Fiber optic cable tensioning and positioning apparatus

A fiber optic cable tensioning apparatus, comprising:

• a base;
• a vertical support wall integrally connected to said base;
• a first support connected to a portion of said vertical support wall and supporting a first portion of the fiber optic cable;
• a first clamp attached to said first support for securing the first portion of the fiber optic cable to said first support;
• a second support connected to another portion of said vertical support wall and supporting a second portion of the fiber optic cable, said second support being rotatable relative to said vertical support wall;
• a second clamp attached to said second support for securing the second portion of the fiber optic cable to said second support;
• a knob pivotally connected to said vertical support wall;
• and
• a cam connected to said knob and contacting said second support, wherein said second support rotates due to its weight and the weight of said second clamp when said cam is in a predetermined position, thereby uniformly tensioning the fiber optic cable.

A system for forming a refractive-index grating in a fiber optic cable, comprising:

• a laser for etching grating lines in the fiber optic cable;
• a fiber optic cable tensioning apparatus, having:
• a first support for supporting a first portion of the fiber optic cable,
• a first clamp attached to the first support for securing the first portion of the fiber optic cable to the first support,
• a second support for supporting a second portion of the fiber optic cable, the second support being rotatable relative to the first support,
• a second clamp attached to the second support for securing the second portion of the fiber optic cable to the second support, and
• a cam contacting the second support;
• wherein the second support rotates due to its weight and the weight of the second clamp when the cam is in a predetermined position, thereby uniformly tensioning the fiber optic cable, and said laser etches grating lines in the fiber optic cable after the fiber optic cable has been uniformly tensioned.