Logo

What exactly is the difference between a surge protector and a fuse? Can a fuse protect the electronic devices from lightning instead of surge protector?

10.06.2025 01:18

What exactly is the difference between a surge protector and a fuse? Can a fuse protect the electronic devices from lightning instead of surge protector?

What is lightning?

An AC voltage/ current source, and an ac inductive load.

A circuit breaker is similar, but is resettable.

Is it possible for the U.S. government to get rid of the constitution for national safety?

Here is a simplified AC power diagram.

So combined with a device called a MOV or Metal-oxide-resistor, then forms the 3rd part of a “surge suppressor “.

2024–10–16 [ OO OLAOYE OYEBODE ]

What is truer than that which is true?

The third is lightning and “how it gets conducted into a home.”

At least they know the answer if they wanted it.

There are two important concepts here.

What contributed to the popularity of The Beatles' song 'Yesterday'? Was it due to its simplicity, lyrics, or other factors?

At one ohm, the resistor has a maximum of 1 watt power.

Mohan forgets that a fuse is a one-time device, and needs to be replaced if it is tripped.

What does a fuse do?

Shared Genetic Signatures Found Across Psychiatric Disorders - Neuroscience News

“ A fuse is a device which protects the (circuit) against overload and short circuit.”

Barnstars:

“ … to protect building, lightning arrestor, is provided above building and directly connected to earth.”

How does Bollywood influence Indian culture?

It also is a device that limits the change in current flow.

These devices are installed between the “hot” and “neutral” and protective ground.

2024–10–11 [Victor Olarewsju Victor Olarewaju ]

Is it true that in 2028 there will be a new AIDS variant that will wipe out all the LBGTQ+ people?

The MOV will conduct when the voltage exceeds 50% of line voltage.

If the nominal power is 4,000 watts then the current at 230volts is 16 amps.

2024–10–00 [ Ammar Mahdi ] Ammar Mahdi

What does it mean if I had a dream about my mom who passed 12 years ago waking up from her coma and asking for my dad? I have never had a dreams about her since she has been gone.

He then describes Rainy Season and Lightning.

Now when you have a certain ac resistance, then a current flows in a loop.

He then describes the function of a fuse.

Prediction: Nvidia Will Beat the Market. Here's Why - The Motley Fool

In schematic diagrams this is the symbol for a fuse:

At the secondary, it is 1000 times less.)turns ratio). If it gets hit with a 100,000 volt bolt of lightning then the voltage arrestors conduct and clamp the voltage down to line voltage, ( but a small amount leaks down the line). This is the problem.

But… the neutral is now “floating” because of the 1 ohm resistance.

Manufacturing PMI® at 48.5%; May 2025 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® - PR Newswire

A fuse is a non-resetable over current circuit protector.

One

P = e* I, so since I is 16 amps, then the voltage dropped is 1/16 volt or 0.0650 volts.

Why do I like to eat my own cum?

what exactly is a ‘surge’ protector?

Once the voltage goes over 0.0650 volts, then this fact can be used to amplify the difference, and turn the circuit breaker off , furthur down the line. Essentially that is what a RCD/GFCI does, it compares the incoming current, to the outgoing current, and if the difference between the two currents is over 5mA, then it trips the circuit breaker.

2024–10–11 [Bobby Sanchez Bobby Sanchez ].

New Ubisoft Game Shutting Down Permanently in 48 Hours - ComicBook.com

It’s been three xxx five werks, and there has been no response to my follow on query on his Commment to my answer.

nine

The other is “what does a “fuse” do?”

You won’t believe how much each Nvidia employee is worth as the company rides the AI gold rush - The Economic Times

This device then solves the entire problem.

This is an electronic circuit designed to clamp voltages so that the Voltage Potential that appears at the outlet is never going to exceed the nominal value.

Because the load is inductive, the current lags the voltage.(by a bit).

Why have cell phones, the internet, and reality TV turned the world into a toilet, as this has not advanced us in any way?

Is the question then , "why buy a surge supressor, if the fuse alone protects the electronic circuits from a lightning bolt?".

This is a photo where a lightning bolt took out a home's complete mains distribution box, and a lot of electronic gear as well.

He then asserts :

Weight loss connected to nerve cells in the brain, study finds - The Brighter Side of News

So, the voltage could go up to 500 volts, and the fuse will not open up.

Can the fuse protect the electronic devices from lightning instead of a surge protector.

so, what happens?

This is where the MOV conducts again, and dissipated the energy.

Upvotes:

eight

(There is no concept of polarity, in the loop because the current changes direction 100 to 120 times a second (power frequency).

“ A surge suppressor is the one which is connected at the input supply so that when there is a sudden change voltage it bypasses thereby protecting the (circuit) and electronic components”

Edit 2024–10.

One is “what exactly is in a ‘surge protector’ ? ”

There are three different concepts here that are getting confused.

[old diagram got deleted by accident]

(Dc diagram shown, AC is similar).

a photo is worth a thousand words.

It seems Mohan does not understand the difference between a comment and an Answer.

Fuses, on their own, then operate much slower than the MOV variable resistance, during the lightning strike.

This one hit behind the barn.

Lightning arrestor is a spark-gap device, and can be installed anywhere. What is important, is that the wire is thick enough to withstand the lightning bolt and conduct the energy away from the building.

[image of Common-mode choke]

This is where this question deviates from being a 'generic' question, and becomes more specific.

But during the surge, the fuse will not blow if it is a longer duration and lower value )10 to 50%).

This is a high voltage low current spike that comes down the line because of the power poles being struck, and the voltage suppressors activating on the primary side of the transformer.

so, the loop of wire then, when put together with another loop reduces the ‘noise’ on a power line.

but I think this circuit , shows a few more pieces.

but this device (an Inductor) … impedes the rapid changes in the current.

2024–10–14 [Omar Gharbi Omar Gharbi ]

OK, this is Mohan Rajaratnam’s definition of a Surge suppressor.

I post the exact comment here.

2024–10–10[John johnson John Johnson ]

But it can get overloaded, and no longer works.

So, it’s possible that these devices from Trip Lite have addition suppression devices, these ones seem to be sturdy.

This is 'the assistant's answer'

For this case there are devices called Metal oxide varistors (MOV).

And this is the problem alone. Is the power supply in the equipmemt designed with a lightning strike in mind? Some yes, others, no.

the problem then depends on "how fast does the fuse operate?".

Would individual surge supressors have save this equipment? most likely, since the surge supressor would take the jolt instead of the electronic components.

These are simplified answers to the original question, and does not change anything I wrote above.

This is the picture of an electronic coil of wire wound around a core of magnetic material.

2024–09–27 [ Mohan Rajaratnam Mohan Rajaratnam ] . Thinks you can get free electricity from nothing : Mohan Rajaratnam's answer to Is it possible to generate free electricity at home using a magnet or other low-cost methods? If so, how does it work?

The bolt then partially travels down the line to your home.

When the current is 200% of the rated value , it will “go open” (the link metal melts) and protect the device.

First Sentence:

There is no harm in having the surge suppressor along with the fuse in the circuit. The fuse will not open up until the current melts the link. This will take time, and in the interim, that jolt will get transmitted into the power supplies.