Fuses Everywhere – Every Day

Fuses Everywhere – Every Day

Have you ever considered how much your everyday life depends on the use of various fuses and diode arrays to protect against the effects of electrostatic discharge? Let’s face it – protection against the effects of electrostatic discharge is an essential requirement for any manufacture, home construction, service, repair and any other area in contact with electronic boards and components.

 

In this video, created by the well-known industrial technology company, Littelfuse, you’ll see how fuses are used every day, and everywhere. National Fuse is pleased to be a licensed distributor of Littelfuse products.

Consider the various devices you use each day:

  • Cell phones – Cell phones utilize fuses to protect with polymer ESD suppressors diode arrays. Diode arrays provide protection against electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic Interference.
  • Coffee machines – Coffee machines use diode arrays and fuses to protect against electrostatic discharge and a reed switch and sensor to control voltage flow.
  • Wearable devices – Devices such as a FitBit use diode arrays, surface mount fuses, resettable PTC fuses which protect against overcurrent.
  • Refrigerators – Refrigerators have NTC thermistors which provide decreasing resistance with increasing temperature and PTC thermistors which provide increasing resistance with increasing temperature.
  • Dishwashers – Ever wonder how dishwashers know when to change cycles? They utilize a float switch which senses the liquid level to operate a switch.
  • Microwave – Many people use a microwave at least once a day. Microwaves contain PICO fuses (which are made by Littlefuse). A Pico fuse protects the head unit in the case of a bad ground connection.
  • Laptops – Your laptop contains diode arrays surface mount fuses to protect against overcurrent.
  • Printers – Your printer contains radial level varistors (MOVs) – a form of transient voltage surge suppressor used to protect circuit board components.