Electronic fuses provide adjustable protection

Electronic fuses provide adjustable protection

The STEF05 and STEF12 are electronic fuses in 3 x 3mm IC packages that provide overvoltage and overcurrent protection for 5 and 12V electronics. They can replace larger conventional fuses or other protection devices such as transils or diodes. They do not cut the power suddenly or require replacement like fuses.

The electronic fuses restrict the current supplied when a fault occurs, protects the connected circuitry, and turns the protected equipment off if the fault persists. It can be reset by a signal from the system or by restarting the power supply. The devices also integrate circuitry that limits voltage fluctuations applied to the protected load, and programmable startup time, allowing use in hot-swappable modules for equipment such as enterprise servers, storage or telecom systems. (From $0.75 ea/1,000 — available now.)

By Paul O’Shea

STMicroelectronics , Lexington , MA
Information 781-861-2650
www.st.com