Mov Surge Protector Circuit

Surge protection circuit is the one referred by many as protector for voltage spikes in ac grid lines.

Mov surge protector circuit.

A metal oxide varistor or mov is an electronic component that protects equipment from voltage surges in a power line such as from lightning strikes. They are also commonly used in external surge protectors intended for use on the ac mains. A standard surge protector passes the electrical current along from the outlet to a number of electrical and electronic devices plugged into the power strip. The metal oxide varistor is designed to protect various types of electronic devices and semiconductor elements from switching and induced lightning surges.

However it is not limited particularly in ac grid lines. Metal oxide varistors movs are widely used for surge protection on the ac mains ports of electronic products. Movs have been very popular for many years due to their low cost and their remarkable ability to handle large surge currents. An mov is designed to protect against instantaneous high voltage surges that may last for not more than a few nano seconds for example if there s an instantaneous voltage spike of say 600 v for 3 nano seconds the mov will happily neutralize it by short circuiting it across the connected terminals.

If the voltage from the outlet surges or spikes rises above the accepted level the surge protector diverts the extra electricity into the outlet s grounding wire. But if a high surge lighting that is higher in rate that a varistor can handle is passed through it the component will not perform. The varistor is mainly used to perform as a line voltage surge suppressor. The device does not conduct when the voltage across it is below the clamping voltage.

Excessive voltage triggers the mov into action so to size it for surge protection select a voltage rating suitable for the equipment you want to protect. This is a surge protector. This design is not great it s slow to act depending on a relay it will take many ms to switch off at current max relay current and a 250v mov in 120v installation won t help much either. Other brands 1 level surge protection circuit most of other surge protector makers use 1 level mov parallel circuit that connects multiple mov components with surge protection functions to certain joules.

Ul1449 vs ul1283. The appropriate safety listing for a surge suppressor that uses movs as clamping components is ul 1449. A word of caution. A simple mov surge protector with line conditioning and a fuse.

Surge protector or surge protection device is a device that will provide surge suppression or voltage spike suppression so that sensitive devices will not get damage. The metal oxide varistor or mov is a voltage dependent nonlinear device that provides excellent transient voltage suppression. Simple and inexpensive the mov absorbs the energy in a surge preventing it from damaging other devices in a circuit.