Fuses Blown Out of Proportion
30 September 2008
There is new fad for fuse blowing spreading across the power supply market which is considered new technology yet PULS have been doing it for years.
With new technology and understanding, power supplies are now able to blow output DC fuses but since PULS, the world’s largest DIN Rail power supply manufacture, have been successfully doing this for years, it baffled the engineers that it was considered a new concept.
Fuses and circuit breakers, for the most part work in a very similar manner. If the current increases over a fixed point then they heat up and break or trip respective of whether it is a fuse or circuit breaker. Both end in the circuit being broken and the overloaded line shutting down. This is essential to protect wiring and also branched systems against high current flowing in the wires.
When an overload occurs, depending on the output characteristic of the power supply being used, the output fuses may or may not be blown. The PULS units are designed with a fall forward current output design and with the aid of a large input capacitor they are able to provide a very high overload output current to blow fuses. This technology has been used by PULS since the SilverLine range and has been improved on in the new Dimension series. The fundamental idea is to be able to provide a significant increase in current for limited periods of time so that the fuse blows even if the fuse doesn’t blow, the unit will not sustain the current long enough to damage the circuit.
With many of these ideas and features there is always more to consider than just the single component. This is why PULS’s technical team in the UK provide support not just for the power supply but also with the application ensuring that the customer has the best possible solution.
One problem identified with DC fuse blowing is that electronics are bound by a number of laws and theorems, such as Ohms Law, which states Voltage = Current x Resistance. So even if the power supply is capable of high fuse blowing currents, if the resistance of the wire or circuit is too great then only a limited current can flow. In many cases this resistance is the governing factor in the ability of the power supply to deliver sufficient current to blow the fuse.
Harry Moore, Managing Director of PULS UK comments “Fuse blowing has never been a problem we have encountered with any of our power supplies, however with recent media interest I am happy to say that our units have and will continue to provide the characteristics needed for fuse blowing!”
With modern technology increasing at a substantial rate it is difficult keep up to date. This is why PULS UK offer full application support, putting their sights on what you need now so that you can put your sights on the future.
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