Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters

Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) will be required in new homes staring in 2008. This is a requirement in the National Electrical Code, and is in addition to GFI (ground fault interrupters). The AFCI is supposed to trip whenever eight cycles of arcing occur with a period of 0.5 seconds.


With mass production of arc detection circuitry, there is an opportunity to utilize these circuits and IC's, dedicated to arc detection, in high voltage power supplies and systems to detect high voltage arcs.