Spike Block

Completely eliminates transients from ground lines, installs in series with the ground wire

What does the Spike Block actually do?

Spike Block technology protects the microprocessor (running any electrical equipment) from surges, pulses, spikes and transients which create downtime, degradation, and possible equipment destruction.

What are Ground Transients?

Ground Transients are defined as excess energy on the ground line, and are referred to as “spikes”, surges, pulses, and loops, that originate from sources such as ground injection noise, ground faults, ground currents, lighting, utility switching, electrostatic discharge and internal generation.

What impact do Ground Transients have on industry?

EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) released information stating electrical transients, power sags and surges caused US Industry over $50 Billion in downtime during the calendar year, 1999. In 2000 the figure exceeded $100 Billion. Calendar year 2001, the figures doubled again. Estimates are over $500 Billion in downtime just for the US industry is projected year ending 2005.

What kind of industries are affected by Ground Transients?

Industrial, health care, fire and security, hospitality and leisure, gaming, government, telecommunications, computers/PCs and servers, financial services, retail, automobile, and military – literally wherever microprocessors are at work.

What are the benefits of Spike Block?

1. Increased reliability: a logic-controlled device with Spike Block protection is vastly more reliable than a non-Spike Block protected device.

2. Increased Accessibility: by increasing reliability, then accessibility is increased in sync for the products and applications utilizing Spike Block protection.

3. Increased savings and revenue: with the increase in productivity from using Spike Block protected equipment, combined with a reduction in equipment downtime and repair cost, Spike Block protection adds to bottom line.

Revolutionary Patented Technology

• Eliminate feed back loop, noise and ground strikes from case ground or electrical grounds.
• Easy to install on all ground wire, or plug into UPS.
• Compact mechanical package fits anywhere.
• Take an inexpensive UPS and add the Spike Block technology to achieve ultimate protection.
• One Spike Block required for each electronic device for maximum efficiency.
• Spike Block technology is expensive, but not as expensive as replacing hardware and costly down time.
• This is not conventional surge suppression; no other product on the market provides total transient protection from lightning other then the Optilator!

For Protection of UPS units & CCTV systems

UL listed Ground Filter that eliminates ground loop problems on Phone System AC and case grounds. This device can be installed inside all 1000 VA UPS and higher. According to UL, all UPS has a continues ground, and does not have anything on them to prevent lightning to come up a bi-directional ground. Can also be installed outside of smaller UPS.

For Security Alarm systems

UL listed and is for the power ground or case ground. The only UL listed device in the world that will eliminate ground loop problems caused by lightning that causes ground faults or false alarms.

This is actually a notch filter and will not allow anything below 50 Hrtz (pumps, motors, HVAC noise and impulses to feed back loop into the panel. It will not allow anything above 2.2 GHz or the lightning spectrum to enter the panel from the ground side, of either the case ground or AC power ground. Think of it as a check valve, and only allows grounding one way. Excellent for use in the Lightning Capital of North America or anywhere else with a high epidemic of lightning problems.

Applications

Audio/Video Equipment Medical Electronics

Data Storage Facilities Personal Computers

Test & Monitoring Equipment Programmable Controllers

Process Control Systems Telecommunications Equipment

Security & Fire Alarm Systems US Government

Retail, Point of Sale Terminals Laboratory/Research Equipment

The words of John Pecore, "As an expert in the Power Quality arena I have searched for a device that could eliminate ground transient problems, it has taken 10 years but the search is finally over, Spike Block is that device. The technology behind the Spike Block is truly revolutionary and comes with UL Recognition. Not since the introduction of the Optilator have I been so excited about a new product. The industry recognizes the outstanding performance of the Optilator and how well it isolates the phone line from Gentner and Burk modems in your 650-foot (guaranty to be hit by lightning) towers. The Optilator has become a house hold word in the AM/FM Industry with it’s reputation and strong qualities, 4 inches fiber optically isolating the phone line, eliminated a ground loop between the building grounds and telephone box grounds. The Optilator is not a surge suppressor, it is a Fiber Optic device. No other device manufactured today can compete with this Optilator and Spike Block technology. Since inception the Optilator has surpassed all expectation, the competition are promoting it and recommending it to all their distributors."

In every tower, or multiple building site there is a presence of grounding for all equipment, both physically and electrically. In multiple building applications using RS485 or 10BASET we have a serous ground loop problem. Naturally to eliminate that, we have suggested ground isolation transformers, which will do the trick electrically, but if we examine some of the installs of the equipment we notice that many cabinets that house our electronics are grounded. This case ground can be a major problem, and create an internal ground loop or feed back loop of EMI or EMP. We also have problems with noise that sometimes distort the quality of the FM or AM Signal. The Spike Block is a cure against this kind of NEC problem.

In order to tell what it is, we have to explain the technology and why we use it. Electronic systems have advanced in speed and reduced in physical size. Electronic circuit or “chip” manufacturers integrate more SMT on more and more circuits or in a single chip enabling software manufacturers to increase the density and complexity of programming. The result is higher operating speeds and lower tolerance to damaging electrical interference. At the same time the delivery of electrical power from an electric utility as alternating current (AC), can become unstable, surge or vary, beyond the design limitations of the overall system. This may be due in part to the changes in the utility’s transmission demand, in part to insensitive electrical system structural design, in part to the conversion of AC to DC power, used to drive the common computer, network communication systems, security systems, and naturally in part due to lightning damage.

Vulnerability to electric impulses: many computer users are aware of the destructive force of a local lightning strike and the electrical impulses that are induced into building electrical distribution. These impulses go directly into the electronic system via the power supply or case ground. High energy transients also come in many other sources such as inductive or capacitive loads, including motors switching on/off, heat pumps, elevators controls, laser printers, computer disk drives, irrigation system solenoids cycling and even the common telephone line (naturally without the Optilator attached). Not to mention your security systems are also affected.

The design focus of today’s power supplies (AC power converter which supplies DC power), is high efficiency and the smallest possible size. Impulse immunity is not a prominent design constraint. Generally, a computer power supply will use the building electrical ground as a reference (ground connection) for all the voltages that are supplied to a CPU, memory, hard disk, modem cards and security systems. The ground is tied directly to all system components for UL safety and internal and external communication.

Herein lies a growing and significant dilemma based on NEC Code for grounding, and UL requirements for equipment to pass for life safety. The ground connection has become a control path for irregular impulses that result in system failure and in many circumstances intolerable “downtime”.

UPS’s (standby, on-line, true-on-line and double conversion) surge strips, electrical panel surge suppression and power conditioners are designed to protect the line and neutral wires of a three-wire circuit where the third wire is a common ground. Whether it is a single phase or three phase circuit there can still be a serious voltage surge problem from erratic voltage transients coming up the ground wire and back into sensitive electronics and security systems.

The power conditioning products mentioned above provide only normal mode protection (line to neutral) even though some state that they provide common mode protection (neutral to ground). Their claims of common mode protection only allow shunting a high voltage transient to ground. Unfortunately, as we have proven, the transient energy then becomes bi-directional along the ground line. Not all the transient energy goes to ground; a large part can flow up the ground wire and across the switch mode power supply, case ground or telecommunication devices with out the Optilator, and back into the Gentner, Burk, computer, electronic device and security system.

This technology, known, as Total Electrical Transient Eliminator, or Spike Block is a patented technology (US Patent No. 6,385,029) that effective controls the voltage transient problem described above. This Spike Block, Blocks high voltage transient frequencies from becoming bi-directional and re-establishes them as uni-directional (one way), away from sensitive electronics like Burk, Gentner Equipment, short haul modems, and computers.