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Re: [Amps] M.O.V.'s

To: amps@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] M.O.V.'s
From: "Ian White, G3SEK" <G3SEK@ifwtech.co.uk>
Reply-to: "Ian White, G3SEK" <g3sek@ifwtech.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 12:19:41 +0000
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Hal wrote:

Some time ago, mention was made about using an MOV near the power amplifier tube as protection against transient surges, perhaps in the filament area.


Looking at Mouser's MOV selection, the reader is presented with a plethora of selections, each one having a 1MHz. capacitance listing.

My question now for the reflector is would the inherent capacitance in an MOV mounted near the final and connected to the wiring going into the tube have an effect on the circuit because of the device's inherent capacitance, or should a Metal Oxide Varistor not be used at all, with a better choice being perhaps a gas-filled device?

At voltages below breakdown, MOVs look like capacitors of a few thousand pF so they can be used wherever a real capacitor would be OK. In practical terms, you can connect an MOV across almost any existing bypass capacitor.

A good example is an MOV connected across the screen bypass capacitor of a tetrode, to protect that capacitor from voltage breakdown (which would probably cost you a whole new socket).

Spark gaps are only a few pF, so they can be connected directly into most RF circuits, for example across the transmission line.

Different devices, different uses. MOVs start to protect at only a little more than their maximum rated operating voltage. Spark gaps may protect better, but only when they've fired - and that requires a much larger impulse voltage than the rated operating voltage.


-- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book' http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek _______________________________________________ Amps mailing list Amps@contesting.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps

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