Someone on Hackaday mentioned that 27kV could arc across 30mm in air and suggested potting the board and spreading out components to handle that kind of voltage. While that sounds legit, it's worth clearing up what that 27kV spec actually means.
That number usually comes from the IEC 61000-4-2 ESD test standard — it's a tightly controlled lab test using low-energy pulses with specific waveforms and a metal discharge tip. It doesn’t mean your board can survive a 27kV lightning zap or a random high-voltage event in the field.
For this I²C interface board, the goal wasn't to make it lightning-proof. The goal was to add real-world protection against typical ESD and EMI nastiness that shows up in noisy environments. So yes, there’s some spacing and filtering, but no, it's not invincible. Potting might help, but layout, grounding, and realistic expectations go a long way too.
About that 27kV Air Gap Thing…
Someone on Hackaday mentioned that 27kV could arc across 30mm in air and suggested potting the board and spreading out components to handle that kind of voltage. While that sounds legit, it's worth clearing up what that 27kV spec actually means.
That number usually comes from the IEC 61000-4-2 ESD test standard — it's a tightly controlled lab test using low-energy pulses with specific waveforms and a metal discharge tip. It doesn’t mean your board can survive a 27kV lightning zap or a random high-voltage event in the field.
For this I²C interface board, the goal wasn't to make it lightning-proof. The goal was to add real-world protection against typical ESD and EMI nastiness that shows up in noisy environments. So yes, there’s some spacing and filtering, but no, it's not invincible. Potting might help, but layout, grounding, and realistic expectations go a long way too.
I had the wrong Molex connector linked; the correct one for nodeLync is 70553-0003
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/70553-0003