SurgeXICE^® Inrush Current Elimination^®

is incorporated into all SurgeX remote turn-on and sequential products. SurgeXICE solves an old problem and also provides an innovative new approach to power control for large systems.

All electronic equipment has a power supply which charges-up when the power is first turned on. This causes a momentary inrush current which is typically five to ten times the normal operating current. Signal processing equipment and other low-power equipment will not individually have a problematic inrush current but, when several pieces of equipment are turned on simultaneously, there can be a large inrush. However, the real offenders are the big amplifiers, especially those with switching power supplies. Some amplifiers have inrush current limiting built-in but many do not. In the case of amplifiers with no limiting, the only thing that limits the inrush current is the resistance of the copper wire between the panel and the amplifier! Peak currents of 200 Amps have been measured with some amplifiers. Powering up even one of these amplifiers can blow a circuit breaker, and powering up two or three simultaneously almost certainly will. Relay and switch contacts can also eventually weld together when subjected to these huge inrush energies. SurgeXICE soft turn-on totally eliminates inrush current problems. You can connect as many pieces of equipment as you like to a SurgeXICE product (provided, of course, that the total load is not exceeded) and you never have to worry about the inrush current or the need to install expensive time-delay circuit breakers.

SurgeXICE solves the problem of inrush current, but also provides another exciting benefit. Because powering up several large amplifiers at the same time causes an unacceptable inrush current, most consultants and installers choose to sequence amplifiers. With SurgeXICE this is no longer necessary. SurgeXICE products have a control output which allows an infinite number of units to be cascaded together to turn on as many amplifiers as are needed, with no risk of ever blowing circuit breakers. A very cost-effective power control system can be designed with the SEQ sequencer. The SEQ has a control output which will control SurgeXICE remote turn-on products. The SEQ itself can power and sequence the signal processing equipment, and the control output can be used to control a bank of SX1120-RTs, SX20-NE/RTs, or other ICE^® products which will power and automatically sequence the amplifiers. The result: a simpler, more elegant solution!

SurgeX - Products that prevent problems!