A

Seminar Report on

Polymeric Positive temperature Coefficient Thermistors

(PPTC) -POLYFUSE

Department of Electrical Engineering

College of Technology and Engineering
Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology,
Udaipur BATCH 2016-2020

Guided By: Submitted By:

Prof.. R.R. Joshi Ashutosh Vijayvergia
Head of Department B.Tech. Final Year
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to all those who helped me
to complete this report on “Polyfuse- Polymeric Positive temperature Coefficient Thermistors
(PPTC).” With respect I would like to thank my Prof. Dr. R.R. Joshi, Head of Department of
Electrical engineering for their exemplary guidance , monitoring and constant encouragement
throughout the course of this project. I also wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Vinod Kumar
Yadav, Dr. Jai Kumar Maherchandani , Dr. Naveen Jain and Dr.

Vikramaditya Dave, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, C.T.A.E, for his
supervision And guidance. A special thanks goes to Mrs. Lokpriya Kumawat for her cordial
support, Valuable information and guidance, which helped me in completing this report through
various stages.
.

Ashutosh Vijayvergia

DATE: B. Tech. Final Year

Department of E.E.
 ABSTRACT

Fuses have been used as essential safety devices from the early days of electrical engineering. Today
there are thousands of different fuse designs which have specific current and voltage ratings,
breaking capacity and response times, depending on the application. The time and current operating
characteristics of fuses are chosen to provide adequate protection without needless interruption.
Wiring regulations usually define a maximum fuse current rating for particular circuits. Short
circuits, overloading, mismatched loads, or device failure are the prime or some of the reasons for
fuse operation.
We can use several circuit protection schemes in power supplies to provide protection against fault
condition and the resultant over current and over temperature damage. Current can be accomplished
by using resistors, fuses, switches, circuit breakers or positive temperature coefficient devices.
 CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

ABSTRACT

1 CHAPTER 1 PAGE NO.

1.1 INTRODUCTION 5

1.1.1 WHAT IS FUSE 6

1.1.2 CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING OF A FUSE 9

1.1.3 CLASSIFICATION AND TYPES OF FUSES 14

1.1.4 USES AND APPLICATIONS 15

1.2 THE BASICS OF RESETTABLE FUSE 15

1.3 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION 16

2 CHAPTER 2 18

2.1 OPERATING PARAMETERS 18

2.2 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 19

2.2.1 HOLD AND TRIP CURRENT 19

2.2.2 EFFECT OF AMBIENT CONDITION ON

DEVICE PERFORMANCE 20

2.2.3 TIME TO TRIP 21

2.3 DESIGN CRITERIA 22

3 CHAPTER 3 23

3.1 TYPES OF POLYFUSE 23

3.1.1 SURFACE MOUNT RESETTABLE FUSE 23

3.1.2 RADIAL LEADED RESETTABLE FUSE 23

3.1.3 BATTERY STRAP RESETTABLE FUSE 24

4 CHAPTER 4 25

4.1 EDGES OVER CONVENTIONAL FUSES 25

4.2 APPLICATIONS 26

4.2.1 FOR SPEAKER PROTECTION 26

4.2.2 FOR TRANSFORMER PROTECTION 27

4.2.3 FOR BATTERY PROTECTION 27

4.3 APPLICATIONS IN AUTOMOTIVE

ELECTRONICS PROTECTION
28

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

4
 CHAPTER 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Polyfuses is a new standard for circuit protection .It is re-settable by itself. Many
manufactures also call it as Polyswitch or Multifuse. Polyfuses are not fuses but Polymeric
Positive temperature Coefficient Thermistors (PPTC).

We can use several circuit protection schemes in power supplies to provide

protection against fault condition and the resultant over current and over temperature
damage. Current can be accomplished by using resistors, fuses, switches, circuit breakers or
positive temperature coefficient devices.

Resistors are rarely an acceptable solution because the high power resistors
required are expensive .One shot fuses can be used but they might fatigue and they must be
replaced after a fault event. Another good solution available is the resettable Ceramic
Positive Temperature Coefficient (CPTC) device. This technology is not widely used
because of its high resistance and power dissipation characteristics. These devices are also
relatively large and vulnerable to cracking as result of shock and vibration.

The preferred solution is the PPTC device, which has a very low resistance in normal
operation and high resistance when exposed to fault. Electrical shorts and electrically
overloaded circuits can cause over current and over temperature damage.

