Why don manufacturers build surge protection inside the equipment?
There are three primary reasons that equipment vendors don’t build surge protection inside their equipment. These are (1) Cost, (2) Consumer Demand and (3) Replaceability. Manufacturers, specifically those of consumer electronics, are constantly striving for lower costs in a very competitive environment. When just a few dollars is often the determining factor in product selection, a manufacturer is unable to add costs unless it is demanded by the customer as a necessary feature. Also, a surge protection device should sacrifice itself before allowing damaging power surges to pass into the protected equipment. Should the surge protector suffer damage, it is important that it be replaceable easily and immediately. This is more difficult if the surge protection is built-in to the component.
