Transient Voltage Spike Protection Home Made Device

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I'm stubborn. When I found out how stupidly expensive adequate "Surge Protectors" cost, I hit the roof. Screw that. I ordered the components.

Designed for 180 volt peak-to-peak protection ((the standard down here is 127vac 60Hz.)

20 mm Metal Oxide Varistors
10 mm Metal Oxide Varistors (10 volts higher rating)
Transient Voltage Surge Protection bi-directional diodes 4ns reaction time
Gas Discharge Tube devices

L1-L0
L1-Earth Ground
LO-Earth Ground

(8) MOVS
(4) TVS
(2) GDT

I'll see about sending some images to NinerBikes.

If you can do basic soldering, you can do your own and end up with genuine protection and not a vastly overpriced fraud.

BTW: A fully functional grounded isolation transformer is 100,000 times better than my gizmo.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Yep. Those "Soooooooge Protector" manufacturers have to have UL or ETL device certification. Try $50,000 + for the cert. THEN

They have to carry million dollar product liability insurance.

I do not feel like feeding the yacht sailing Yuppie executives at Underwriters Laboratories, or some chauffered limousine Wall Street insurance firm. Paying forty dollars for six dollars worth of parts ain't my bag.

Power strip "sooooooge protectors" are not fixable. Damned lucky to find one with 14 gauge wire. I have opened up too many and damaged a rib laughing myself sick.

With paralleled 20 mm MOVS their failure rate goes way down. With paralleled TVS diodes let's find out using reality if the bi-directional diodes "current hog". If transient positive and PIV spikes manage to overcome my authentic spike protection device they are going to have to work at it.

Should be able to tell from nearby curses and screams if a really bad series of events has hit line voltage.

Pianotuna and NinerBikes get theirs just as soon as I get access to the USPS. Yes and all but the Gas Discharge Tube devices have fuses. Fusing a device filled with gas and no conductor route would be an amateur's mistake.

[Peg_Leg]

I put MOV's in Mom & Dad's panel box over 30 yrs ago. They were always have internal fuse's popping in microwaves and TV's in the hills of KY. I just fastened them into the circuit breaker and ground. Every now and then one would pop and trip the circuit breaker and I would replace it on my next visit. It seemed to reduce the frequency of problems. Whole house protection with a handful of blister packs.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

My unit has individual fuses*. Expensive high surge capable fuses.
My unit has QUADRUPLE MOVs backup. MOVs degrade and fail
I do NOT use 300 volt TVS diodes as they are USELESS. Double diode backups.
The Gas Tube Discharge Devices are lightning protection
Now do these Super Whammy thirty dollar specials use 20 mm MOVs? Hell no they don't. Try 10 mm.

Typical worn-out "surge protector" Typical empty fire extinguisher. Same protection.

Not born yesterday, kind sir. Born day before.

*Honorable GDT devices NOT FUSED. They are closest to the connectors to act as an ionization path for lightning. Do honorable garbage surge protectors have individual GDT devices from line to neutral and line to earth ground?

Why did I choose ONE DOLLAR EACH FUSES? Because they can absorb 5+ amperes for many milliseconds, right up to the limit of the TVS diode carry. TVS diodes usually fail shorted, MOVs usually fail open circuit. Would love to see a GDT device fail shorted.

I DO NOT LIKE LIGHTNING. I have seen first-hand what it can do. That's why I returned to Stanford and took a 10 day course from professor I. Ickles PhD who did his best to translate functionality of a lightning strike into meaningful terminology and mechanical functionality. Lightning is by far best handled as far away from service as a person can get it - but when push comes to shove a GDT serves as an ionization leader hopefully directing a strike out of the rig and utterly destroying everything in it's path on it's way up to the clouds. Ionization. The diodes take the brunt then the MOVs a few microseconds later. The GDT buys more time. Perhaps enough for the leader to establish a firm route. It's ugly. But it's better than allowing a leader to run amok. I've seen mobile homes with outside paneling peeled away from the frame. Melted. A huge fire usually ensues and it instantly involves the entire rig.

As pitiful as it may be, some form of diversion at the entrance panel is a hell of a lot better than buffalo chip MOVs and one or two TVSs.

Meanwhile institute a search for American-quarter size MOVs in one of those thirty dollar "surge protectors".

I tore into a FIFTY DOLLAR BELKIN surge protector a few months ago and found ZERO TVS diodes, no GDT protection and dime size MOVs. Yes, there are expensive ISOBAR Tripplite protectors, that probably have all three devices and a hundred dollar price tag and a disturbing inability to fit inside an RV main breaker box.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE (some) PEOPLE, I beg you to LEARN the difference between voltage protection correctors, disconnects, and transient voltage protectors. This is an apples and Steinway piano comparison. Something that protects when voltage goes low may be the worst transient voltage protection (zero). A low voltage correction device does exactly that. I would LOVE to see one with MOVs, TVS, and GDT protection.

A TRUE protection system like I have at home is hideously expensive. A 5KW Sola ferroresonant line tamer with 6,000 watt isolation transformer costs about eleven thousand dollars. Mine is rated -40% - +40% 168 volts down to 72 vac, the unit outputs 120.0 volts exactly. No steps. Smooth as a baby's rear. The Triad Sola isolation transformer removes ALL harmonic distortion, and transient voltage events.

