Absolute frequency vs wavelength.
    λ = c / f ; f = c / λ.
  • Power (mW) ↔ Power (dBm): Linear power vs Logarithmic power relative to 1mW.
    P(mW) = 10P(dBm)/10 ; P(dBm) = 10*log10(P(mW)).
  • Coupling Ratio (%) ↔ Insertion Loss (dB): Percentage power split vs throughput loss (assuming an ideal lossless coupler otherwise).
    IL = -10*log10(1 - CouplingRatio) ; CouplingRatio = (1 - 10-IL/10) (where CouplingRatio is 0 to 1).

Enter a value in one box of a pair to calculate the other. Use Reset to clear all converter fields.