Do You Use Transient Voltage Suppressors - AVR Freaks

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Posted by
steve17 (http://community.atmel.com/users/steve17 #1
0) steve17 (http://community.atmel.com/users/steve170): Sun. Jun 12, 2011 09:50 PM
Fivestar widget
Total votes: 0
(http://community.atmel.com/users/steve17
I notice the Atmel Butterfly has TVS (varistors) on the RS232 RXD and TXD inputs. Does anybody else
0) do this?
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Posted by
jayjay1974 (http://community.atmel.com/users/jayjay1974) #2
jayjay1974 (http://community.atmel.com/users/jayjay1974): Sun. Jun 12, 2011 11:22 PM
Total votes: 0
(http://community.atmel.com/users/jayjay1974)
Level: Raving Lunatic Yes, I used Tranzorbs on an industrial board.
Joined: Wed. Oct 30, 2002
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Location: The Netherlands
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Posted by #3
leon_heller(http://community.atmel.com/users/leonheller): Sun. Jun 12, 2011 11:32 PM
leon_heller(http://community.atmel.com/users/leonheller)
(http://community.atmel.com/users/leonheller)
Total votes: 0
I used them on a board I designed where I used to work, and a client's board I developed software for
had them. They were across the regulated supply in both cases. I'd always use them on a system that
was used in an industrial location, or in a vehicle. I like AVX TransGuards.

