How to choose an ESD protection device using Littelfuse’s iDesign tool

Last April, Littelfuse introduced its Littelfuse iDesign™ online simulation and product selection tool. Now the company has included an ESD selection tool that helps circuit designers choose from the its growing line of TVS Diode Arrays (SPA® silicon protection arrays). These devices are designed to protect electronics from very fast and often damaging voltage transients, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) and lightning-induced surges.

The iDesign platform, the first of its kind for circuit protection devices, was developed in response to requests from Littelfuse customers. It offers a fast, intuitive way to identify the best component for an application, find parts documentation, and order part samples for prototyping, all in one convenient package. The tools it provides walk users through the component selection process, quickly winnowing the available options based on the application parameters input. 

Users of the ESD selection tool can enter parameters on the System Settings and Device Settings pages, then select from up to three devices to compare on the Device Selection page. An Analysis page allows running simulations that compare the system ESD levels of the selected devices, quickly identifying which one can offer the most robust performance for the application, as well as each device’s “best case” performance. 

Chad Marak, the director of semiconductor business development at Littelfuse, said, “Selecting the right ESD protection components and verifying their performance used to be an expensive, time-consuming, and often incomplete process because the protection device was not considered in relation to the device it was protecting. The new ESD tool eliminates searching through datasheets for parametric information or incompatible simulation files because it can access our TVS diode array product database, perform the calculations, and simulate devices’ performance automatically. Essentially, it lets the circuit designer to do a ‘dry run’ on a device’s ESD performance without building a test board first.”

Jeff Dunnihoo of Pragma Design explains, “The Pesto™ ESD simulation models created for iDesign are from independent measurements following the ESD Industry Council's proven SEED (System Efficient ESD Design) methodology. Rather than being extracted from Littelfuse design parameters, these models are based on actual samples of Littelfuse devices using measurements by Barth Electronics, an industry leader in precision ESD measurements. This turns a tedious and expensive up-front analysis into a simple, re-usable tool that can help design, procurement and sustaining engineering teams make a confident selection.” 
 
For more information, download the infographic below, a guide to choosing an ESD protection device, or visit Littelfuse’s website for tutorial videos.