9 Corporation introduces the Ground Transient Terminator (GTT) - the world's first UL approved filtering device to safely install in series with the ground line of electronic equipment to completely eliminate ground transients.  Power quality is paramount in today's sophisticated electronic environment.  As a result, surge suppression devices are becoming widely used to prevent electronic system failure, lock-ups, data corruption, false alarms, and component degradation.  But they only protect the live and neutral wires of the electronic equipment, and do not address the problem of transient energy entering a system through the ground line.

The GTT is the first surge suppression device approved by Underwriters Laboratories to go directly in series with the ground line of electronic equipment to prevent disruptions in operation because the technology incorporates a patented circuit with no moving parts or sensitive electronics, and as a result, does not pose any threat to intrinsic safety ground.  "No previous power protection technology addressed the unsolved problem of ground transients entering a system through the ground line," explains Dan Weaver, ECM.  "By eliminating transients on the ground, potentially damaging voltages have no means to enter equipment."

For years engineers have tried to put inductors on the ground line to eliminate ground transients, but suitable-rated inductors had too high dcR and were unable to cover a wide enough frequency range to be effective.  By combining newly-developed core properties in this filter, we have solved these issues.  The GTT works by opposing changes in electron flow on the ground wire.  This slows the damaging rise and fall time of a transient voltage wave form rather than clipping it off, controlling frequency rather than amplitude.  The filter is designed to achieve sufficient attenuation in the frequency ban which covers interference, and minimal attenuation at 50/60Hz, thus eliminating transient surges on the ground wire. 

The Ground Transient Terminator (GTT) technology developed by ECM Electronics and distributed by 9 Corporation sets a new standard for power protection and provides end-users and manufacturers with a new dimension of product reliability.   The GTT can be used in an infinite number of applications, including Process Controls, Fire and Security Alarm Panels, Telecommunications systems, Audio/Visual systems, Broadcasting Systems, Data Storage systems, Mission Critical devices and more.  It is designed to be used in OEM applications or aftermarket retro-fit. 

The GTT is available today in the hard-wired block version and can be custom-designed to fit any application.  The line cord version is currently in development and scheduled for production sometime this summer.  Also under development is a lightning barrier device which integrates the GTT technology for use in cable television/satellite and security monitoring systems.   

GTT Technical Specifications:

     Dimensions:  L= 65mm, H= 55mm, W= 55mm

     Weight: 340 gm

     Tested to IEC 1000-4-5, IEEE C62.41, and UL 1449 surge specifications: Bi-Wave Test

     Voltage wave: 1.2us x 50us up to 6KV (OCV - Open Circuit Voltage)

     Current wave: 8us x 20us at 3KA (SCC - Short Circuit Current)

     Frequency: 50KHz to 2.0 GHz

     Operating Temp: -40 to +85  degrees C

     Storage Temp: -55 to +125 degrees C