Like traditional fuses, PPTC devices limit the flow of dangerously high current
during fault condition. Unlike traditional fuses, PPTC devices reset after the fault is cleared
and the power to the circuit is removed. Because a PPTC device does not usually have to be
replaced after it trips and because it is small enough to be mounted directly into a motor or
on a circuit board, it can be located inside electronic modules, junction boxes and power
distribution centers.

5
1.1.1 What is a Fuse?
A fuse is an electric / electronic or mechanical device, which is used to protect circuits from over
current, overload and make sure the protection of the circuit. Electric fuse was invented by Thomas
Alva Edison in 1890. There are many types of fuses, but function of all these fuses is same. In this
article, we will discuss the different types of fuses, its construction, working & operation and their
application in various electronics and electrical system.

IEC & IEEE/ANSI Symbols of Fuse

1.1.2 Construction & Working of a Fuse

A general Fuse consists of a low resistance metallic wire enclosed in a non combustible material. It
is used to connect and install in series with a circuit and device which needs to be protected from
short circuit and over current, other wise, electrical appliance may be damaged in case of absence
of the fuse and circuit breaker as they are unable to handle the excessive current according to their
rating limits

The working principle of a fuse is based on the “Heating effect of Current” i.e. Whenever a short
circuit, over current or mismatched load connection occurs, then the thin wire inside the fuse melts
because of the heat generated by the heavy current flowing through it. Therefore, it disconnects the
power supply from the connected system. In normal operation of the circuit, fuse wire is just a very
low resistance component and does not affect the normal operation of the system connected to the
power supply.

6
Working of a Fuse

How to Select Proper Rating Size of Fuse?

While selecting the proper fuse and its rated size for electrical appliances is based on different
factors and environments. but the following basic formula shows that how to choose the right size of
fuse? Fuse Rating = ( Power / Voltage ) x 1.25
For example, you have to find a right size of fuse for 10A two pin socket.
(1000W / 230V ) x 1.25 = 5.4A
in the above example, 1kW is the power rating which can be control through the 2 pin socket and
the main supply voltage is single phase 230V AC (120V AC in US).
But you should go for the max i.e. 6A fuse rating instead of 5.4A for safe and reliable operation of
the circuit.
Characteristics of a Fuse

Different types of fuses can be categories on the following characteristics.

Current Rating & Current Carrying Capacity of Fuse
Voltage Rating of Fuse
Breaking Capacity of a Fuse
7
2
I t Value of Fuse
Response Characteristic
Rated voltage of Fuse
Packaging Size
below is the brief explanation of the above categories.
Fuse Current Carrying Capacity
Current carrying capacity is the amount of current which a fuse can easily conduct without interrupting
the circuit.
Breaking capacity:
The value of maximum current that can safely be interrupted by the Fuse is called Breaking
Capacity and should be higher than the prospective short circuit current.

Rated Voltage of Fuse

Expect the current capacity of current, there are the maximum voltage rating a fuse can handle
safely. Each fuse has maximum allowed voltage rating, for example, if a fuse is designed for 32
volts it cannot be used with 220 volts, different amount of isolation is required in different fuses
working on different voltage levels. Bases of voltage rating, a fuse can be HV (High Voltage) LV
(Low Voltage), and Miniature Fuses.
2
I t Value of Fuse

2
The I t terms related to fuse normally used in short circuit condition. it is the amount of energy
which carry the fuse element when the electrical fault is cleared by fuse element. Response
Characteristic of a Fuse

The speed at which fuse blows, depend on the amount of current flowing through its wire. The
higher the current flowing through the wire, faster will be the response time.
Response characteristic shows the response time for over current event. Fuses which respond rapidly
to the over current situation is called ultra fast fuses or Fast fuses. They are used in Many
semiconductor devices because semiconductor devices damaged by over current very rapidly.
There is another fuse which Is called slow burn fuse, switch fuses do not respond rapidly to the over
current event, but blow after several seconds of over current occurrence. Such fuses found their
application in motor control electronics systems because motor takes a lot more current at starting
than running.

8
Packaging size
As we have mentioned above that AC and DC fuses, have a little bit different packaging type, in the
same way different application requires different packages to be used accurately in the circuit. other
factors and parameters are marking, temperature derating, voltage drop and speed etc.