Joined: Fri. Jul 27, 2001 Leon Heller G1HSM
Posts: 7604 View
Last
Location: St. LeonardsonSea Edited: Mon. Jun 13, 2011 12:08 AM
(UK)
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Posted by
brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw #4
0) brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw0): Sun. Jun 12, 2011 11:57
PM
Total votes: 0
I use TVS, but only in the power supply, not yet on the communications channels..
(http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw
If you want fast responce the TVS is the guy fou u...
0)
Level: Posting Freak
Joined: Thu. Dec 15, 2005
Posts: 1292 View
Location: Brazil
Regards,
Bruno Muswieck
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ka7ehk(http://community.atmel.com/users/ka7ehk)
(http://community.atmel.com/users/ka7ehk)
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Posted by #5
ka7ehk(http://community.atmel.com/users/ka7ehk): Mon. Jun
13, 2011 01:08 AM
Total votes: 0
It depends a lot on the interface device. If it is ISDprotected/resistant, then I probably won't. If it is not protected, then I generally
do.
I put them on the other side of the two resistors. Unless the transistors cannot withstand 2KV or so. That greatly reduces peak
voltages and currents.
Jim
Jim Wagner Oregon Research Electronics, Consulting Div. Tangent, OR, USA https://sites.google.com/site/or...
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Posted by #6
glitch (http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch): Mon. Jun 13, 2011 01:56 AM
glitch (http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch)
Total votes: 0
I use them on any I/O that is exposed outside the box, as well as on any power supply rails.
(http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch)
Joined: Sat. Jan 12, 2002 Writing code is like having sex.... make one little mistake, and you're supporting it for life.
Posts: 8685 View
Location: Canada
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Posted by
0) steve17 (http://community.atmel.com/users/steve170): Mon. Jun 13, 2011 03:37 PM
Total votes: 0
Thanks guys. It makes sense to me that a PCB that is enclosed in a box could benefit from ESD
protection on the connections to the outside world.
But what about PCBs that are not enclosed, like the Xplain board, the Gabotronics Xprotolab, and the
0)
Level: Raving Lunatic Butterfly? I'm beginning to think that putting TVS on RS232 lines, like on the Butterfly, is not worth
Joined: Tue. Sep 7, 2004 the effort.
Posts: 4624 View
Location: New York State The board I'm working on will probably end up inside a computer case. In the meantime, it will be
used for testing.
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Posted by #8
glitch (http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch): Mon. Jun 13, 2011 04:33 PM
glitch (http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch)
Total votes: 0
It all comes down to how much you want to protect your board. Development boards often leave this
circuitry out for cost reasons, and the fact that they are typically not "mission critical". Virtually any
field deployed board will have the necessary protection circuitry.
(http://community.atmel.com/users/glitch)
Joined: Sat. Jan 12, 2002
Posts: 8685 View
Location: Canada Writing code is like having sex.... make one little mistake, and you're supporting it for life.
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Posted by
0) brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw0): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 01:33
AM
Total votes: 0
I had my second programmer out off job last month.. This time the dragon, I remember some freak
with some tutorial about protect your dragon.. Soo, poor protection I/O on those...
0)
Posts: 1292 View
Regards,
Location: Brazil
Bruno Muswieck
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Posted by #10
Jepael(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 06:13 AM
Jepael(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael)
Total votes: 0
steve17 wrote:
Thanks guys. It makes sense to me that a PCB that is enclosed in a box could
(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael)
Level: Raving Lunatic benefit from ESD protection on the connections to the outside world.
Joined: Mon. May 24, 2004
Posts: 6279 View
But what about PCBs that are not enclosed, like the Xplain board, the Gabotronics
Location: Tampere, Finland Xprotolab, and the Butterfly? I'm beginning to think that putting TVS on RS232
lines, like on the Butterfly, is not worth the effort.
It does not matter how the boards are enclosed or not. I have very rarely broken anything with ESD,
if ever.
However connecting a device with floating power supply (not earthed) to a grounded computer will for
example kill your serial port if data lines connect before ground on serial connector. There might be
huge potential difference between devices, now who says they have never seen sparks in these
situations?
Just put an oscilloscope probe to your DVD player or whatever and see nice distorted sine wave of
more than 40VAC.. So care must be taken in which order to connect devices and their power supplies
together.
Modern display connectors like DVI make damn sure connector shell and multiple ground pins are the
first to connect before any other pins.
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Posted by
0) steve17 (http://community.atmel.com/users/steve170): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 11:22 AM
Total votes: 0
Jepael wrote:
connecting a device with floating power supply (not earthed) to a grounded
0)
computer will for example kill your serial port if data lines connect before ground
Joined: Tue. Sep 7, 2004 on serial connector. There might be huge potential difference between devices
