I smell marketing BS.  Request confirmation. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: skysurf76
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2019, 09:08:13 am
content: Friend has a business and recently bought some new registers from a company. I've been installing a new wireless network setup for him lately too and ordered some 4000 joule Belkin surge protectors for the equipment I'm setting up and I got curious and went looking for what kind of power protection the register company was using. I found the following...SmartPower Model: UTBF07SG-120http://smartpowersystems.com/products/computer-grade-filters-tbf/smart-cord/It references US Patent #5721661http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5721661.PN.&OS=PN/5721661&RS=PN/5721661My bullshit radar was rising as I read the product page, but when I got to "Smart ground technology for ground loop protection (Patent pending) – Ground loops can cause data errors" I was like "Ummmm ethernet is differential signaling and grounds don't matter." The registers use ethernet of course.Curious to see what others think. Also, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on what kind of protection is appropriate for valuable devices.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2019, 09:27:43 am
content: Yes, sounds like BS to me and is connecting 2.2μF to neutral even permitted by the electrical safety regulations?

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2019, 06:23:57 pm
content: Generally most of these things are bullshit. Unless they are doing true cycle to cycle active conversion or active crow bar protection, or true resonant circuit filtering most surge protectors are little more than mov’s or TVS’s across a line cord which for any more than a quick pulse is just an exercise in how long it takes for said device to burn up then allow the over voltage to destroy your device. Without a series impedance to drop the surge the line circuit basically represents a zero impedance therefore making the surge protector itself useless. Power strips generally have a circuit breaker in them so the argument can be made that the clamp device will trip the breaker removing the over voltage, but in reality the damage may have already been done. Real surge suppression costs a lot of money.I smell BS.As far as the patent goes, having played that game before many times the issues patent has little or even nothing to do with the mode of operation of the product. It’s just gamesmanship on a legal level. Buying one and dissasembeling it is the only real way to figure out what’s going on.

author: Tomorokoshi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2019, 06:30:59 pm
content: Go with a Tripp Lite isobarUltrainstead:https://www.tripplite.com/isobar-4-outlet-surge-protector-6-ft-cord-3300-joules-diagnostic-leds~ISOBAR4ULTRAMake sure it's the ULTRA version, not the older ones. I did some tests on these compared to the older ones like IBAR4.Long story short, the ULTRA starts to attenuate by 20 KHz, while the older IBAR doesn't really start until a few hundred KHz. I ran into this while researching a solution for an EMC issue.For data lines, they have these but I haven't used them:https://www.tripplite.com/datashield-in-line-surge-protector-network-phone-lines-1-line-rj45~DNET1

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2019, 06:41:26 pm
content: Overvolt protectors are pretty simple devices though.

author: TimNJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2019, 10:10:26 pm
content: Quote from: Zero999 on January 01, 2019, 09:27:43 amI think you can as long as you discharge them quickly enough.