1.1.3 (a) Classification of Fuses

Fuses can be classified as “One Time Only Fuse”, “Resettable Fuse”, “Current limiting and non –
current limiting fuses” based on the usage for different appluacations.
One time use fuses contain a metallic wire, which burns out, when an over current, over load or
mismatched load connect event occurs, user has to manually replace these fuses, switch fuses are
cheap and widely used in almost all the electronics and electrical systems.
on the other hand, the Resetable fuse automatically reset after the operation when fault occurs at the
system.
In the Current limiting fuse, they produce high resistance for a very short period while the non –
current limiting fuse produce an arc in case of high current flow to interrupts and limit the current in
related and connected circuit.

Fig.- Different Types of Fuses

1.1.3(b) Types of Fuses

There are different types of fuses available in the market and they can be categories on the basis of
Different aspects.
9
Good to know: Fuses are used in AC as well as DC circuits.
Click image to enlarge

Types & Classification of Low Voltage and High Voltage Fuses

Fuses can be divided into two main categories according to the type of input supply voltage.
AC fuses
DC fuses
There is a little difference between AC and DC fuses used in the AC and DC Systems which has
been discussed below.

DC Fuses
In a DC system, when the metallic wire Melts because of the heat generated by the over current,
then Arc is produced and it is very difficult to extinct this arc because of DC constant value. So in
order to minimize the fuse arcing, DC fuse are little bigger than an AC fuse which increase the
distance between the electrodes to reduce the arc in the Fuse.

AC Fuses
On the other hand, i.e. in the AC system, voltage with 60Hz or 50Hz frequency changes it amplitude
from zero to 60 times every second, so arc can be extinct easily as compared to DC. Therefore, AC
fuses are little bit small in sizes as compared to DC fuses.
Fuses can also be categorized based on one time or multiple Operations.

Cartridge Fuses

10
Cartridge fuses are used to protect electrical appliances such as motors air-conditions, refrigerator,
pumps etc, where high voltage rating and currents required. They are available up to 600A and
600V AC and widely used in industries, commercial as well as home distribution panels.
There are two types of Cartridge fuses. 1. General purpose fuse with no time delay and 2. Heavy-
duty cartridge fuses with time delay. Both are available in 250V AC to 600V AC and its rating can
be found on the end cap or knife blade.
Cartridge Fuses are enclosed in a base and can be divided in further in Link type cartridge fuses and D
Type Cartridge Fuses.
D – Type Cartridge Fuse
D-Types fuse contains on adapter ring, base, cap and cartridge. Fuse base is connected to the
fuse cap where cartridge is inside the fuse cap. The circuit is completed when the tip of the
cartridge make contacts through the fuse link conductor.

HRC (High Rupturing Capacity) Fuse or Link Type Cartridge Fuse

We have already disused in very details about HRC fuse (High Rupturing Capacity) construction,
operation and their applications. It also cover different types of HRC fuses like DIN type, NH Type,
Blade Type, Liquid Type HRC Fuse, Expulsion Type HV Fuse, advantages & disadvantage etc.

High Voltage Fuses

High Voltage (HV) fuses are used in power system to protect the power transformer, distribution
transformers and instrument transformer etc where circuit breakers may not be able to protect the
system. High Voltage fuses are rated for more than 1500V and up to 13kV.
The element of High Voltage fuse generally made of copper, silver or tin. The fuse link chamber
may filled with boric acid in case of expulsion type HV (High Voltage) Fuses Automotive, Blade
Type & Bolted Type Fuses
These type of fuses (also known as spade or plug-in fuses) comes in plastic body and two metal caps to
fit in the socket. Mostly, they used in automobiles for wiring and short circuit protection. Expect this,
Fuse Limiters, Glass Tube (also known as Bosch Fuse) are widely used in automotive industries.
The rating of automobile fuses are low as 12V to 42V.

In bolted types of fuses, the base of the fuse contacted directly to the base of the fuse same like HRC
Fuses.

