How ILS™ Technology Works
In order to provide predictably longer lasting protection, a more effective
level of surge protection without ground wire contamination, and greater safety,
it was necessary to develop a whole new technology.
We went on the premise that if a surge could be sensed and a switch opened
during the very brief moment of the surge, then closed immediately after it,
the surge would simply disappear with no harm done to the protected equipment,
and there would be no contamination of the critical ground wire circuit. A recent
world wide study by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers)
concluded that the industry standard for a power surge has a time of 8 microseconds
in Rise Time and its Half Amplitude Duration (a measure of decay time) is 20
microseconds. A powerline cycle, on a 60-cycle AC line, is 16.67 milliseconds
in duration (AC lines being 60 cycles per second [in the USA] and a single powerline
cycle being 1/60 of a second). The 20 microsecond “standard” surge
is less than 1% in duration of the powerline cycle of 16.67 milliseconds. Therefore,
if a switch could be developed that would open at times of the power surge and
close right after the surge ended, this short opening would have no discernable
effect on the performance of the equipment receiving AC power.
This concept is embodied in the Adcom ACE-315 and 615 ILS™ Series-Mode
Suppressors.
State-of-the-Art AC Line Enhancement
In addition to the revolutionary ILS™ technology and its uniquely safe
and effective handling of power line surges, the ACE-315 and ACE-615 provide
superior AC line enhancement by effectively filtering both types of noise interference
(radio frequency and electromagnetic) without "choking" the full power
line load necessary for dynamic amplifier performance.
The filter response in the Normal Mode (between hot and neutral) is 6 dB @
10kHz. The filtering effect increases as the frequency increases. This filtering
very effectively deals with the kind of AC noise and “hash” generated
by vacuum cleaners, compressors in refrigerators, etc. This filtering takes
place prior to the surge suppression stage and dramatically enhances audio performance.
The filter response in the Common Mode (between hot and neutral with respect
to ground) is 6 dB @ 400kHz. Again, the filtering effect increases at higher
frequencies. This filtering pertains primarily to Radio Frequency Interference
(RFI). Even though this noise occurs at ultra-sonic frequencies, it can and
does overload sensitive audio circuits resulting in various types of distortion
within the audible range. The common mode filtering in the ACE-315 and ACE-615
is effective at as low a frequency as can be achieved while still adhering to
UL standards, and in fact, its effect begins at a substantially lower frequency
than any competitive AC line enhancer!
Advanced Coaxial Cable Protection
The ACE-315 and ACE-615 also offer protection for signals traveling the coax
lines. When the IL™ series coax circuit is examined, its unique qualities
become readily apparent.
The circuit design is based on strip line technology. This not only shields
the circuit from external RF noise, but also allows for proper gas tube placement,
strategically located between two ground planes. Improper gas tube placement
can result in RF noise, signal quality degradation and "ghosting"
(RF reflections). Strip line technology also maintains characteristic impedance,
in attention to which can, again, result in ghosting. Even such an apparently
simple issue as the length of the gas tube leads can have important ramifications.
Our design minimizes lead length thus moving any filtering effect well above
the bandwidth of all transmitted video signals.
Additionally the coax circuit is completely isolated. Located as far away from
the incoming AC signal as possible and incorporating precisely engineered utilization
of isolation washers, the ACE-315 and ACE-615 coax module prevents electrical
coupling, RF coupling and ground loops resulting in the best possible video
image without degradation from AC noise and distortion.
The Problem with MOV's
With the exception of Adcom ILS™ Suppressors, virtually all other surge
protection devices on the market rely on MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) technology
as their first line of defense against power line spikes and surges. Although,
depending on their size, they are capable of absorbing some sizeable "hits",
MOV’s are sacrificial in nature. That is they degrade with every surge
they absorb. If this degradation process were predictable, maintaining adequate
protection would simply be an inconvenient matter of replacing the MOV’s
on a regular basis. The rate of degradation, however, is not at all predictable.
One hit could do it, or it could take a dozen. There’s no reliable way
of determining the life span of a MOV in real life applications, which means
there has been no way of determining whether the equipment systems were being
adequately protected or not.
Another major problem with MOV-based, Shunt-Mode suppressors is that they don’t
really "suppress" surge current at all, but rather divert or "shunt"
it to the neutral and/or ground wire.
The ground wire carries no equipment load and, under normal circumstances,
is assumed to be free from electrical activity and noise. It is therefore used
as a very important zero-voltage ground reference in microprocessor-controlled,
interconnected audio-video and computer system environments. These environments
are highly susceptible to even low levels of noise. So, when a major current
surge is diverted to the ground circuit it can have serious consequences in
the form of frequent freezes and crashes; lost data and circuit damage; audio
hum and buzz; horizontal bars in the video; and random noise in both audio and
video signals.
And finally, these MOV-based, Shunt-Mode suppressors can, and occasionally
do, get hot, explode and/or catch fire posing a serious threat to safety and
property.
A Total Solution
Because no sacrificial components such as MOV’s are used, there are no
inherent endurance or safety limitations. Instead, Adcom ILS™ Suppressors
utilize state-of-the-art surge reactors that are "transparent" to
the normal power wave, but act like an open circuit to surge frequencies. Surge
energy is instantaneously diverted away from protected equipment, stored temporarily,
then slowly released harmlessly into the neutral circuit, leaving the ground
wire unaffected. The Series-Mode use of power protection instantaneously reacts
to all surges. These surges include very disruptive, high frequency ones that
are too fast for active MOV’s to block. Since MOV’s need time to
actually turn on when they sense high voltage, their response time is not as
quick as the Series-Mode circuitry used in ILS™ technology products. The
ILS™ circuits are always on avoiding any possibility of surges being too
fast for the circuits to suppress or eliminate the surge.
The Adcom ACE-315 and 615 represent a completely new dimension in total surge
suppression efficacy, coax protection, AC line enhancement and safety. They
are also, like all our products, precision engineered and quality manufactured
to deliver maximum performance, long lasting reliability and, of course, ultimate
Adcom value.
The Government’s Highest Rating
Having experienced a rash of very costly suppressor failures, the U.S. Government
set about developing a powerline surge suppressor purchase specification that
incorporates user requirements and classifies products for:
Endurance (service lifespan)
Performance (degree of protection provided)
Mode of Operation (application)
This specification is now available to everyone with the ILS™ technology
utilized in Adcom’s ACE-315 and 615.
Grade A Endurance (1,000 surges; 6,000 volts; 3,000 amps per surge)
Class 1 Performance (280 volts measured)
Mode 1 Applications (no ground circuit contamination)
No MOV-based Shunt-Mode suppressor has ever been able to meet all three of
these standards.
