Electrical Safety

The ubiquitous increase in the use of mains power switching devices has been paralleled by the increase in nuisance tripping of GFCIs and other protection devices. Nuisance tripping can be identified to contain such high frequency signals and these must be properly taken into account when designing proper GFCI operation in this environment.

Much has been written about failures due to ground potential rise (GPR), generally in connection with single houses with multiple grounds. But in cases where multiple houses are interconnected via a single piece of equipment, equipment failures could be caused by insulation issues due to GPR attributable to lightning.

The most common characterization of ground rods actually differs from what is observed in the case of lightning. This article discusses what is observed and how that affects ground rod performance.

This article is about varistor construction, characteristics, testing and the often-unappreciated ways varistors can fail.

In order to efficiently build a certifiable VTOL aircraft, lightning protection should be incorporated into the design from the beginning.

This article describes the MOV circuit design sequence for the AC mains port overvoltage protection of pluggable type A equipment.

The standards reviewed here have been developed to help ensure that ICT circuits will be adequately protected against surges, especially those due to lightning.

The evolution of E and H fields on aircraft struck by lightning is a complex process. An October 2014 in-flight lightning strike is reviewed in this article as an example that inspires a fresh look at how lightning E and H fields should be considered for indirect effects certification.

It is a common misconception that any product that complies with IEC 60950-1 will also comply with IEC 62368-1. A key goal of this article is to help readers of IEC 62368-1 understand the underlying safety concerns that the new requirements are trying to address.

Why the effects of nearby lightning might be over-estimated, or in some cases underestimated, and how to get more realistic estimates.