11
 Fig.- Blade Type Fuse
Blade Type Fuses: Used in Automobiles
Related Post: Cables Feeder Protection – Faults Types, Causes & Differential
Protection SMD Fuses (Surface Mount Fuse), Chip , Radial, and Lead Fuses
SMD Fuses (Surface Mont Device and the name derived from SMT = Surface Mount Technology)
are chip types of fuses (also known as electronic fuse) are used in DC power applications like Hard
Drive, DVD players, Camera, cell phones etc where space playing an important role because SMD
fuses are very tinny in size and hard to replace as well.
Below are some additional types of SMD Fuses and Leaded fuses.
Slow – Blow Chip Fuses
Fast Acting Chip Fuses
Very Fast Acting Chip Fuses
Pulse Tolerant Chip Fuses
High Current Rated Chip Fuses
Telecom Fuses
Through-hole styles fuses
Radial Fuse
Lead Fuse
Axial Fuse

12
SMD Fuse and Axial fuse

Rewirable Fuses
The most famous kit-kat fuse (also know as rewireable fuse) mostly used in industries and home
electrical wiring for small current applications in Low Voltage (LV) systems.
Rewireable fuse contains on 2 basic parts. The inner fuse element as fuse carrier made of tinned
copper, Aluminum, Lead etc and the base made of porcelain having the IN and OUT terminals
which is used to be in series with the circuit to protect.
The main advantage of rewireable fuse is that It can be rewire easily in case if it blown due to short
circuit or over current which melts the fuse elements. Simple, put another wire of fuse elements with
the same rating as before.
Thermal Fuses
As mentioned above, thermal fuse is a one time used only fuse. They are temperature sensitive fuse
and the fuse element is made of temperature sensitive alloy. They known as Thermal Cutouts (TCO)
or Thermal Links.
In a thermal fuse, the fuse element hold a mechanical spring contact which is normally closed.
When high currents due to over current and short circuit flow through the elements of the fuse, the
fuse elements melts down which lead to release the spring mechanism and prevent the arc and fire
and protect the connected circuit.

Resettable Fuses
Resettable fuse is a device, which can be used as multiple times without replacing it. They open the
circuit, when an over current event occurs and after some specific time they connect the circuit
again. Polymeric positive temperature coefficient device (PPTC, commonly known as a resettable
fuse, poly-switch or poly-fuse) is a passive electronic component used to protect against short
current faults in electronic circuits.
Application of resettable fuses is overcome where manually replacing of fuses is difficult or almost
impossible, e.g. fuse in the nuclear system or in aerospace system.
13
 Fig.Resettable Fuses

1.1.4 Uses and Applications of Fuses

Different types of Electrical and Electronic Fuses can be used in all types of electrical and electronic
systems and applications including:
1. Motors & Transformers
2. Air-conditions
3. Home distribution boards
4. General electrical appliances and devices
5. Laptops
6. Cell phones
7. Game systems
8. Printers
9. Digital cameras
10. DVD players
11. Portable Electronics
12. LCD monitors
13. Scanners
14. Battery packs
15. Hard disk drives
16. Power convertors

14
1.2 THE BASICS OF
RESETTABLEFUSE

Technically Polyfuses are not fuses but Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient
Thermistors. For thermistors characterized as positive temperature coefficient, the device
resistance increases with temperature. The PPTC circuit protection devices are formed from
thin sheets of conductive semi-crystalline plastic polymers with electrodes attached
to either side. The conductive plastic is basically a non-conductive crystalline
polymer loaded with a highly conductive carbon to make it conductive. The electrodes ensure
the distribution of power through the circuit.

Polyfuses are usually packaged in radial, axial, surface mount, chip or washer form.
These are available in voltage ratings of 30 to 250 volts and current ratings of 20 mA to
100A.

15
1.3 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

PPTC circuit protection devices are formed from a composite of semi-crystalline

polymer and conductive carbon particles. At normal temperature the carbon chains form low
resistance conductive network through the polymer. In case an excessive current flows
through the device, the temperature of the conductive plastic material rises.
When the temperature exceeds the device’s switching temperature, the crystalloids in
the polymer suddenly melts and become amorphous. The increase in
volume during melting of the crystalline phase cause separation of the conductive
particles and results in a large non-linear increase in the resistance of the device. The
resistance typically increases by 3 or orders of magnitude.

Figure 1

16
 The principle of operation and increase in resistance in shown in the Fig.1. The
increase in resistance protects the equipment in the circuit by reducing the amount of current
that can flow under the fault condition to a low steady state level. The device will remain in
its latched (high resistance state)until the fault is cleared, providing continuous protection to
the circuit. At this time the conductive polymer particles cool and recrystallises restoring the
PPTC to a low resistance state within few seconds. The circuit and the affected equipment
return to the normal operating condition.

