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From: whit@milton.u.washington.edu (John Whitmore)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: surge supressor diodes
Keywords: diodes surge-suppressor
Message-ID: <17958@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 7 Mar 91 23:12:37 GMT
References: <1837@ole.UUCP> <17812@milton.u.washington.edu> <eugene.668308225@fafnir.la.locus.com>
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 19

In article <eugene.668308225@fafnir.la.locus.com> eugene@locus.com (Eugene Hu) writes:
>whit@milton.u.washington.edu (John Whitmore) writes:
>>        And there are some exotic devices; neon bulbs are a
>>VERY good clamp, and some radioactive-electrode gas-filled tube
>
>So does this mean that all the stuff I have plugged into power strips
>with neon pilots is surge protected?

	No; those pilot lights are connected with a 100 kOhm resistor,
and will not really absorb surges.  If you connect the pilot light
WITHOUT the resistor, it will happily burn up a 15A fuse.  I've seen
it happen.
	Neon lights are actually Ne/He (the helium lowers the
breakdown to about 70V); other gases and geometries can be had
with a wide range of breakdown/breakover characteristics.
Once ignited, the plasma can pull a LOT of current, so the limiting
resistor is necessary.

	John Whitmore