21
Making the Right Surge-Suppression Technology Choices
"The pricing of surge
protection does matter,
but there is more to
the story. For instance,
an organization with a
strict budget allocation
and temporary needs
should choose a low-
cost solution that meets
minimum requirements."
Sneha Gindodiya,
Powertrain DFM Engineer,
Lucid Motors
Choosing the right surge-suppression technology depends on several factors. Because so
many variables come into play, no one solution fits all circumstances.
The starting point for most applications is the applicable regulatory requirement.
For instance, a design requirement may come to the engineering team with a surge
suppression specification based on a regulation related to the device category and
use case. These regulation-based specifications are minimum specifications, typically
grounded in safety considerations. The solution must meet that minimum specification to
be certified or compliant.
It is often desirable to exceed a minimum specification. The replacement cost of a piece
of equipment may be high enough that it makes sense to build in considerably more
protection than the minimum requirement. Other factors include the critical nature of a
particular application, such as the risk of power surges in a particular application; the need
for high reliability; or an expectation of a long service life.
Making the Right Surge-
Suppression Technology Choices
Chapter Four
Whatever the electrical device is, for as long as it has any kind of
voltage, it will always be susceptible to an overvoltage event.
Thomas Tran
Technical Marketing Manager, Bourns, Inc.
