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Protecting Signal Lines from Power Surges

When one hears about “signal line surge protection,” their first impression may be that surge protection devices protect the signal lines. In reality, this is not precisely true. Instead, surge protection devices are installed along the signal lines to prevent damage to the equipment to which the signal lines are connected. Many industries depend on the ongoing farming and processing of data to provide functionality to their business. This data is stored on communication boards which are essentially circuit-driven components that allow for data storage to be retrieved when necessary. These communications boards connect to the system they function within through a series of “signal lines,” or cables allowing data transmission. Unfortunately, these operational cables provide a perfect pathway for electrical flow to travel, sometimes outside the safe operating range. If the electricity that reaches the communications board is outside of a safe range, it can destroy the data housed, making retrieval impossible and potentially halting system functionality. Because so many industries are data-driven and utterly reliant upon communication and data feeding between components, protection from these damaging incidents is paramount.

Raycap’s RayDat and ACData, brand surge protection devices, are the best solution to prevent surges caused by lightning or induced transient overvoltage events along T1/E1/DS1 backhaul circuits. These devices are compact and are easily integrated along these lines to prevent excess electricity from any source from moving past their point of installation, thus avoiding the damage and data loss that comes with surge activity. These surges and spikes can corrupt or even destroy the boards themselves, necessitating repair or replacement and reconstruction of the data, if possible. In many circumstances, the data can not be recovered, putting the business in a situation from which it may not recover. Surge protectors installed along the signal lines in a redundant fashion and in combination with low voltage surge protective devices can provide the highest level of protection possible, even within the uncertain circumstances of power surges from various sources. Data surge protection systems can shunt unwanted energy, keeping systems online and functioning uninterruptedly. This process is critical for modern businesses to stay ahead of their competitors in many industries. It is necessary to provide many products that need to be manufactured or services that need to be provided, even in situations where something as unpredictable as lightning is potentially involved. If the possibility of a lightning strike to the lines themselves or the equipment nearby exists, then protection against the damage must be factored in. Plan for the worst to avoid it.

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