(Image: Cosemi Technologies) 

Cosemi Technologies (Irvine, CA) has launched a line of hardened (meaning that they can survive harsh industrial environments) active optical cables (AOCs). The LS Series AOCs are a combination of shielded cable and a metal-shell-enclosed "optoelectronics engine." 

Intended for medical, industrial automation, and machine-vision uses, the LS Series provides high levels of resistance to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI), says the company. EMI and RFI can cause cable assemblies to lose data, have degraded signal quality, or disrupt electronic equipment. In locations where high-voltage or high-current equipment is used, such as medical facilities and laboratories, the risk of EMI/RFI interference is heightened. 

Currently, these sensitive environments rely on fiber-optic extenders as interconnects, with an adapter directly connected to the video source and monitor. A power cable is then attached at each end to provide power for the signal extenders, linked together by a telecom fiber cable. This type of fiber cable is not affected by EMI/RFI signals; however, each component of this interconnect represents a point of failure, according to Cosemi. 

Instead, the Cosemi cables provide power, shielding, and high-rate optical communications for 4K/8K video and other uses, eliminating the need for power supplies and such at each end. 

Optical USB version coming 

The first cable in Cosemi's LS Series, now available, is a DisplayPort 1.4 AOC. Future cables in the family will include HDMI and USB AOCs. 

(From:www.cosemi.com.)