PlasmaSheep
PlasmaSheep t1_ixy63lt wrote
Reply to comment by Xyspade in Not as old as a lot of the stuff on here, but a 6 plug wall adapter from RadioShack. Made November 20th, 1994. by 2XGSWsurvivor
Put simply, the MOV acts as an open circuit until the voltage across live/ground or neutral/ground exceeds a "clamping voltage". The MOV then presents almost no resistance, making most of the current flow through it rather than through the device under protection. It gets "used up" because passing current through the varistor affects its structure and increases its clamping voltage.
PlasmaSheep t1_itck7bc wrote
Reply to comment by JeansAndAPolo in Pilot light playing hard to get by dingustotalicus
Yeah, I usually just let my smoke alarms beep every 30 seconds for weeks until they die rather than just change the batteries.
PlasmaSheep t1_ixzy297 wrote
Reply to comment by Xyspade in Not as old as a lot of the stuff on here, but a 6 plug wall adapter from RadioShack. Made November 20th, 1994. by 2XGSWsurvivor
That's right.