Arc protection, also known as arc discharge protection, is a feature designed to prevent damage to the power supply resulting from an arc discharge event. For applications with repeated arcing, additional external measures, such as adding a protective resistor to the output, are necessary. The protection feature in some models works by shutting down the power supply's output upon detecting an arc.
Arc discharges are caused by the breakdown of gases due to the potential difference between the output terminals and the chassis or ground. For more information on arc discharge, please refer to the glossary "Arc Discharge".
Important Note: Arc protection does not prevent an arc discharge from occurring. Instead, its purpose is to protect the power supply from the damaging effects of an arc.