@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:Manny,
In order for the TVS to clamp voltage transients it has to act like a short-circuit -- but only when the voltage amplitude of these transients exceeds the specified voltage of the TVS. For this reason you wire it across hot and common.
(It's seems odd because you wouldn't normally do that with a wire, or a resistor, or most other components because doing so with them would create a definite short circuit -- but the TVS is a special kind of short-circuit, to higher-voltage transients only, so it's fine.)
Mike
Mike, the TVS diode is a zener diode. If working correctly, it will clamp (partially conduct) some of the voltage across it, while the remaining voltage across it would not be higher than its rating, which in this case would be 33.3V for the duration of the Spiking current flow.
