Questions tagged [lightning]

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1 answer
1k views

I am failing to understand the difference in Impulse Sparkover voltage vs DC Sparkover voltage of GDT

Lets say I want to use a Gas Discharge tube for indirect lightning protection, and I have a tvs diode in parallel with GDT. Since this is indirect lightning and has a fast waveform, should the tvs ...
1 vote
3 answers
268 views

How do I test grounding/lightning protection?

I manage IT for several clients in Central Florida, where we have quite a lot of lightning (the most in the U.S.). I have one client that has trouble keeping electronic devices alive. We have replaced ...
2 votes
2 answers
911 views

If a shipboard antenna isn't "grounded" to the water on a fiberglass-hulled boat, would using the radio (TX or RX) attract more lightning?

Because of my poor understanding of the interaction between static and flowing electrical charge, I don't trust my intuition about the answer to this question. Essentially I'm asking if there could be ...
1 vote
1 answer
357 views

Protecting RPi against lightning and high voltage

I'm making a remote weather station with a Raspberry Pi 4 and a few sensors. Problem 1: the anemometer is held on a iron rod (was already there, can't change), dangerously exposed to lightnings. ...
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Can lightning damage electronics via a ground connection?

Often when we think of a lightning transient, the idea is that the lightning strikes a power line and propagates through the hot/neutral or 3 wires of 3-phase system. There is also induced current ...
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

Choosing UV resin or epoxy for diffusing LED on PCB

I have a sandwich structure made out of two boards. The first one has an LED on its top side. The second one is 5 to 10mm thick and sits on the first board. It has a milled slot above the LED on the ...
0 votes
2 answers
104 views

Lightning arrestor for a building with VHF antenna without disrupting wireless signals

Lightning protection is to be provided for a building where already VHF antenna is available. An omnidirectional ground plane antenna is used for VHF. The height of the Franklin rod provided as Class ...
1 vote
1 answer
632 views

Lightning protection for TV Antenna

I live in an area with frequent lightning strikes. Occasionally people get killed due to those - specially when strikes enter house through TV antenna cables. My house is quite tall and seems to be ...
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

Further Electronic aspects of iPhone audio recording via lightning connector

Following on from this post I wired up a way to record audio on an iphone (the important design points quoted here): The iPhone as well as other mobiles will apply a DC voltage about 1.5-2.5V to the ...
1 vote
2 answers
80 views

Lightning board 3 meters

In France, you will see some signs like the one below: Those signs are next to buildings which have lightning rods. They also have some conductors to make the current go from the rooftop to the earth ...
1 vote
1 answer
70 views

Electrical service discharge path through body

If someone were to accidentally make contact with live service conductors, while touching another person, would I get shocked or would the current travel through me and into the other party without my ...
0 votes
0 answers
110 views

Selecting SPD for a Solar panel

If the solar panel (only 1 panel used) max open circuit voltage (Voc) is 38 V AND MPPT controller's max input voltage is 49.5 V, what should be the DC SPD (surge protector)'s maximum continuous ...
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Spark gap minimum breakdown voltage vs air gap

I'm trying to calculate the minimum voltage needed create a spark across 2 electrodes (needle shaped) in open air at normal ambient pressure. Usually, I would use the figure of 3000V /mm as the ...
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

Is it legally allowed to install lightning rods in rainy or cloudy weather?

I had a look at some standards (such as IEC 62305 & IEC 62561 Standards for Lightning Protection) on how lightning rods should be constructed, and also searched the internet. I found no real ...
2 votes
1 answer
648 views

RCCB trips when lightning even after installing a shunt-type surge protector. Does that mean the SPD was not installed correctly?

I have installed a shunt-type surge protector (SPD) after the main switch, but before the RCCB. A separate earth wire (with separate grounding) was used for the SPD. Sometimes during heavy (indirect) ...
0 votes
2 answers
134 views

Is lightning waveform a special case of RC discharge circuit? Why is it modelled as a double exponential function?

As per wiki: The electric current within a typical negative CG lightning discharge rises very quickly to its peak value in 1–10 microseconds, then decays more slowly over 50–200 microseconds. Why ...
0 votes
0 answers
49 views

Can electricity distribution transformers increase lightning surge current from 30 kA to 1500 kA?