Posts: 4624 View
That makes sense to me. So Atmel was right to put protection on the RS232 pins. What about
protection on JTAG/PDI pins also?
Jepael wrote:
Modern display connectors like DVI make damn sure connector shell and multiple
ground pins are the first to connect before any other pins.
I think USB connectors work this way also. Has anyone tried this with standard header pins by having
the ground pin stick up higher from the PCB?
Top
Posted by #12
leon_heller(http://community.atmel.com/users/leonheller): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 11:53 AM
Total votes: 0
USB connectors are designed for "hotswapping". Other hotswappable connectors are available.
Joined: Fri. Jul 27, 2001
Posts: 7604 View
Leon Heller G1HSM
Location: St. LeonardsonSea (UK)
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Posted by
jayjay1974 (http://community.atmel.com/users/jayjay1974): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 12:34 PM
Total votes: 0
Level: Raving Lunatic For USB there are single chip protection devices available that protect all lines. Like the ST USB6B1 or
Posts: 5770 View
Posts: 5770 View protect 6 I/O's with the ESDA6V1U1.
Location: The Netherlands
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Posted by #14
Jepael(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 04:47 PM
Total votes: 0
steve17 wrote:
So Atmel was right to put protection on the RS232 pins. What about protection on
Level: Raving Lunatic JTAG/PDI pins also?
Posts: 6279 View
Location: Tampere, Finland Well they used some kind of transistor level shifter for RS232. Real RS232 level translator chips like
MAX232 and similar have internal protection and can take up to 15kV ESD pulses, and can handle by
design greater voltages up to +/ 30V like it is possible to have on RS232 pins.
JTAG or whatever, there is no difference. Any IO pin will get killed if there is a big potential difference
between devices and grounds do not connect first to even out the difference. While the potential
difference might be huge, the actual current happening from stray capacitances may be max few tens
of microamps, it is just a bigger pulse to discharge it.
Jepael wrote:
Modern display connectors like DVI make damn sure connector shell and multiple
ground pins are the first to connect before any other pins.
I think USB connectors work this way also. Has anyone tried this with standard header pins by having
the ground pin stick up higher from the PCB?
USB as well. Connector shell first, then GND and 5V, then data pins.
Single GND pin sticking out to connect first won't make much difference. I sometimes use 1x1 jumper
wires to connect header pins together between devices, and ground is first.
Top
Posted by
0) steve17 (http://community.atmel.com/users/steve170): Thu. Jun 16, 2011 06:36 PM
Total votes: 0
I have another plan. I will put an antistatic pad on my desk and ground it to my aluminum computer
case. I should have done this a long time ago.
0)
Joined: Tue. Sep 7, 2004
Posts: 4624 View
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crwper(http://community.atmel.com/users/crwper)
(http://community.atmel.com/users/crwper)
Level: Resident
Joined: Fri. Aug 22, 2008
Posts: 584 View
Location: Calgary, Canada
Posted by crwper(http://community.atmel.com/users/crwper): #16
Fri. Jun 17, 2011 04:24 AM
Total votes: 0
jayjay1974 wrote:
For USB there are single chip protection devices available that protect all lines. Like the ST USB6B1 or
protect 6 I/O's with the ESDA6V1U1.
To add to that, there are some like ST's USBUFxxW6 which also provide proper termination of the USB line.
Michael
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brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw
0)
0)
Posts: 1292 View
Location: Brazil
Posted by #17
brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw
0): Fri. Jun 17, 2011 02:25 PM
Total votes: 0
Quote:
It does not matter how the boards are enclosed or not. I have very rarely broken anything with ESD, if ever.
Me too, but my college said that it happened with some of our components, I dont remember wich one...
Quote:
However connecting a device with floating power supply (not earthed) to a grounded computer will for
example kill your serial port if data lines connect before ground on serial connector. There might be huge
potential difference between devices, now who says they have never seen sparks in these situations?
Go point Jepeal, maybe this is the case of my two broken programmer... But I do it with an TTLRS232 board and over now, all goes
fine (until now Im taking the risk :))..
But, let's go for the power supply side, suppose that your PS is a transformer, the primary side is earthed but the secondary (low
voltage side that feed the board) isn't earthed and you got problem... My point is: it's hard to know if the boards connected will not
suffer from this problem...
Regards,
Bruno Muswieck
Top
Posted by #18
Jepael(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael): Sat. Jun 18, 2011 05:45 AM
Total votes: 0
brunomusw wrote:
Quote:
Posts: 6279 View
It does not matter how the boards are enclosed or not. I have very rarely
Location: Tampere, Finland broken anything with ESD, if ever.
Me too, but my college said that it happened with some of our components, I don
t remember wich one...
How can they mysteriously know what happened to your components when they stopped working?
What if there was a short circuit or overvoltage somewhere and the component just burned out?
Usually ESD is blamed when nobody has not figured out the real reason or do not bother to figure it
out, or there just is no other logical reason.
brunomusw wrote:
Quote:
However connecting a device with floating power supply (not earthed) to a

