🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi All,

	I am trying to roll-my-own surge protectors, knowing that the separate
parts can't cost more than 1/10 the price of a pre-built unit....  

	First, I ripped apart a fully-functional Radio Shack Heavy-Duty Surge
Protector.  Pretty much what I expected - a MOV, neon light & resistor combo,
and hmm, what's this thing???...  Oh, this is a "block" unit, with a 3-prong
plug on one side, a 3-prong socket on another side, and a light.  I plug it
into the wall, and plug a power strip into it....  Here's a diagram of what I
found inside.....

               ___________neon              MOV is in parallel with
              /  _          |               Neon light and dropping resistor.
              --/ \ MOV    resistor         Mystery Item is between connection
   Mystery   #  \_/        /                of circuit and Wide Blade and
     item-> #     \       /                 where circuit splits...
           /       \_____/                  Mystery Item is green, kidney
     Wide  |           |  Narrow            shaped plastic(?), 0.1" in dia. x
    blade  |           |  Blade             0.3" in length (roughly cylindrical)
                                            and has markings "LF 10A", where
                 O  ground                  the "L" is large, and has the "F"
                                            resting inside it....

	Is the mystery item a fusible link, 10 amp capacity???  If so, can I
use (in leiu of finding fusible links in Delaware :-) ) Fast-Blow 10 amp
fuses (As long as I know that if I blow the fuse, I've also blown the MOV, and
should replace BOTH)????


	Second, I was once told that to have decent surge protection that I
would need 3 such constructs, 1 between each pair of wires, ie Wide-Narrow,
Wide-Ground, Narrow-Ground (I _know_ that saying hot/cold or pos/neg is wrong
for AC, but I don't know what is correct, and which corresponds to the wide
blade on a polarized plug (and why)).  Are 3 really necessary, or only 1,
across Wide-Narrow????

	I know that this has gotten really long, but, if anyone has the time to
drop me an answer, I'd appreciate it.....


						Thanx in Advance,
						James Cayz

|James Cayz can be found via:    USPS: Educational Technology Laboratory,
|E-MAIL (ARPA): cayz@louie.udel.edu  : 203 Willard Hall Education Building,
|PHONE: +1 302 451-6307              : University of Delaware, Newark DE 19716