Difference between revisions of "Input protection"
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Most of these protection circuits have historically been built out of discrete components. | Most of these protection circuits have historically been built out of discrete components. | ||
Some of them are now integrated into some "ESD resistant input" integrated circuits. | Some of them are now integrated into some "ESD resistant input" integrated circuits. | ||
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| + | Most circuits only need to protect up to 600 V. | ||
| + | "600 V is the arc over voltage of | ||
| + | the standard wall outlet. If it's greater than 600 V, it doesn't get to | ||
| + | your power supply, it arc's over the screws of the oulet." | ||
| + | [http://www.piclist.com/techref/postbot.asp?by=time&id=piclist\2001\02\12\204237a] | ||
Revision as of 07:11, 11 August 2008
There are a wide variety of input protection circuits.
Most of these protection circuits have historically been built out of discrete components. Some of them are now integrated into some "ESD resistant input" integrated circuits.
Most circuits only need to protect up to 600 V.
"600 V is the arc over voltage of
the standard wall outlet. If it's greater than 600 V, it doesn't get to
your power supply, it arc's over the screws of the oulet."
[1]
signal input protection
Alas, people outside the electronics world live in places that have "low humidity" and "carpeted floors".
Typically microcontrollers are placed in a box to protect them from such a hostile environment.
Alas, that box does no good if we directly run wires from the pins on the microcontroller to connectors on the outside of the box.
A variety of signal input protection circuits:
resistor
zener
2 clamping diodes to plus and minus power rails
2 Schottky clamping diodes to plus and minus power rails
2 Schottky clamping diodes to plus and minus power rails, and a resistor. (All 3 components directly connected to the microcontroller input pin; the other end of the resistor connected to the outside world).
transistor buffer (Matt Pobursky)
...
power input protection
diode pointing from GND to +power input (protects against reversed GND and +power)
Reverse Protection Diodes (protects against reversed GND and +power)
fuses
resettable fuses (polyswitch)
5.1 V zener diode pointing from GND to +5V ("crowbar protection", protects against power supply failing or something else pushing input power too high)
"super reverse protection diode emulator" -- a circuit composed of a MOSFET, a zener, and a resistor.
... or some combination.