Thus a polyfuse acts like a self-resetting solid-state circuit breaker, which makes it
suitable for providing low cost over current protection. The resistance of polyfuse at room
temperature is in the order of few ohms and increases rapidly above 110 C.

17
 CHAPTER 2

2.1 OPERATING PARAMETERS FOR POLYFUSES

1. Initial Resistance: The resistance of the device as received from the factory
2. Operating Voltage: The maximum voltage a device can withstand without damage at
rated current
3. Holding Current: Safe current through the device.
4. Trip Current: The current at which the interrupts the current
5. Time to Trip: The time it takes for the device to trip at a given temperature and
current
6. Tripped State: Transition from low resistance state to high resistance state due to an
overload
7. Leakage Current: A small value of stray current flowing through the device after it
has switched to high resistance mode.
8. Trip Cycle: The number of trip cycles the device sustains without failure.
9. Trip Endurance: The duration of time the device sustains its maximum rated voltage
in the tripped state without failure.
10. Power Dissipation: Power dissipated by the device in the tripped state.
11. Thermal Duration: Influence of ambient temperature.
12. Hysteresis: The period between the actual beginning of the signaling of the device to
trip and the actual tripping of the device.

18
2.2 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR PPTC DEVICES.

Some of the critical parameters to consider when designing PPTC devices into a
circuit include device hold current and trip current, the effect of ambient conditions on
device performance; device reset time, leakage current in the tripped state and the automatic
or manual reset conditions.

2.2.1 Hold and Trip Current: The Fig.2 below illustrates the hold and trip current
behavior of the PPTC devices as a function of temperature.

figure 2

Region A shows the combination of current and temperature at which the PPTC
device will trip and protect the circuit. Region B shows the combination of current and
temperature at which the device will allow normal operation of the circuit. In Region C it is
possible for the device to either trip or o remain in low resistance state depending on the
individual device resistance and its environment.

19
 Because PPTC devices can be thermally activated, any change in the
temperature around the device could affect the performance of the device. As temperature
around a PPTC device increases, less energy is required to trip the device and thus its hold
current (I hold) decreases. The heat transfer environment can accurately define hold current.
It can be affected by the design choices such as:

1. Placing the device in proximity to a heat generating source such as a power field
effect transistor (FET), a resistor or a transformer resulting in reduced hold current,
power dissipation and time to trip.
2. Increasing the size of the traces or leads that are in electrical contact with the device
resulting in increased heat transfer and greater hold current, slower time to trip and
greater power dissipation
3. Attaching the device to a long pair of wires before connecting to the circuit board,
increasing the lead length of the device which results in reduced heat transfer and
lowered hold current, power dissipation and time to trip.

2.2.2 Effect of Ambient Conditions on Device Performance:

The heat transfer environment of the device can significantly affect the device
performance. In general, by increasing the heat transfer of the device, there is a
corresponding increase in power dissipation, time to trip and hold current. The opposite
occurs if the heat transfer from the device is decreased. Furthermore, changing the thermal
mass around the device changes the time to trip of the device.

If the heat generated is greater than the heat lost to the environment, the device
will increase in temperature resulting in a trip event. The rate of temperature rise and the
total energy required to make a device trip depends on the fault current and heat transfer

20
environment. Under normal operating conditions the heat generated by the device and the
heat lost to the environment are in balance.

Increases in current or ambient temperature or increase in both, cause the device to

reach a temperature at which the resistance rapidly increases. This large change in resistance
causes a corresponding decrease in the current flowing through the circuit, protecting the
circuit from damage.

2.2.3 Time to Trip

The time to trip of a PPTC device is defined as the time needed from the onset of a
fault current to trip the device. Time to trip depends upon the size of the fault current and the
ambient temperature.

