SURGE PROTECTION DEVICES AND METHODS

2101 SUPERIOR
A Telos Systems Customer Support White Paper
CLEVELAND, OH.

4 4 1 1 4 USA

T. 216.241.7225 For Telco lines:

F. 216.241.4103

Several companies make surge suppressors intended for phone lines and ISDN
lines. Some are in-line connectors with modular plugs. Others are hardwired at
the demark point. The main methods of protection are Series and Shunt. Series
devices typically plug directly into the line between the equipment and the demark
attempting to block incoming surges before they reach your equipment. Shunt
devices attach in parallel with the line. They try to direct the surge away from the
equipment by providing a better path to ground. Some devices combine both
methods of protection.
Some Telco equipment manufacturers offer punch block solutions, such as the
Siemon Pico Protector Module. These mount right to the punch block in place of
bridging clips. Other modular devices are offered by several companies (such as
Polyphasor, TrippLite, APC, and Panamax) that include ISDN and T1 solutions.
(Note that the basic shunt device for POTS lines will work for an ISDN line when
utilized into the U interface of a Zephyr.)

For AC power lines:

Power conditioning and backup is fast becoming a requirement for many sensitive
electronic devices including computers, audio processors, mission critical
components, any device that relies on clean power for a CPU controlled device.
Many of the home backup power devices even include RJ jacks for network
and/or modem protection. Larger commercial types of power backup provide
better protection that the smaller consumer devices. They have a better reaction
time and offer better line filtering. Some of the very large installations tend to
work in a “hot” mode where they are constantly online and commercial power is
merely maintaining a charge on the batteries.
A good surge suppressor should have some kind of an alarm system. This is
because once a surge suppressor has done its job typically they are no longer
any good and should be replaced. The technology behind some suppressors is
that there are special components inside that get destroyed during a major
lightning strike. The deadly force of the lightning is dissipated while components
themselves are being destroyed and (ideally) not your equipment. If a series
device fails “open” it will prevent power from passing to your device. A shunt
device may fail as well but unless it shorts the power to ground you might not
know this device is no longer protecting your equipment. This is the reason for
some type of alarm or indicator informing the user of a failed status. Better surge
suppressors have a longer useful life, but after so many lightning strikes (or one
HUGE one) they may fail.

2101 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 USA • +1 (216) 241-7225 • Fax +1 (216) 241-4103
Johannistr.6 D85354 Freising, Germany • +49.8161.42467 • Fax +49.8161.42402
Power back up devices or Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) convert DC
power supplied from batteries into AC power. Smaller units tend to provide just
enough power to ride out a short duration power outage. The idea is to ride out
these power outages till the power comes back or allow you enough time to
gracefully shut down your equipment. More sophisticated UPS units have
communication ports for monitoring their status so that equipment can
automatically shut down should commercial power be lost.
Small to medium UPS units tend to be preferred where there is a backup
generator installed, such as a transmitter site. This works well when commercial
power is lost and the UPS carries the load until the backup generator comes
online.

Things to consider about UPS devices

Some of the smaller and older UPS units provide little to no surge suppression.
Many people buy these devices thinking that they are also protected from power
surges. Best to check the manufacturer’s specifications.
Commercial AC power out of the outlet is typically a pure sine wave. Most UPS
devices do not produce a pure sine wave output but a modified alternating square
wave. Most equipment with switching power supplies and analog power supplies
can tolerate this modified sine wave but there is some equipment that cannot.
Some of the more sophisticated UPS units do not tolerate “dirty” power. Dirty
power is considered to be power that might be off frequency, with various spikes
and sags within the waveform, and/or lower or higher voltage levels. Older and
poorly maintained generators may not provide clean enough power to the UPS
units for them to switch from their batteries back to commercial/generator power.
Eventually the UPS will drain its batteries and your equipment is no longer
powered. Some of the better UPS units allow adjustment of the AC line tolerance
parameters. If the UPS has this feature you may need to experiment with the
settings to get them to work properly in your situation. Also dirty power has been
know to cause some of the cheaper UPS units to lock up their CPU’s and prevent
the unit from passing any power.
For power solutions check out products from APC Inc., Best Power, or TrippLite.

For RF devices:

Suppression of lightning and surges for RF follow the same principles for
dissipating surges as do telco and power lines. Polyphasor has a full line of
devices for RF.

