Hi, Mike Fahrion here from B&B Electronics, and today I've got a
wicked story about my friend Pat who had a lightning disaster in
Chicago... 

Plus some tips for preventing lightning and surge damage.  

Also: we've got a cool contest for you, sponsored by B&B's own 
Disaster Recovery Unit.

A few nights ago there was a massive thunderstorm in Chicago,
so Pat went upstairs to check the kids & make sure the thunder
wasn't waking them up.

She went into her daughter's room and the 'Leap Pad' started
talking.

Then the smoke detector went off. 

Just then her husband Bernie was in the basement, and his
electronic dartboard fired up and started singing too.

  "Theeeeey're heeeeeeere." 

Then the next day she turned on the computer and the mouse didn't 
work.  Over the next few days, the computer fizzled and stopped 
working completely.  Not only that, the stereo receiver completely 
fritzed out.  When she turned it on, the display would just flash 
PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT.  It was in a trance and nobody
could get it to snap out, not even the local repair center.

(The computer AND the stereo were plugged into surge protector
strips, but they didn't do any good - you'll find out why in a minute.)

Pat's stuff was all insured, and they even wrangled the insurance 
company into paying the full cost of replacment. But this story
wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if it was about the businesses
that lost computer servers, phone systems and automated
equipment.  A toasted stereo is a minor problem, but dead server is
a major disaster!

Thunderstorm Season is in full swing right now, but the good news
is, you can fully protect yourself from lightning strikes and lethal
voltage surges for as little as $75.

How Optical Isolation Works - an illustration: 
http://www.bb-elec.com/tech_articles/isoill.asp?src=e060503

A set of links for our entire family of isolators, including Serial, 
USB and CAN:
http://www.bb-elec.com/protect_system/iso.asp?src=e060503

Why Pat's computer and stereo got fried, even with Surge
Suppressors:

  1) Isolation is usually more effective than surge suppression,
  especially for data lines.

  2) A surge suppressor is only as good as its user-installed
  ground connection.  A surge protector with no connection
  available for a heavy ground wire or strap... isn't a surge
  protector!

I once did a surge test using a 6 foot piece of 12AWG solid 
copper for a ground and measured 100 volts from one side of the 
wire to the other! 

That's why a really short and heavy ground connection 
is recommended.  And it's why our heavy duty serial surge 
suppressors are in grounded metal enclosures with special 
mounting tabs. 

Recommended Reading: How to Stop Fried Boards & Corrupted
Data -
http://bb-elec.com/tech_articles/datalinesp.asp?src=e060503

Data lines are vulnerable not only to lightning strikes and accidental
contact with power sources, ground loops can also wreak havoc.
Here's a matrix of two- and four- channel isolators you can use to
protect those lines:
http://www.bb-elec.com/protect_system/isoch.asp?src=e060503
We have a selection of RS-422 and 485 isolators, including 
DIN Rail mount: 
http://bb-elec.com/protect_system/422ic.asp?src=e060503

This table shows a wide variety of RS-232 and 485 isolators: 
http://bb-elec.com/convert_serial_port/485ic.asp?src=e060503

More reading: Data Line Isolation Theory: 
http://www.bb-elec.com/tech_articles/dit.pdf?src=e060503

+++CONTEST - Courtesy of our own Disaster Recovery
Department+++

B&B wants your fried equipment - and your fried equipment story!  

That's right, if your stuff got toasted by lightning - kind of like Pat's
computer - we want your stuff and the harrowing story of what
happened to it.

The first 10 people who send us their fried equipment will win our
232SP9 RS-232 Surge Protector.

We'll tell your story in a future e-connections, and you can remain
anonymous if you like.  To participate, email
mailto:toasted@bb-elec.com and we'll tell you what to do next.

Questions?  Comments?  We always love to hear from you. 
Email mailto:support@bb-elec.com. 

Avoid Poltergeists this summer - and have a Great Day, 

Mike Fahrion 
B&B Electronics 

If you no longer wish to receive communication from us, go to -
http://www.bb-elec.com/econnections/econnections_mgmt.asp