Lightning surge, noise, and harmonic countermeasures

This page introduces countermeasures for lightning surges and harmonics in AC adapters. We can offer high withstand voltage models that comply with IEC61000 and guarantee lightning surge protection up to 10kV, as well as support for custom power supplies. For custom power supplies, we can also accommodate requests to add varistors or arresters to the circuit board.

AC/DC Power Adapter can be designed with countermeasures against lightning surges and noise. We can conduct various types of in-house verification to confirm their effectiveness.

What Is a Lightning Surge?

How do you address equipment failures caused by lightning?

When lightning strikes near a building, high voltage may be applied to nearby power lines.
This high voltage is generally referred to as a "lightning surge." The high voltage generated can travel through power lines and enter household outlets, potentially causing home appliances to be unable to withstand the surge, resulting in damage or malfunction.

Lightning surge protection is not simply a matter of "withstanding the surge."
Damage caused by a lightning surge may result in an AC/DC Power Adapter malfunctioning and failing to stop operating at the appropriate timing, which could lead to dangerous situations such as smoke emission or fire. To prevent such secondary hazards, safety considerations must be incorporated from the design stage.

UNIFIVE can precisely respond to various custom power supply requirements to help prevent equipment damage caused by lightning surges.

Custom Support for Lightning Surges

Standard AC/DC Power Adapter typically guarantee IEC61000-4-5 Level 2 or 3 compliance for lightning surge protection. However, depending on customer requirements, some industries request high withstand-voltage AC/DC Power Adapter, such as products guaranteed to withstand 10KV lightning surges.

Lightning surge testing standards range from general standards defined by IEC and JEC to specialized standards such as testing methods based on ITU-T standards established by the telecommunications industry. There are many different types of testing criteria.

Depending on the customer's industry - such as manufacturers of major home appliances, telecommunications equipment, CATV systems, or audio equipment - we often receive requests from customers producing devices for which "it would be a serious problem if the AC/DC Power Adapter failed due to a lightning surge!" In response, we frequently provide customized solutions. However, in practice, secondary-side grounding conditions and other equipment set conditions differ depending on the device, and lightning surge intrusion paths also vary. Therefore, when customizing products, careful attention must be paid to these equipment-specific differences.

For these reasons, custom lightning surge countermeasures are often carried out in close cooperation with our customers. UNIFIVE can provide a wide variety of AC/DC Power Adapter.

In common customization cases, we often propose modified versions of UNIFIVE's AC/DC Power Adapter by adding components such as varistors or arresters to the base circuit board. We also offer a wide range of solutions, including fully custom-designed circuit boards.

Compliance with the Latest Harmonic Regulations

We can also provide AC/DC Power Adapter that comply with harmonic regulations. We have a proven track record in developing power supplies that comply with the latest harmonic regulations (5W or higher) promoted by the Japan Lighting Manufacturers Association.

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