Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) – What are they and how do they work?
A MOV is a sintered ceramic component with a suspended metal oxide screen. It acts much like a solid state switch, creating a low impedance path to ground. It is voltage dependent and begins to conduct when voltage on one surface exceeds a given threshold. This threshold is determined by the thickness of the component. The opposite side of the MOV is connected to the ground. As the excess voltage passes across the metal oxide screen it meets resistence and is converted to heat and dissapated within the MOV. Question: What is the response time? Answer: Measured in nanoseconds (billionths of a second), ITD of Destin products have extremely fast response times due to the short internal MOV lead lengths as well as the application of other fast response components. Aside from lead lengths, all MOVs have similar response times, however the response time of the complete device is affected by other components as well as the MOV lead lengths. Most manufacturers claim a response time for their p
