ZeroSurge... a superior surge protection device?

[Max0r]

In researching for my new build, I've been considering taking equipment protection a bit more seriously, from surge protection to UPS devices and such. Hell, I might even throw a few hundred bucks at the issue, up to. In the process of this research I found an interesting series of products which look like they may be a far superior mode of surge protection than the conventional, if far more expensive (but non-sacrificial and longer lasting). If a UPS is used, this device would go between it and the wall. Evidently these things, sans house/circuit surge protection devices, may be the best first line of defense.

Plug-In Products - Zero Surge

Please call our Customer Service/Technical Support Department at 1-800-996-6696 for technical assistance, phone orders, or volume pricing.

zerosurge.com

My questions are fourfold to those with more expertise in electrical matters:

1. Is this indeed (if not verified, at least in theory) a superior surge protection device compared to a relatively good surge suppressor power strip?

2. If #1 is fully/partially true, is there still a place for surge protection power strips when using power delivered through this device, or do they become an unnecessary redundancy?

3. Would it be fair to say that this device may actually help prolong the life of various devices by filtering out more stuff and more reliably than a surge suppressor strip? Perhaps all sorts of phantom issues with devices malfunctioning or dying/aging may be prevented?

4. It seems like maybe this device also helps clean up the power delivery in some way, or maybe not. Could someone set me straight on what these devices DON'T do in terms of power conditioning, which may be important to keep in mind? For instance, does this device only filter out surges, or does it also deal with dips in power as well?

 

[Max0r]

From

ZeroSurge TSC Power Filter Review - IGN

Almost everyone is familiar with surge protectors these days, but not everyone is aware that they vary widely in capability and technology. The most common and familiar are the simple power blocks that provide extra outlets and a surge-protecting fuse for around $20. Cheapies like this aren't...

www.ign.com

There exists, however, alternate technology for handling power surges that does not rely upon MOVs. Pioneered by ZeroSurge, WVR-TSC (Wide Voltage Range-Total Surge Cancellation) technology does not simply divert or suppress power surges, it can completely eliminate them. The technology employs a somewhat more complex method of handling surges than the MOVs. When a ZeroSurge product's TSC filter encounters a power anomaly it applies filtering and delays the surge. At the same time an auxiliary winding produces a canceling voltage generated from the excess current delayed in the filtering transformer. The surge and the canceling voltage are then merged, resulting in a zero surge let-through.



The result is a power filter that provides absolute protection against any voltage spikes. Better yet, unlike MOVs that are sacrificed in diverting major surges, TSC filters cannot wear out and have survived, in testing, 1000 worst-case scenario voltage spikes without failure. The technology is also immune to overheating and has never failed, or led to a fire, in over 17-years of employment.

We're all for protecting our expensive home theater equipment, and when ZeroSurge offered us the opportunity to test a ZeroSurge TSC filter we were happy to oblige. Though we don't have the capacity to generate a 6,000-volt power surge at the IGN office, we were able to test the TSC filter's ability to cleanse dirty power. When an IGN staff member set up a brand new Sony Pearl 1080p projector at home and noticed scrolling bands of interference in its image, we had but to connect it through the ZeroSurge filter to find an immediate resolution.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I just rely on the surge protectors in my UPS that's at each machine, but good to know there!