But it ain't free. That eleven thousand dollar three hundred+ pound monster eats 132 watts doing absolutely nothing. I made a knife switch, dual pole out of copper straps. When a thunderstorm threatens which is often the switch is opened. Exactly .060" from the shore power inlet (right from the service drop) are a pair of aluminum 1" rods, driven three feet into the soil. My discharge device protection. The knife switch is overhead to protect little fingers from having shortened lives. The shed door of K Monel is kept locked. I do not have fourteen thousand dollars to invest in another Tektronix scope. That room must have 20-30K worth of electronics, and it isn't all going to die by electrocution.

I'm going to try and cram the transient voltage protection board inside the BORG. Three thousand miles is a long way to drive for a replacement Megawatt.

Just for information - I use a Mexican made automatic 20% booster on the A/C and room interior (lights, receptacles). Then a 1,200 watt isolation transformer. When Frankenstein is in the lab the Sola and Triad get switched on.

I have another booster and another transformer protecting the three freezers and Viking. I purchased a PALLET of (48) isolation transformers from HALTEK Electronics in Rhonert Park. 2,300 lbs worth. Let's Make A Deal cost me 260 dollars. NOS.

But thanks for the head's up about the TVS. When a person buys four nanosecond response time, something has to be given up.

[pianotuna]

My opinion is that 104 volts cut out is about 3 volts too low. I.E. it should cut out at 107 volts, not 104.

Since I'm far more likely to find low voltage, an autoformer would be much better for me--with Mex's surge device between the autoformer and the pedestal.

Ava wrote:
My Progessive unit also protects the electric units from low voltage which will burn out any appliance if left on with low voltage. So I have high and low and miswired connection protection. Some things are worth the cost.

[pianotuna]

Hi Gde,

Do the ones you listed handle 30 amps and/or 50 amps?

Gdetrailer wrote:

I am not sure what you are looking at that is so expensive..

The parts you listed plus RFI/EMF suppression (IE RF choke/capacitive network), on/off switch AND a 12A-15A breaker are typically included in good brands of computer type surge protector/outlets.. Additionally good quality surge protectors will also have the surge (MOV and bidirectional diodes FUSED, when the diodes blow, the fuse opens and the surge protection fault indicator light will show that you no longer have surge protection..

You can get a Panamax protector for $33 HERE

APC makes a good one for $33 HERE

by the time you buy ALL of the parts PLUS outlets, pigtail wire and a pretty box to put it all in AND your time (my labor isn't cheap) you could have bought a ready made unit..

If you don't want RFI suppression you can get surge protection only for $8.99 which would have MOVs but not the diodes HERE

I would definitely not recommend using those bare parts without adding a fuse in series with the protection.. I HAVE seen those bidirectional diodes SHORT and if you don't fuse those things you will end up with more fireworks than the Fourth of July.. :E

Not a place to "cut corners"..

[Gdetrailer]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I'm stubborn. When I found out how stupidly expensive adequate "Surge Protectors" cost, I hit the roof. Screw that. I ordered the components.

Designed for 180 volt peak-to-peak protection ((the standard down here is 127vac 60Hz.)

20 mm Metal Oxide Varistors
10 mm Metal Oxide Varistors (10 volts higher rating)
Transient Voltage Surge Protection bi-directional diodes 4ns reaction time
Gas Discharge Tube devices

L1-L0
L1-Earth Ground
LO-Earth Ground

(8) MOVS
(4) TVS
(2) GDT

I'll see about sending some images to NinerBikes.

If you can do basic soldering, you can do your own and end up with genuine protection and not a vastly overpriced fraud.

BTW: A fully functional grounded isolation transformer is 100,000 times better than my gizmo.

Mex,

I am not sure what you are looking at that is so expensive..

The parts you listed plus RFI/EMF suppression (IE RF choke/capacitive network), on/off switch AND a 12A-15A breaker are typically included in good brands of computer type surge protector/outlets.. Additionally good quality surge protectors will also have the surge (MOV and bidirectional diodes FUSED, when the diodes blow, the fuse opens and the surge protection fault indicator light will show that you no longer have surge protection..

You can get a Panamax protector for $33 HERE

APC makes a good one for $33 HERE

by the time you buy ALL of the parts PLUS outlets, pigtail wire and a pretty box to put it all in AND your time (my labor isn't cheap) you could have bought a ready made unit..

If you don't want RFI suppression you can get surge protection only for $8.99 which would have MOVs but not the diodes HERE

I would definitely not recommend using those bare parts without adding a fuse in series with the protection.. I HAVE seen those bidirectional diodes SHORT and if you don't fuse those things you will end up with more fireworks than the Fourth of July.. :E

Not a place to "cut corners"..

[ccxnola]

Perhaps I'm not so smart - BUT....I bought a progressive, installed it myself and it has saved every electrical thing in the rig - TWICE!!
I consider it an EXCELLENT investment!!

[Tom_Barb]

Ava wrote:
My Progessive unit also protects the electric units from low voltage which will burn out any appliance if left on with low voltage. So I have high and low and miswired connection protection. Some things are worth the cost.

What he said.. 🙂

[Ava]

My Progessive unit also protects the electric units from low voltage which will burn out any appliance if left on with low voltage. So I have high and low and miswired connection protection. Some things are worth the cost.