21
2.3 DESIGN CRITERIA

To select the best device for a specific application, circuit designers should
consider the following design criteria:

1. Choose the appropriate form factor. Select from radial- leaded, surface-mount, or
chip parts. For mounting on circuit boards, a radial-leaded or

2. surface- mount configuration is preferred. Radial-leaded parts are typically wave

soldered to the board. Chip parts are designed to be held in clips, usually in an electric
motor.
2. Choose a voltage rating. The voltage rating of a PPTC device should equal or
exceed the source voltage in a particular circuit. Also the expected fault voltage
should not be later than the PPTC voltage device. When a PPTC device trips, the
majority of circuit voltage appears across the device because it is the highest
resistance element present in the circuit.
3. Choose a hold current rating (At the proper ambient operating temperature). Hold
current is defined as the greatest steady state current the PPTC device can carry
without tripping into a high resistance state. Designers must choose a PPTC device
with a hold current at maximum ambient temperature equal to or greater than the
steady state operating current.
4. Check trip time. Designers should determine what fault currents may occur and how
quickly the most sensitive system components could be damaged at these currents.
A PPTC device should be selected that trips before these sensitive components
would be damaged. Many applications experience a start-up surge current from a
capacitance or motor. Normally, this in-rush current does not contain enough
energy to trip the PPTC device, but the designers should confirm performance in
their application over the range of expected ambient conditions.

5. Check maximum interrupt current. A PPTC device normally has a maximum

interrupt current rating, i.e., the maximum fault current that the device consistently
interrupts while remaining functional.

22
 CHAPTER 3

3.1 DIFFERENT TYPES OF POLYFUSES

3.1.1 Surface Mount Resettable Fuses

This surface mount polyfuse family of polymer of polymer based resettable fuses
provides reliable over current protection for a wide range of products such as computer
motherboards, USB hubs and ports, CD/DVD drives , digital cameras and battery packs.
Each of these polyfuse series features low voltage drops and fast trip times while offering full
resettability. This makes each an ideal choice for protection in datacom and battery powered
applications where momentary surges may occur during interchange of batteries or plug and
play operations.

The SMD0805 with the industry’s smallest footprint, measuring only 2.2mm by
1.5mm, features four hold current ratings from 100mA to 500mA with a current interruption
capability of 40A at rated voltage. Both the SMD1206 and SMD1210 series are optimized
for protection of computer peripherals,PC cards and various port types.

3.1.2 Radial-Leaded Resettable

Due to the automatic resetting of the polyfuse, these components are ideal for
applications, where temporary fault conditions (eg: during hot plugging) can occur. The
radial-leaded RLD-USB-series 709 is specifically designed for universal serial bus
(USB) applications with lower resistance, faster trip times and lower voltage drop.

23
3.1.3 Battery Strap Resettable Fuses

This type profile strap type polyfuse family of resettable fuses provides thermal and
over charge protection for rechargeable battery packs commonly used in portable electronics
such as mobile phones, notebook computers and camcorders.

Both Li-Ion and NiMH pack designs are enhanced with 0.8mm high form factor on
the VTD-719 series. The LTD-717 series is optimized for prismatic packs and exhibits faster
trip times- down to 2.9 sec at five times the fuse’s hold current rating.

24
 CHAPTER 4

4.1 EDGES OVER CONVENTIONAL FUSES

1. Over current protection

2. Low base resistance
3. Latching operation
4. Automatic resettability
5. Short time to trip
6. No arching during faulty situations
7. Small dimensions and compact designs
8. Internationally standardized and approved
9. No accidental hot plugging
10. Withstand mechanical shocks and vibrations
11. Life time- up to 10 times longer
25
4.2 APPLICATIONS

Polyfuses are used in automobiles, batteries, computers and

peripherals, industrial controls, electronic modules, medical electronics, loud speakers,
transformers etc.

4.2.1 For protecting speakers:

Now a days, speakers are designed and sold independently of amplifiers.

Therefore, there are possibilities of damage due to mismatches; for eg. High power
amplifiers coupled with low power speakers or a speaker coil driven with a high volume. The
protection choices for loud speakers are limited. Fuses protect the speaker but a blown fuse is
always a source of frustration. Using a polyfuse in series with the speaker will protect it from
over current and over heating damage. Choosing a correct trip current rated polyfuse is
important to match the power level of the speak

26
4.2.2 For Protecting Transformers:

The equipment powered by a transformer get over heated due to excessive current
or short circuit. A polyfuse on the secondary side of the transformer will protect the
equipment against overload.

4.2.3For Protecting Batteries:

Batteries are constantly charged and discharged over their life cycle. Over charge
results in an increase in the temperature of the electrolyte. This could cause either a fire or an
explosion. Polyfuse can play a vital role in the charging and discharging cycles of batteries.

