IS CIRCUIT PROTECTION IMPORTANT?
Modern electrical equipment continues to increase in complexity. The importance of circuit protection and overall equipment protection continues to increase.
Circuit protection includes protection from equipment overload conditions, under voltage and over voltage conditions and short-circuits. Careful selection of circuit protection in LED light fittings can be confusing at times with so many suppliers presenting their concepts. System engineers and equipment designers must choose appropriate protective devices to ensure the safety and reliability of their products. Circuit protection devices protect expensive systems by rapidly disconnecting power to components in the event of an abnormal operating condition. An understanding of circuit types and circuit protection products is critical to ensure their proper application. Our engineers have many years of experience in this field and can guarantee that the fittings are protected with the latest technology.
TRANSIENT SPIKE PROTECTION
Today’s electronic equipment is particularly vulnerable to the voltage component of the transient energy. That’s because modern chips are comprised of literally millions of active components, all of which are positioned upon a silicon wafer whose surface area measures no more than a couple of square centimetres. With that in mind, it becomes obvious that there isn’t much physical space separating the individual components. It doesn’t take much of an overvoltage, to cause arcing between the IC’s internal components and damage electronic components. State – of – the – art surge suppressors, now more than ever, are required to protect modern day electronic equipment. Transient overvoltage surges measuring as low as a few hundred volts/peak pack enough punch to damage sensitive electronic equipment beyond repair.
It is prudent to mitigate the damage causing potential that is associated with the transient threat. This is accomplished with Surge Protection Devices (SPDs). High quality SPD’s have a very basic purpose to protect critical electronic equipment loads by diverting intense levels of transient current away from them while limiting the corresponding voltage amplitudes to safe levels. In other words, an SPD serves as an electronic shock absorber that attracts transient surge energy and safely soaks it up before it gets to its protected equipment.
REVERSE POLARITY PROTECTION.
Reverse polarity protection is required to preserve the circuitry if when connecting the input cables on a DC device the positive is connected to the negative and vice versa.
Depending upon the quality of the light fitting this can be done in 3 different ways
– (Cheapest) = simple diode
– (Intermediate) = transistor
– (Highest) = MosFET
The SLB range of fitting are manufactured using the “Highest” (MosFET) system.
WHY IS THERMAL PROTECTION IMPORTANT?
As designers strive to obtain maximum value and performance from their projects, printed circuits are becoming more complex and are driven to higher power densities. Miniaturization, use of power components, extreme environmental conditions and high-current requirements increase the importance of thermal management.
Thermal management is a necessity with LED fixtures, Heat is one of the greatest enemies of LED chips as well as other components within the circuitry. To ensure that these components do not exceed the recommended temperature of 82 degrees at the junction point of the LED to the circuit board, thermal management is used. This thermal management reduces the current through the circuit (i.e. less power equals less heat) and prolongs the life of the LED chips.
WHY ARE COPPER CIRCUIT BOARD SUPERIOR?
Copper circuit boards are used in the SLB series of fittings, this allows for better heat transfer from the components through to the heatsink. An FR4 aluminium circuit board has a higher thermal impedance than copper circuit boards. Sturdy Light uses thermally conductive printed circuit boards which have a far better heat transfer than standard aluminium boards.
Most aluminium FR4 circuit boards have a thermal impedance of 15 degrees. The thermally conductive cooper printed circuit boards have a thermal impedance of 1 to 2 degrees, this makes them more capable of dissipating heat via the heatsink.
THE STURDY LIGHT B SERIES ALL HAVE:
– Thermal Management
– Short Circuit protection
– Transient spike protection
– Reverse polarity protection
– Copper circuit boards for thermal protection
