How Surge Protectors Work

Surge protection device is an indispensable device for lightning protection of electronic equipment. It was often called "lightning arrester" or "overvoltage protector" in the past. The English abbreviation is SPD. The function of surge protector is to limit the instantaneous overvoltage that penetrates into the power line and signal transmission line to the voltage range that the equipment or system can withstand, or to discharge the strong lightning current into the ground to protect the protected equipment or system from damage caused by impact. The type and structure of surge protector vary according to different uses, but it should at least contain a nonlinear voltage limiting element. The basic components used for surge protector are: discharge gap, gas-filled discharge tube, varistor, suppression diode and choke coil, etc.