grounded computer will for example kill your serial port if data lines
connect before ground on serial connector. There might be huge potential
difference between devices, now who says they have never seen sparks in
these situations?
Go point Jepeal, maybe this is the case of my two broken programmer... But I do
it with an TTLRS232 board and over now, all goes fine (until now Im taking the
risk :))..
But, let's go for the power supply side, suppose that your PS is a transformer, the
primary side is earthed but the secondary (low voltage side that feed the board)
isn't earthed and you got problem... My point is: it's hard to know if the boards
connected will not suffer from this problem...
The primary side of a transformer is never earthed. The neutral wire might be in the same potential as
earth, but the live wire has AC voltage. This is not the issue. What matters is if the secondary side is
earthed or not. If it is not earthed, the stray capacitance between transformer primary and secondary
will make the output to be capacitively connected to mains.
The issue is that if your transformer has a twoprong mains plug, it cannot connect the secondary side
to earth, like most power supplies for consumer devices. Most transformers with threeprong mains
plugs do connect the earth to negative lead of secondary side, like laptop power supplies, so the stray
capacitance has no chance to cause mains voltage on secondary side.
Even bigger issue are switching mode power supplies, that usually are not grounded (twoprong plug)
and some regulations require the secondary side to be capacitively coupled to primary side. So you
literally have the otherwise floating output connected to AC mains with a smallish capacitor. The
capacitor is just so small that the regulations for leakage current is not exceeded, it might be in the
order of few tens of microamperes maximum if you short circuit the output to earth, but it still hurts
when you touch earthed things and power supply output, as the voltage on capacitor is about mains
voltage.
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Posted by
0) brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw0): Sat. Jun 18, 2011 11:33
AM
Total votes: 0
Quote:
0)
How can they mysteriously know what happened to your components when they
Joined: Thu. Dec 15, 2005 stopped working? What if there was a short circuit or overvoltage somewhere and
Posts: 1292 View
the component just burned out? Usually ESD is blamed when nobody has not
Location: Brazil figured out the real reason or do not bother to figure it out, or there just is no
other logical reason.
Good point, maybe this is why I never saw... :) This is an open issue...
Quote:
The primary side of a transformer is never earthed. The neutral wire might be in
the same potential as earth, but the live wire has AC voltage. This is not the issue.
What matters is if the secondary side is earthed or not. If it is not earthed, the
stray capacitance between transformer primary and secondary will make the output
to be capacitively connected to mains.
Not never, if you have varistor and capacitor connected from live to earth on the primary side of the
transformer to protection, they has some leakage current, soo they are connected to earth, the same
case when you have the capacitor on switching mode power supplies.
But if the secondary side isn't connected to earth, it will be floating..
Quote:
The issue is that if your transformer has a twoprong mains plug, it cannot connect
the secondary side to earth, like most power supplies for consumer devices. Most
transformers with threeprong mains plugs do connect the earth to negative lead of
secondary side, like laptop power supplies, so the stray capacitance has no chance
to cause mains voltage on secondary side.
Negative lead, you mean the 0V potential, right? Soo, in one part of your circuit, the ground will be
connected to earth...
Talking about it Jepeal, in a product, it has power and logic parts, on it's manual, they said that the
logic part (digital and analog) is connected to earth thorught a resistor and a capacitor, it's to divide
the power part and logic part?
This post are getting really good... :D
Regards,
Bruno Muswieck
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Posted by #20
Jepael(http://community.atmel.com/users/jepael): Sat. Jun 18, 2011 05:11 PM
Total votes: 0
brunomusw wrote:
Level: Raving Lunatic Quote:
Posts: 6279 View
Location: Tampere, Finland The primary side of a transformer is never earthed. The neutral wire might
be in the same potential as earth, but the live wire has AC voltage. This is
not the issue. What matters is if the secondary side is earthed or not. If it
is not earthed, the stray capacitance between transformer primary and
secondary will make the output to be capacitively connected to mains.
Not never, if you have varistor and capacitor connected from live to earth on the
primary side of the transformer to protection, they has some leakage current, soo
they are connected to earth, the same case when you have the capacitor on
switching mode power supplies.
But if the secondary side isn't connected to earth, it will be floating..
But by definition the neutral wire and the earth are connected at some point together, back in the old
days there were just two wires going inside walls and earthed wall sockets just used the neutral as
earth. Earthing is something artificial you select for instance I have used to 3phase mains coming to
a house and distributed as 1phase around the house, but in US it seems a house gets 2phase power,
