Transient Blocking Unit (TBU™) Electronic Current Limiter

Bourns’ new TBU line includes four product families: The P-G series designed for voice protection, P40-G for VDSL protection, the P-U series for Ethernet protection, and the C series for general electronics protection. The P-G series meets very high surge requirements and prevents arcing and other damage in common applications.

Utilizing an innovative approach to electronics circuit protection, Bourns’ new TBU technology is designed to block a transient through a current disconnecting mechanism rather than diverting or shunting the surge to ground. This blocking technology virtually eliminates latency in the circuit protection design which results in surge protection for sensitive electronic equipment within nanoseconds. Bourns’ new TBU devices provide extremely effective wide bandwidth circuit protection against lightning, power induction, power cross and short circuit events in a wide variety of telecom applications including: voice circuits, Voice over IP (VoIP), Very High Speed DSL (VDSL), Ethernet, and T1/E1 applications. The TBU product is also used by customers in industrial, test and instrumentation, sensors, LVDS, and transportation applications.

Offering very high bandwidth for VDSL and VDSL2 applications, the P40-G TBU products meet rate-reach requirements. The P-U series is designed specifically for Ethernet applications by protecting against both lightning and power cross events. All Bourns TBU products are resettable for full functionality after multiple fault events and offer a high bandwidth of 3 gigahertz (GHz). Bourns’ TBU line exceeds system circuit protection requirements and is a cost-effective solution for reducing warranty returns. Specifically designed for overvoltage and overcurrent protection in telecommunication, industrial, and data communications systems, TBU technology was first announced by Fultec Semiconductor, from which Bourns acquired its TBU business in October 2008.