The surge protector is an electronic device that provides safety protection for various electronic equipment, instruments, and communication lines. According to its use, it can be divided into power surge protectors and signal surge protectors. The signal surge protector is mainly installed in the signal transmission line, generally located at the front of the equipment, to protect the subsequent equipment and prevent lightning waves from entering and damaging the equipment through the signal line. In today's electronic information age, it is widely used in various industries' monitoring system equipment, network cameras, surveillance recorders, routers, data center switches, server protection, computer network equipment, etc., playing a crucial role in the lightning safety of electronic systems.
Using multi-level protection circuits, it features overvoltage, overcurrent protection functions, capable of controlling overvoltage within the equipment's tolerance range in an extremely short time, with low loss and low residual voltage, thus ensuring safety.
High current flow: When the protection line experiences overvoltage, the ground protection device automatically conducts to the ground line to discharge the current, protecting the equipment.
Fast response speed and excellent performance: Using an excellent performance discharge tube and TVS tube, the response speed reaches the nanosecond level, quickly directing current to the ground.
Stable and safe performance: Long transmission distance, rich functions, can be used in network equipment, network monitoring, and network cameras for RJ45 interface network lightning protection.
Signal surge protectors are usually connected in series in data lines. When selecting and applying signal surge protectors, the basic principle is to not affect data transmission, considering the following factors:
Choosing Voltage Protection Level (UP)The UP value should not exceed the impact voltage rating of the protected equipment, and the insulation between the SPD and the protected equipment should be well coordinated.
Choosing Interface Type (common types include BNC/RJ45/terminal interfaces).
Choosing Maximum Operating Voltage: Uc should be greater than 1.2 times the maximum operating voltage on the line, and UP should be lower than the rated impact voltage of the protected equipment Uw or surge immunity. It can also be selected according to the indicators specified in IEC 60664-1.Similar to power surge protectors, signal surge protectors adopt a multi-level protection concept. The first stage uses high current flow devices for primary protection, reducing residual voltage and discharging most of the lightning current into the ground. The intermediate stage uses coordinating devices for decoupling to meet the specific requirements of the primary and secondary protection devices. The secondary stage adopts fast-responding devices for fine protection, reducing the high voltage in the line to a level that the equipment can withstand, ultimately protecting the normal operation of the equipment and the safety of personnel.
Choosing Nominal Discharge Current In (Impact Current Capacity): The peak current of the 8/20 μs current wave passing through the SPD. It is used for the II level classification test of the SPD and also for the preconditioning of the I and II level classification tests of the SPD. In fact, In is the maximum peak impact current that the SPD can withstand in a specified number of times (usually 20 times) with a specified waveform (8/20 μs) without substantial damage.
Choosing Maximum Discharge Current Imax (Ultimate Impact Current Capacity): The peak current of the 8/20 μs current wave passing through the SPD is used for the II level classification test. Imax and In share many similarities; they both use the peak current of the 8/20 μs current wave for the II level classification test of the SPD. The difference is also clear: Imax only conducts a single impact test on the SPD, without substantial damage to the SPD after the test. In can conduct 20 such tests, without substantial damage to the SPD after the test. Therefore, Imax is the ultimate impact current, so the maximum discharge current is also known as the ultimate impact current capacity. Obviously, Imax > In.
Lightning harm cannot be ignored. Any electrical equipment has an allowable voltage range for the power supply. Sometimes even a narrow overvoltage impact can cause the power supply or the entire equipment to be damaged, especially for some sensitive electronic equipment. Sometimes even a small surge impact can cause fatal damage. Therefore, signal surge protectors can effectively absorb sudden huge energy to protect connected equipment from damage.