The ST connectors are made to experience minimal wear through their
service life in order to always provide as much of an alignment as
possible. The fiber's end is of course polished up to make a vbetter
optical connection, and must be kept more or less dead straight on the
emitter/reciever. The connectors must thus be rigid and also wear down as
little as possible to minimize the angle between the axis of the fiber and
the direction of the beam or reciever's optics, and so the mini-BNC's are
often used and made of either ceramics or metal for strength, not electric
shielding. This is because in these applictions, the connector must also
bear the weight of the cable. in applications where the cable is mounted
rigidly to some other thing, the connection can be without such stuff. 
As far as i know, the DEFZA is a fiber FDDI interface. The ones i have
are. 

Isildur

On Sun, 23 Jan 2000, Chris Tribo wrote:

> on 1/23/00 3:19 AM, Dave McGuire at mcguire@neurotica.com wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 23 Jan 2000, Chris Tribo wrote:
> >>> You sure it's copper?  In the pic it sure looks like ST fiber to me...
> >>> 
> >>> -Dave McGuire
> >>> 
> >> 
> >> But if its fiber, why the copper BNC bayonet-lock connector? What's the
> >> point of metal shielding on a fiber-optic line? That's what the models page
> >> on netbsd.org has it listed as is a copper FDDI interface.
> > 
> > Not trying to argue, man...it's just that it looks exactly like the one I
> > have here, which is definitely fiber.  That's all.
> > 
> > If you're sure it's copper I'll stop bidding on it. :)
> > 
> > -Dave McGuire
> > 
> 
>     No I haven't a clue!
> 
>         Chris
> 
>