Safety standards and the future of protection
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 108 (TC-108) recently developed the IEC 62368-1 Ed 1.0: Audio/Video, Information and Communication Technology Equipment — Safety Requirements standard. The standard is based on the principles of Hazard-Based Safety Engineering (HBSE), which uses safeguards that are critical to preventing energy hazards. Technology neutral and performance based, the new standard is expected to help engineers integrate safety compliance early in the product design cycle and help manufacturers speed time to market.
When to use a fuse
Fuses are commonly used to help protect an electronic circuit from damage caused by excessive current. However, in many applications resettable devices such as polymeric positive temperature coefficient (PPTC) devices, ceramic PTC devices, bimetal breakers, and thermostats are the preferred solution.
Despite the inherent advantages of resettable devices, there are circumstances where a fuse may be the preferred form of circuit protection. Under conditions where restoration of normal operation poses a potential safety hazard and/or where service on the equipment should be performed after a fault condition has occurred, a fuse or circuit breaker is appropriate.
Learn about when to use a fuse and when to use a resettable fuse. A blog site from Tyco offers help from a variety of authors on a variety of circuit protection issues. Find out more from this blog ( http://blog.circuitprotection.com/blognews/back-to-basics-to-fuse-or-not-to-fuse/) about fuses and when to use them.
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