Product Overview
3M Hot Melt ST Connector for Single-mode Fiber, Shipped Sealed in the Original 3M Bag
Condition
New old stock, sealed in the original manufacturer's packaging. The connector you buy leaves here in its own unopened white 3M bag. We took one connector out of a bag purely so it could be photographed, and that opened piece is the only reason you see a bare connector in the first image; it is not the unit that ships to you. The sealed bags are printed 8100-YS, Hot Melt Connector, with the footnote that ST is a registered trademark of AT&T, Qty/B.U.: 1 Each, UPC 0 51138 36650 6, and 3M's printed notice that the user should determine the suitability of the product for its intended use. Two label styles sit in this stock: the newer bags read ST* Connector SM with Lot #:, and the older-style bag reads Connector, SM, ST* with Lot No :. Date codes vary across this stock. The bags photographed here read 01/19/04, 03/17/03, and 11/16/00, and we do not promise any particular date code on the bag you receive. The connector we unpacked shows a nickel-plated metal bayonet body with a white ceramic ferrule seated in a yellow backpost, and a yellow slotted strain-relief boot and a short clear sleeve are laid out beside it in the first image. We have not opened sealed stock to inventory what any bag holds piece by piece.
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Product Overview
The 8100-YS is 3M's hot melt ST connector for single-mode fiber, a keyed bayonet plug that twists and locks into standard ST bulkheads and couplings. The hot melt adhesive is built into the connector instead of being mixed on site as a two-part epoxy, which is what made this family a field-termination favorite on riser and backbone runs. The ferrule is PC zirconia ceramic, and 3M describes the family as low light loss, solid intermateability, and mechanically stable while still being easy to install. Both bag styles call out SM, the newer label reading ST* Connector SM and the older-style label reading Connector, SM, ST*, so this is the single-mode version of the connector and not the multimode one. In the one connector we unpacked for photography the body reads as nickel-plated metal with a white ceramic ferrule in a yellow backpost, with the yellow slotted boot and clear sleeve laid out beside it. Everything sold here goes out sealed exactly as 3M bagged it.
Key Features
- Manufacturer part number: 3M 8100-YS
- Connector style: ST, keyed bayonet coupling
- Fiber type: single-mode, printed as ST* Connector SM on the newer bags and Connector, SM, ST* on the older-style bag
- Ferrule: PC zirconia ceramic
- Adhesive: 3M hot melt, no two-part epoxy to mix
- 3M's stated characteristics: low light loss, solid intermateability, mechanical stability
- Packaging: ships sealed in the original 3M bag, marked Qty/B.U.: 1 Each
- UPC printed on the bag: 0 51138 36650 6
- Date codes: various, no specific code promised; bags photographed here read 11/16/00, 03/17/03, and 01/19/04
- Photographed with our unpacked sample: nickel-plated bayonet body and white ceramic ferrule, with a yellow strain-relief boot and a clear sleeve laid out beside it; sealed bags are not inventoried piece by piece
Applications
- Outside plant technician re-terminating a single-mode drop where the existing panel is all ST bulkheads and nobody wants to swap the whole shelf to LC.
- Campus network maintainer keeping a 1990s or early 2000s fiber backbone patchable with connectors that match what is already on both ends.
- Photonics or laser lab builder who needs a small number of single-mode ST plugs for a bench jumper rather than a full carton.
- Fiber training instructor stocking hot melt connectors for termination practice, where the same procedure gets repeated by a new class every term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the single-mode or the multimode version?
Single-mode. The newer bags are printed ST* Connector SM and the older-style bag reads Connector, SM, ST*, and the listing has always described it as single-mode. If your run is multimode, this is the wrong 3M part number for the job.
One connector is shown loose in the photos. Does mine arrive sealed?
Yes. Every piece sold here is sealed in the original 3M packaging. We opened exactly one connector so the piece itself could be photographed, and that unpacked sample stays here as the photo reference. What ships to you is an unopened 3M bag.
Which date code will I receive?
The product may carry various date codes, and we cannot promise a specific one. The bags photographed here read 11/16/00, 03/17/03, and 01/19/04, and the stock mixes both the newer ST* Connector SM label and the older Connector, SM, ST* label. If your job needs every piece from a single date code, message us before ordering and we will tell you what is actually on the shelf.
Does each sealed bag include the boot and the clear sleeve?
Not confirmed. The bags are marked Qty/B.U.: 1 Each and we leave them sealed. What we can tell you is what the photographed sample shows: a connector body, a yellow slotted strain-relief boot, and a short clear sleeve laid out together in the first image. We have not opened sealed stock to inventory the contents piece by piece, so treat the photo as a look at the part rather than a packing list for the bag you receive. If those accessory pieces are essential to your build, ask before ordering.
Do I need special tools to terminate one of these?
Hot melt connectors are installed with 3M's heating and polishing procedure, and no oven, polishing supplies, crimp tools, or instruction sheet are included here. We sell the sealed connector only. Verify the required tooling and the termination steps against 3M's own instructions before you order.
Why buy two or three of these instead of a full carton from a distributor?
Because a repair or a short bench jumper needs the count you actually need. Terminating both ends of one single-mode run takes two connectors, and adding a spare for the one you polish badly makes three. You pick that number off the shelf here and it ships as loose sealed bags, instead of committing to a minimum-order carton of a discontinued part you will never finish. Shipping is $8 flat rate, free once your order passes $28, and orders leave our Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
3M's answer to messy two-part epoxy was to build the glue right into the connector, and this one has been waiting in its factory bag ever since for a strand of single-mode to call its own. Heat it, polish it, and let it finish the job it was bagged for.