2101 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 USA • +1 (216) 241-7225 • Fax +1 (216) 241-4103
Johannistr.6 D85354 Freising, Germany • +49.8161.42467 • Fax +49.8161.42402
Grounding

Proper grounding is essential to maintaining equipment safety. Many facilities

employ a grounding system that is very intricate. The idea is to provide a central
grounding point for all audio and broadcasting equipment to maintain a common
ground. RF lines entering buildings from antenna structures would typically have
copper strap bonded to the outer conductor and shunted to the common ground
to help divert the major surge away from their equipment. Equipment racks in
engineering rooms, studios, and transmitter sites are also tied into this common
ground system to maintain the same potential. Dedication to proper AC and
ground wiring techniques can ensure minimal risk to one’s equipment due to a
surge and also can reduce incidents of ground loops and hum in your facility.
Good studio grounding techniques are essential to minimize the damage of a
lightning strike. With the proper grounding of your studio equipment and AC
power ground, you stand a much better chance of surviving a lightning strike.
Instead of losing the entire studio, you may only lose one or two specific items.
With adequate surge protection, the damage to the specific item(s) will ideally be
minimal (if any).
There are a great number of technical papers, books, methods and philosophies
on grounding. Telos recommends you research the subject further and contact a
vendor experienced in this field for any grounding recommendations to your
facility. For more information on facility grounding and techniques refer to the
Internet links below.

Old fashioned tricks

For years, computer technicians have talked of tying knots (usually three) in the
power cords of the computers as lightning protection. They report that in really
bad lightning strikes, the power cords with knots were totally destroyed…but the
computer was perfectly fine. The only cost incurred was for a new power cord.
Not bad lightning protection for $3.99!
Others have used ferrite beads and looped the cords through these.
Some people report the same results doing the same trick with phone lines!

Conclusions/Recommendations

Put the surge protection circuits close to the equipment. If possible, tie the
ground of the telco line suppression unit to the common ground or the chassis of
the protected equipment. Use a very short lead (4-6”) between the suppression
module and the equipment.
Establish a common ground in your facility and make the attempt to route all your
grounds to that point.

2101 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 USA • +1 (216) 241-7225 • Fax +1 (216) 241-4103
Johannistr.6 D85354 Freising, Germany • +49.8161.42467 • Fax +49.8161.42402
Choose power conditioning/UPS units suited for your application. Make sure they
are rated to handle the equipment they will power. Check for features and
options you will need. Verify the surge protection of the device and make sure it
is adequate. Frequently check these units for faults, especially after a storm.
Buy the best your money can buy.

Don’t forget that all telephone and cable related equipment must deal with a
“double whammy”. Lightning can come from either the power line, or the phone
line/cable line (sometimes BOTH!). For example: lightning can come from the
phone line and try to work its way to the power line ground (or the other way
around). In the process, it will usually destroy the gear …and neighboring
equipment! Protect all lines into your equipment.

Try tying knots in your cords. Add the ferrite beads. Couldn’t hurt to try.

NOTE: Telos Systems does not endorse or recommend any specific vendor or product. This
information is only provided as a courtesy to our customers as a guideline to various surge
protection methods/philosophies and possible sources of vendors and products. Telos makes
no guarantee as to outside manufacturer’s claims of levels of protection to any peripheral
equipment. Customer assumes all risks and liability associated with these third party devices
outside the limits of the warranties of these devices. Telos warrants its own equipment to the
extent of defects in manufacturing and workmanship. Damage to Telos products due to power
surges through power, network, audio, and/or telco lines are not covered under warranty. For
further details on warranty coverage for your Telos product see your manual or contact Telos
Systems customer support.

2101 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 USA • +1 (216) 241-7225 • Fax +1 (216) 241-4103
Johannistr.6 D85354 Freising, Germany • +49.8161.42467 • Fax +49.8161.42402
Various Internet Links:

Technical Info on surge protection and facility grounding:

http://www.lightning.org/

http://www.lightningsafety.com/

http://www.lightning-protection.com/solutions/solutions-main.htm

http://www.leainternational.com/surgedev.htm

http://www.majorpower.com/surge/overview.html

http://www.traceengineering.com/technical/tech_notes/tn7.html

http://www.lightningtech.com/f_sets/facilities.html

http://www.electrostatic.com/Morrifac.htm

http://www.erico.com/

Products/Vendors:

http://www.edcosurge.com/

http://www.majorpower.com/surge/

http://www.gohts.com/power/surge.html

http://www.apcc.com

http://www.zerosurge.com/

http://www.sollatek.com/VPMain.htm

http://www.bestpower.com

http://www.tripplite.com/

http://www.panamax-dist.com

http://www.polyphaser.com/
9/12/01 JTM Surge Protection Devices.doc

2101 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 USA • +1 (216) 241-7225 • Fax +1 (216) 241-4103
Johannistr.6 D85354 Freising, Germany • +49.8161.42467 • Fax +49.8161.42402