I read somewhere that an average lightning strike is about 30 kiloamperes and lasts for a duration of 30 microseconds (but it may consist of number of sub-flashes so the total duration may be 0.2 ...
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

How do nickel alloys from power station switches work?

I have been told that switches made for 1000+ volts and amps use special nickel alloys that have higher resistance to wear and oxidation than pure nickel. Where can I find the names and specifications ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

DO-160 indirect lightning requirement confusion

I am looking at many tvs diode online, and I wanted to know how to calculate to check if it complies with DO-160 indirect lightning surge protection. For DO-160, there are Waveform 3, 4, 5A&B, ...
2 votes
2 answers
369 views

How does lightning increase the voltage within a substation (how does current increase voltage)?

I'm new within the power industry and was introduced to a scenario I had a question about. So, while discussing the need for surge arresters came up, we began talking about lightning. I know that ...
2 votes
0 answers
111 views

Will use of isolation transformer advise in lightning prone area?

I am working on a Radio Station located on a hill top. There are frequent lightning strikes during the monsoon season and they sometimes damage electrical equipment inspite of providing earthing. I am ...
0 votes
0 answers
128 views

DIY USB-C charging port won't work with lightning cable

I have this project where I wan't to add a USB-C port to my e-bike. 😅 There is a front light powered by the battery, which I removed. I checked it, and it outputs 6V. I then took a USB-A to USB-C ...
1 vote
1 answer
409 views

Best sensor to measure light intensity in open room

I am working on a project to understand how robot localization is effected by light levels. I am wanting to build a circuit which can be mounted on a small robot near the camera and can determine lux ...
3 votes
1 answer
336 views

Help identify schematic symbol

Is it a ferrite bead or coil of some sort? Or is it a gas discharge tube? Usually though it has a different symbol. If it is a ferrite bead then what is the point of those chassis connectors? Could ...
3 votes
1 answer
467 views

Protecting circuit input against lightning - how to put all the pieces together?

I am designing a single wire (ground return) telephone for use in our hobby caving expeditions, starting out from a well known and successful design called Michiephone (http://speleonics.com.au/...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Use of multiple earthings for single installation

For a home electrical wiring, is it acceptable to have to multiple earth rods on different (reasonably apart from each other) locations? In good practice, to keep earth resistance low, we use multiple ...
1 vote
1 answer
571 views

How long TVS diode lifespan?

Do TVS diode have a lifespan? Do TVS diode protect against how many lightning strike during own lifespan? Can ı calculate life expectancy? I don't found any document about this issue
7 votes
6 answers
6k views

Can lightning strike into the phone line damage electronics in the house through the ADSL modem?

I was always wondering about the following: If lightning strikes directly into the phone line outdoors, can the excess power coming from the phone line jump over the switching power supply of the ADSL ...
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do I need to insulate down conductors in a lightning protection system?

When we install seperate down conductors in an external lightning protection system, do we need to fully insulate it or need to insulate in touchable areas? Is there any requirements in IEC 62305 ...
0 votes
2 answers
80 views

MOV failed due to lighting or OV on power line Feeder control

we have a filed failure of our product which is feeder controller as shown in below image. It installed in metal box. we have tested our feeder stand alone at 15KV surge and it compliance with 15KV. ...
0 votes
1 answer
318 views

How to get 5 volts from Lightning pinout? [closed]

How to make the Lightning port of iPhone output 5V power?
1 vote
1 answer
121 views

What surge/lightning protection is needed for an elevated off-grid solar security system?

I have a semi-urban hunting location that I would like to monitor remotely. I have an elevated (~20ft) box blind I am installing off-grid solar system (specs below) in. The purpose is to power a small ...
-1 votes
1 answer
552 views

How does common mode voltage surges couple in wires

From doing some research and with the assistance of a user on this platform, I would like to know if my understanding of this concept is correct. Please note this post is an add-on to this post. A ...
1 vote
1 answer
163 views

How to initiate a Lightning connection

I'm trying to take the first step to establish a connection with an iPhone using the Lightning port. I'm using the Lightning A male connector body, which I believe should set the iPhone to be a USB ...
3 votes
1 answer
174 views

What's the difference between a thousand 0.2W LED's and two-hundred 1W LED's?

