Compliance Collegues, I have a question on MOV's (bi-polar) vs "Transorbs" (unipolar) devices for board level transient protection, specifically ESD pulses that are very fast rising. The MOV type devices are inexpensive and come in arrays, so theyr'e pretty easy to use. I have heard arguments against these type of devices because a negative going pulse can drive an IC pin below ground (greater than a diode drop) and cause the IC to be damaged by sourcing a large current. Some engineers prefer a unipolar device for this purpose. I have not however, seen this to occur in the test lab. Has anyone experimented or have opinions on this?
Thanks Darrell Locke --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).