230VAC with neutral wire coming from center tap, so you have two 125VAC phases with opposite
phase.
So in any event, if you have a varistor or capacitor going from live to earth, the neutral is still earthed
at some point. In fact current going trough earth wire is not normal, unless during brief short circuit
before fuse breaks.
Usually things like computer power supplies have filter caps from live to earth and neutral to earth, so
if you plug it to a wall socket without earthing, that will make the computer case capacitively coupled
to half of mains VAC. And that hurts if you touch computer case and earthed things, kills devices too.
brunomusw wrote:
Negative lead, you mean the 0V potential, right? Soo, in one part of your circuit,
the ground will be connected to earth...
Talking about it Jepeal, in a product, it has power and logic parts, on it's manual,
they said that the logic part (digital and analog) is connected to earth thorught a
resistor and a capacitor, it's to divide the power part and logic part?
This post are getting really good... :D
Yes well usually you earth the negative lead of single output voltage. My lab power supply is floating
and I can connect the earth separately to either positive or negative lead, thus I can freely combine
two earthed power supplies into +12 and 12 supplies if I want.
Sometimes a device is earthed through resistor and capacitor. The capacitor is there to provide good
earth path to high frequency signals, and the resistor is there to somewhat isolate the local signal
ground from earth, so that for example signals going in and out of the box to other devices have a
better return path elsewhere than through the mains lead earth wire. I don't remember it exactly.
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Posted by
0) brunomusw (http://community.atmel.com/users/brunomusw0): Sun. Jun 19, 2011 12:36
PM
Total votes: 0
Quote:
0)
Sometimes a device is earthed through resistor and capacitor. The capacitor is
Joined: Thu. Dec 15, 2005 there to provide good earth path to high frequency signals, and the resistor is
Posts: 1292 View
there to somewhat isolate the local signal ground from earth, so that for example
Location: Brazil signals going in and out of the box to other devices have a better return path
elsewhere than through the mains lead earth wire. I don't remember it exactly.
I was thinking about differents power ground levels, not the same for power and logic side.
But this can cause a problem, suppose that you connect other equipament, since this equipament is
connect it's ground to earth (0V level to earth), and connect their ground to make a communication
between then, what will happen? One will be at different ground level as it's connected to earth
throught a resistor, right?
Regards,
Bruno Muswieck
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Posted by
Geoff(http://community.atmel.com/users/geoff #22
4) Geoff(http://community.atmel.com/users/geoff4): Wed. Jun 29, 2011 06:51 AM
Total votes: 0
To answer the original question TVS diodes and often input resistors are a must on
industrial/production boards. Mostly to protect the board from damage by idiots it's better for your
reputation to have a board that will tolerate it than try and explain to a company that their employees
(http://community.atmel.com/users/geoff
4) are inattentive monkeys who connected DC power to the wrong terminal block.
Level: Hangaround
Joined: Mon. Apr 24, 2006 I suppose it also protects from the odd spike from natural causes as well :lol:
Posts: 285 View
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted by #23
ams0178 (http://community.atmel.com/users/ams01786580): Wed. Jun 29, 2011 12:53 PM
ams0178 (http://community.atmel.com/users/ams01786580)
(http://community.atmel.com/users/ams01786580)
Total votes: 0
Also to answer the original question, I currently am working on devices to pass DO160 testing and will
experience "lightning" surges in the hundreds of volts and amps. I am very thankful for TVS devices
otherwise I would have a smoking product after testing :)
Alan
Level: Hangaround
Posts: 102 View
Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted by
jayjay1974 (http://community.atmel.com/users/jayjay1974): Wed. Jun 29, 2011 03:07 PM
Total votes: 0
Level: Raving Lunatic Only hundreds? Must be babylightning then :)
Posts: 5770 View
A IEC 6100045 mains surge test can actually subject your device to 4KV and currents up to 2kA
Location: The Netherlands depending on the class these figures can vary.
We have products able to stand up to 10KV on its mains input. But that takes quite some elaborate
protection circuitry though )
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Joined: Fri. Jul 27, 2001
Posts: 7604 View
Location: St. LeonardsonSea (UK)
Posted by #25
leon_heller(http://community.atmel.com/users/leonheller):
Wed. Jun 29, 2011 03:20 PM
Total votes: 0
I used to work on military radio systems and they had to withstand an EMP event caused by a nuclear weapon. I can't remember
the figures, but they were very impressive.
Leon Heller G1HSM
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Level: Raving Lunatic

t remember wich one...

However connecting a device with floating power supply (not earthed) to a

This post are getting really good... :D

But if the secondary side isn't connected to earth, it will be floating..

This post are getting really good... :D

Leon Heller G1HSM

2015 Atmel Corporation

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