1000 x 0.2W = 200W 200 x 1.0W = 200W What's the difference in the light output over a given area, in terms of PAR, PPFD, PPF? I grow plants indoors under LED panels. People in this industry say to use ...
1 vote
1 answer
455 views

Will adding a resistive load to a lighting circuit stop my electronic dimmer from leaking current to my LEDs?

I changed my bedroom lights yesterday for 220V 7W dimmable LED lights. My bedroom dimmer is an electronic type (LightwaveRF). In the pitch black, last night, I could see the lights faintly glowing/...
1 vote
4 answers
2k views

Why faulty, old CRT TV produce ozone

I have an old CRT TV which had to be switched ON for half an hour or so for the picture to stop being blurry and be 'viewable'. During this initial warm-up time there was a 'static' like noise coming ...
3 votes
2 answers
693 views

ESD protection during lightning storms

I'm new to electronics, and I'm currently building my electronics area. Let's say that I have an ESD bench mount drilled into my wooden workbench, and this ESD bench mount is then connected to the &...
5 votes
3 answers
817 views

The chance of a lightning strike - reduced or increased?

If I connect the receiver and TV body to the earth, does it reduce or increase the chance of lightning strikes the dish antenna?
1 vote
2 answers
486 views

High Voltage and Low Charge - Analogy (ESD & Lightning)

How can something have high voltage but low charge? Can anyone provide an analogy for this? I was going through the ESD topics and read the ESD events usually have high voltage but have low charge? ...
10 votes
4 answers
314 views

Why are modern telephone lightning arrestors less prone to (rectification) RFI problems than old ones?

I was reading about telephone lightning arrestors in my ARRL RFI Book (first edition, copyright 1998), in chapter 9 "Telephone RFI" (by Pete Krieger, previously WA8KZH, now K8COM) and on page 9.6, the ...
1 vote
0 answers
55 views

lightning protection on LAN cables indirect strike crowbar VS isolation

i am using a crowbar lightning protection system we built 10 years back for LAN on our own devices for the mine industry. it works very well. at that time i decided to use TVS bidirectional 18v , GDS ...
0 votes
2 answers
56 views

Can a Surge Travel on a Residential House's Wiring that is higher than 6kV and 3kA?

IEEE has stated that the highest voltage and amperage that a surge can travel on home wiring is 6kV and 3kA. Anything higher, the wiring would melt. If this is so, how does a surge from direct or ...
2 votes
2 answers
15k views

How to make the lightning port of iphone output 5V power? like OTG on android phones [closed]

How to make the lightning port of iPhone output 5V power? How to make the lightning port of iPhone output 5V power? Just like the android phone, if I connect the ID pin to the ground then the phone ...
0 votes
0 answers
43 views

Using current divider to see how much current goes inside the plane when lightning strike

I am working on a project that requires me to understand how engineers do current analysis. The aircraft has a metallic body which provides a path for lightning when it strikes but what if there is an ...
0 votes
0 answers
49 views

How do I calculation to see if Thyristor complies with DO-160G indirect lightning protection

I have been working with TVS diode and found that the capacitance of tvs diode is large; therefore, I will not be able to use tvs diode. Thyristor, on the other hand, has low capacitance for high ...
0 votes
1 answer
759 views

Lightning Surge Protector that complies with DO-160. Indirect lightning waveform, Gas Discharge tube or MOV in parallel with tvs

Would it be wise to put Gas discharge tube in parallel with tvs diode? OR Would it be better to put MOV in parallel with tvs diode? Also when deciding on tvs diode, how does indirect lightning ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

A TVS for lightning surge protection

A camera will be mounted outside and powered via POE to Aruba 2540 network switch. I don't want indirect lightning surge to travel into the network switch. I don't care if the camera gets destroyed. ...
0 votes
1 answer
290 views

Supercapacitor based lightning-harvester [closed]

Could lightning discharges be harvested and stored in supercapacitor banks? Could supercapacitors withstand and collect lightning? Lightning usually lasts for about 10 micro seconds and reaches ...
6 votes
3 answers
989 views

Is it possible to measure lightning discharges as Nikola Tesla? [closed]

Nikola Tesla stated in his patent, Art of Transmitting Electrical Energy Through Natural Medium, that he used sensitive instruments to measure lightning discharges: In the course of certain ...