HP / Agilent 8156A Optical Attenuator 60dB attenuation with 0.001dB resolution 1200nm to 1650nm

The HP/Agilent 8156A is a precision optical attenuator engineered for telecommunications testing and R&D applications requiring exact control of optical power levels across extended wavelength ranges. It delivers 60 dB attenuation with 0.001 dB resolution, exceptional repeatability of ±0.005 dB, and attenuation accuracy down to ±0.05 dB typical. The instrument employs a novel single-filter design that eliminates dark spots and attenuation overshoots or undershoots inherent in ranging-based architectures.

– Technical Specifications

• Wavelength Range: 1200 nm to 1650 nm
• Attenuation Range: 60 dB (excluding insertion loss)
• Attenuation Resolution: 0.001 dB
• Attenuation Accuracy (Typical): ±0.05 dB; linearity < ±0.1 dB
• Repeatability (Typical): ±0.005 dB
• Polarization Sensitivity (Typical): 35 dB (Option 100) to >60 dB (Options 201, 221)
• Insertion loss ranges 2.5 dB to 4.5 dB depending on configuration
• Single-mode fiber optimized; multimode support available via Option 350 (50/125 µm)
• HP-IB (GPIB) interface with IEEE 488.1/488.2 compliance and SCPI command compatibility
• Configurable with straight (PC) or angled (APC) optical connectors
• Optional monitor output for real-time power measurement (Options 121, 221)

– Typical Applications

Optical power control in telecommunications test labs, fiber-optic component characterization, automated attenuation measurement in production environments, and integrated system architectures requiring programmable optical signal conditioning.

– Compatibility & Integration

Primarily supports 9/125 µm single-mode fiber with Option 350 extending support to 50/125 µm multimode applications. GPIB control enables seamless integration into automated measurement systems. Optical connectors sold separately.