[TowerTalk] STEPPIR QUESTION

[jimlux]

Dave - AB7E wrote:
> Having just had the induced surge from a lightning strike fry the controller for my PST-61D rotator (blown PC board traces at the connector for the control cable even with surge suppressors across the cable lines), I wonder if a truly isolated system using a few feet of relatively inexpensive plastic fiber optic cable wouldn't be the best approach for control lines.  It wouldn't avoid issues of differential ground voltages since you'd still need power for the actual drivers, but at least it would help keep control line surges out of the controller boxes.  The driver transistors themselves at the antenna end of the fiber optic cable could be socketed for easy replacement.
> 
> Just a thought ...
> 

Glass fiber isn't all that expensive in long lengths, and has much lower 
loss (plastic fiber is 1dB/ft), so you could put the drivers up on the 
tower, and just run isolated AC power up there.