27
4.3 Applications for Resettable Circuit Protection in Automotive Electronics

The conventional solution groups similar circuits together and protects them all
with a single fuse. The fuse must be sized to carry the sum of the currents drawn by each of
the protected loads; and, to limit risk of damage and fire, the wires feeding from the fuse to
each load must be chosen according to the fuse size selected. This design practice often
results in oversized wires with high current-carrying capability feeding loads that require
relatively low currents. Using heavy-gauge wire also requires use of larger terminals and
connectors, which further increases cost, size, and weight. It also increases harness weight,
and the weight of the automobile, which has an effect on fuel efficiency.

Because PPTC devices reset when a fault condition clears and power is removed
from the circuit, they do not generally require routine replacement or service. Therefore, such
devices can be placed inside doors, in switch assemblies, behind instrument panels, in
electronic modules, and in other inaccessible areas within the vehicle. As shown in Figure 3,
the option of locating circuit-protection devices strategically throughout the vehicle also
allows power to be routed via the most direct and efficient route (rather than through a
central fuse box), which reduces the number of wires in the harness and allows reduction in
their length and weight.

28
 Figure 3. PPTC devices can be used in distributed electronic system architectures to
help reduce wire size.

Electronic Control Module Protection. As more and more circuitry is packed into
smaller and smaller packages, the width of the copper traces on printed circuit boards
(PCBs) is reduced. Because motorized accessories are generally powered from high- amperage
circuits, these narrow circuit board traces are susceptible to damage from excessive
currents. Printed circuit traces function as wires carrying signals from one point to another.
Depending on the cross-sectional area, the traces can carry only a certain amount of
2
current before the heat generated by I R losses causes them to either melt or become hot
29
 Electronic module outputs typically require protection from over current situations
caused by a short circuit or by the high stall current of motors. Module outputs can also be
damaged by failure of some other portion of the system, such as a diode short or loss of a
power ground. Because they are one-use devices and must be replaced in the event of a
transient fault, fuses are not considered an acceptable solution to these potential problems.
Multicomponent circuits used to sense and switch, called smart FETs, are frequently used to
address these situations, but such devices require careful design and consume valuable board
space. They can also be quite costly.

PPTC circuit-protection devices are gaining acceptance as a practical, cost-effective

solution to over current and over temperature protection of electronic modules. Because they
rapidly and effectively limit current to safe levels and are small enough to be mounted
directly on the circuit board, each power circuit wthin the control module can be individually
protected with a single device.

Small-Motor Protection. Most automotive actuators are used in applications that

require them to move something until it reaches the end of its motion range—to move a seat
or close a window, for example. However, because these activities can be manually
controlled, the actuator may remain energized after the mechanism reaches its limit of travel.
When this condition occurs, the actuator stalls, and it’s back electromotive force (EMF) falls
to zero. Without the back EMF opposing the supply voltage, the actuator's current may rise
rapidly to levels typically between two and four times its normal operating value.

Because the actuator's winding is made with very-small-gauge wire, the high stall
current causes a rapid rise in temperature. Often within seconds, the temperature may rise
sufficiently to permanently damage the enamel varnish used to insulate the wire in the
actuator's winding. With the loss of insulating properties, turn-to-turn short circuits may
develop throughout the winding, rendering the actuator inoperable and creating a potential
for a thermal event (see Figure 4).

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Figure 4: To interrupt excessive current, PPTC devices are wired in series with the
actuator windings.

When the current or temperature of a winding rises above a certain value, the PPTC
device latches into a high-resistance state, limiting current to a low level and preventing
damage to the actuator. After the fault and power are removed and the PPTC device cools,
the device resets for normal current flow.

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 CONCLUSION

Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient device provide net cost savings through reduced
component count and reduction in wire size. They can help provide protection against short
circuits in wire traces and electronic components. The low resistance, relatively fast time to trip
and low profile of these devices improve reliability. In addition, these devices provide
manufacturing compatibility with high volume electronic assembly techniques and later design
flexibility through a wide range of product options.

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4. Ming Qiu Zhang; Min Zhi Rong (28 June 2011). Self-Healing Polymers and
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5. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. San Francisco Bay Area Council
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9. Loudspeaker application note
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21 March 2014.

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