New 10-m Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP+) copper cable assemblies promise to provide a lower-cost alternative to SFP+ transceiver modules. In addition, they vow to run 3 to 5 ms longer than other passive options. The assemblies comply with the SFF-8431 Revision 4.1 specification. According to internal testing, the cables can be used at these lengths while complying with the SFF specification for 10 Gb/s (10 GbE, 10 FCoe). Thanks to the Eye-Opener+ conductor technology and a low-loss expanded-PTFE cable dielectric, the cables balance waveform-distortion- penalty (dWDP) and voltage-modulation- amplitude (VMA) loss parameters to achieve results within the specification limits set forth by the SFF-8431 committee. Typical values for VMA loss are 3.95 dBE with dWDP of 5.60 dBE. The SFF-8431 specification calls for maximum limits of 4.40 and 6.75 dBE, respectively.
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 385 Starr Rd., Landenberg, PA 19350-9221; (302) 292-5100, FAX: (800) 757-4673, Internet: www.gore.com/highspeed.