Gas tubes may be combined with common circuit devices to form hybrid protection systems having protection characteristics superior to those of the individual components on their own. Typical supplemental devices used are resistors, diodes, inductors, capacitors, and varistors.

Four typical circuits are illustrated below. In circuit 1) the inductor develops a voltage from the transient surge current thus permitting the spark gap to reach its impulse breakdown voltage. The diode clips any overshoot voltage at the circuit output, diode destruction is prevented upon breakdown of the spark gap. Circuit 2) illustrates a similar application for a balanced pair line using the three electrode triarc type spark gap. Circuit 3) utilizes series resistances to limit power following in AC power applications. Several spark gap-resistor combinations may be paralleled to increase the system surge current capability without increasing the surge caused by Ohms Law voltage drop developed across the circuit.

A high frequency communication circuit protection system is illustrated in circuit 4. This circuit, similar to circuit 1, has low capacitance diodes placed in series with the avalanche diodes to reduce circuit capacitance to less than 200 pF.

Reynolds offers a variety of hybrid protection systems designed and tested to individual customer applications. This design task often includes the mechanical packaging interface between the transient source environment and the userís equipment. Several protection systems manufactured and designed by Reynolds are illustrated on the following pages.

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