20 May 10 Power Protection in the Home Theater – Use of surge suppressors for expensive electronic ballast Guard

Surge – a first line of defense

All home theater equipment should be equipped with at least some form of surge protection. Surge arresters provide the most basic form of power protection – a first line of defense for all sensitive electronic gear.

Note that an increase in AC voltage or a lightning strike could lead to disaster – turning expensive equipment in a steaming pile of plastic and metal. The investment in a specialnominal increase is certainly much cheaper to replace expensive home entertainment electronics.

The wide selection of suppressors available on the market a wider range of price levels can be simply the process of selecting an appropriate protection device at all. Many of these peaks The same applies to a non-technical person look – with almost nothing to distinguish the deals from the best.

In its simplest form, surge suppressorsoften an economic stimulus protected multi-outlet power strip. More expensive units typically include additional surge protection for telephone line connections and the TV coaxial input, some units include surge protection and LAN connections. In this way, everything should work with your equipment interconnections first going through the surge protector circuit within the power strip.

How Surge Working

The basePrinciple behind surge suppressors is to clamp high transient voltage while absorbing this potentially destructive energy. This energy is dissipated as heat – and the damage system protecting vulnerable circuit components and prevention.

If the increase lasts for several milliseconds, the process can also cause enough current to blow the journey home circuit breaker or fuse equipment, protecting your equipment.

Surge in general the use of ato suppress the mixing of the components of surge on the line. However, the most widely used component in surge protection circuit of metal oxide varistor (MOV or is).

The MPG is not the only surge protection component – gas-tube surge arrester, avalanche diodes (similar power zener diodes) and circuits using passive reactive inductors and capacitors, all possess the desired electrical properties required to dampen a transient.

None of these devicesSurge is the perfect gift. Some lack speed, while others – like avalanche diodes – though extremely fast acting, have a limited recording capacity of energy. For this reason, commercial devices for protection of two or more of these technologies arranged in multiple levels of peak to prolong life and improve response times.

Surge Ratings

This discussion is not complete without pointing out some basicParameters that the ability of a surge protector, these are the UL listing, tension, climax and capacity for intervention.

IEEE 1449 Underwriters Laboratories Listing showcase: as "UL 1449" or simply "UL Listing" to provide a series of specifications to determine the use, both during a fit of safety.

Make sure that the wave selected as a "protection-UL listed voltage spikes (TVSS) 2nd edition labeled". A UL-listing as"Power Tap" is not enough.

A UL-listed TVSS does not imply that they protect equipment against voltage spikes, but rather that the increase should not constitute a personal threat to you during use eg through electrocution, fire, etc.

Operating voltage: the lower the voltage of an impulse, the surge protection will provide a more effective, the tension is, however, the case on their own. InIn particular, the suppressor voltage selected to allow the normal peak AC voltage to exist across the line – which is 1.414 times the specified RMS.

Maximum surge current: This is the maximum transient current that the suppressor can handle during a hike.

Joule Rating: in this sense, as "Energy Rating" is a measure of energy absorption of surge protection device. Typical values vary500-3000 years. The higher the joule rating, the better the ability to absorb wave energy spikes on the track.

A word of caution

Designed properly, surge suppression devices can work over and over again, but …

Do not take surge suppression devices naturally think. Beware of power line conditioners made cheap and other protective devices. Some components of surge protection used in these devices are usually one-time useonly. This means that the system may end up completely unprotected after a raise.

Quality: The quality of a surge protection device is reflected in security prices, but not all. Check the joule rating of the surge, to get an indication of how much energy the suppressor can produce harmful. The bigger the joule rating, the better. However, note that unlike the UL-1449 listing, there are no standardized testing methods for determining theEnergy Rating of a surge protector. Do not rely on the joule rating alone – see also the build quality and in particular to offer the warranty.

Warranty: In addition to the standard product warranty, some manufacturers also offer "Connected Equipment Product Warrant '. This is usually in the region of tens of thousands of dollars.

plus a period of warranty and a higher connected equipment warranty value reflect a higherDegree of confidence by the manufacturer that the surge, transmission to protect your expensive home theater. Try for surge protection devices that come and go with 5-year warranty period and at least a minimum of $ 10,000 ( with $ 25,000), connected equipment warranty.

Performance: The performance of surge suppressors increases with each wave is absorbed. The problem here is that the rate of degradation is totally unexpected because ofUnpredictability of the surge. Surge rise time, peak voltage, energy and duration, all have a different effect on the circuit of surge protection.

A pulse can handle a higher energy level can have the suppressor, leading to the destruction of the suppressor and zero protection against possible future surges. To minimize this risk, the use of high performance protective equipment normally over-rated components in protection circuitry – which take several peaksdone without damaging the equipment.

surge suppressors are not lightning protection devices: Surge 'may provide sufficient protection against normal' surges on power lines. Lightning protection is a different story. No surge protection device can give you the level of protection required in this regard.

Staff safety: Make sure the surge clearly identified as UL-listed transientSuppressor (second edition). Therefore, the risk of personal injury from fire or electric shock will be reduced during a particular increase. At the same time, keep in mind that provide a mechanism for UL not want to protect your equipment.

Conclusion:

In reality, surge suppressors are only a first line of defense – which offer no protection Against damaging power surges and line noise that can seriously affect the performance of AVTransmission.

Surge arresters must be connected to a part of a comprehensive solution for power supply – the use of air conditioning and AC line regenerator with surge certainly studied in a more comprehensive approach to protecting expensive electronic devices.

Obviously there's a price to pay for power protection, but it literally – the prevention you save a big headache on the way!

This Article is aExtract from a series of informative guides aimed at practical-home – Theatre Guide.COM under the power section of the protection of the site http://www.practical- Home – -guide.com/power-line-conditioners.html Theater .

Topics include the benefits of power protection in home theater systems, Power Line Conditioner, AC recovery and surge protection. There is also a "before-you-buy" Power ProtectionChecklist and a brief discussion on the possible use of cheap-grade uninterruptible computer power, as part of a Home Theater Power Protection Solution

Tags: ballast, electronic, expensive, Protection, suppressors, theater