Patton EPG Announces First CE Marked Surge Suppressors

For the past eight years Patton's data line surge suppression devices have protected datacom and telecom systems worldwide. Now the marketseems crowded with data line protection products, all making various claims of effectiveness. Conspicuously absent from the fray has been an objective testof surge suppressor performance by which various manufacturer's claims can be evaluated. Enter the IEC.

Patton Meets IEC Standards
The IEC has published three immunity standards-IEC 801.2, 801.4 and 801.5-that manufacturers must comply with to obtain a CE mark permitting sale oftheir products into the European Union. (The first two standards are already officially adopted by the IEC under EN50082-1, and the third is slated foradoption within the next 12 months.) Patton Electronics' Environmental Products Group (Patton EPG) is proud to be the first US manufacturer whose dataline surge suppressors have met the IEC's immunity requirements and now carry the CE mark! This IEC certification applies to most existing Patton EPGdata line surge suppressors, and also to new devices about to be released.

What IEC Certification Means
In order to receive the CE mark, Patton surge suppressors had to run the gauntlet of three types of electrical hazards (see the accompanying TechnicalFocus article). First, they had to withstand the IEC 801.2 test for ESD (Electro Static Discharge). ESD results when an electrical charge builds up from thetwo non-conductive materials connecting and then separating from one another. ESD has the quickest rise time of the three hazards, at 0.7 to 1.0nanoseconds. The Patton suppressors withstood the 801.2 test without failure, and diverted over 99% of the energy to ground-well within the "safe" rangefor most connected equipment.

Second, the Patton suppressors had to face the 801.4 test for EFTs(Electrical Fast Transients). EFTs appear as disturbances in a building's electricalsystem-both inside and outside the building. EFTs are common occurrences where electromechanical switches are used to connect and disconnect inductiveloads. (If your computer terminal has ever locked up when you turn on a light switch, you have seen an EFT.) EFTs have the second fastest rise time of thethree hazards, at 5 nanoseconds. The Patton suppressors withstood the 801.4 EFT test without failure, and again diverted over 99% of the energy toground- a "safe" level for most connected equipment.

Having already been subjected to the high voltages in the 801.2 and 801.4 tests, each Patton data line suppression products was then required to performup to its specified rating in the 801.5 test for surge immunity. Surges are the slowest of the three hazards at a 1.2 \b5s rise time. But they also carry the mostpower. The 801.5 test is the most crucial test for surge suppressors, and emulates well known hazards such as direct or nearby lightning strikes, sags, load switching and short circuit failures. To pass the 801.5 test, each Patton suppressor had to clamp 100% of its rated voltage to ground without failure. Andthis is after having experienced the rigors of the 801.2 and 801.4 tests!

Our CE Mark is Your Opportunity
Why should it matter to you as a Patton Distributor that Patton EPG dataline surge suppressors now carry the CE mark? First, our CE mark means thatyou can sort through the lofty claims of other manufacturers and compare them to Patton. Have their data line products withstood the IEC801.2, 801.4and 801.5 tests successfully? Have their products been certified by a recognized, independent body? Until you can answer "yes" to both of these questions, the reliability of other manufacturer's products is little more than a blind assertion. And that is probably not good enough when your customer's equipment is at stake.

Second, our CE mark means that our surge suppression products are certified for sale throughout the European Union-now and in 1996. Some manufacturers claim that their protectors don't need a CE mark. But IEC standard EN50082-1 clearly applies to surge suppression products, so testing is mandatory. Other manufacturers may claim that their products would pass with ease. If so, you should place the burden on them to prove it!

Third, our CE mark may actually assist you, your other vendors, or your OEM customers in gaining CE certification. How? IEC standard EN50082-1 isthe immunity standard that all computing and communications equipment must comply with in order to obtain CE certification. Most unprotected devices willhave difficulty meeting this standard on their own. But many could be pushed over the threshold of compliance by being coupled with a CEapproved Patton EPG surge suppressor. For example, a major manufacturer's BER tester was not able to withstand the IEC immunity tests by itself. Butthe connection of a Patton surge suppressor boosted its marginal immunity to a level where it could handle the test voltages successfully. Thisexample suggests many other applications where a Patton CE marked surge protector could be "bundled" with a product with marginal immunity, and thetwo could be CE certified as a system. Please contact us if you wish to create Declarations of Conformity, or to discuss these opportunities.