Camper Trailer Australia – August 2019

SAFE FROM VOLTAGE SPIKES

CAMPERS NOWADAYS are kitted out with ahost

of electronics, from sound systems to TVs to

fridge/freezers. These items may have come

as standard, or been added on as options, or

added as a D.I.Y. modification after purchase.

In any case they have cost you money. And,

obviously, replacing these items would cost you

money again.

Protecting your investments is never a bad

idea. Pay a little, so you don’t have to pay

much, much more. This is exactly the logic

behind buying a surge protector, such as the

Ampfibian S1000DX. Surge protectors are

designed to protect your electronics from

spikes in voltage, which can destroy wiringand

write off your appliances. Suchvoltagespikes

can be caused by power outages,lightning

strikes, generators running outo

fuel and even switching in other

equipment sharing the line. Circu

breakers and RCDs themselvesa

too slow to protect against surges

therefore offer no protection.

Plug into 240V and you become

vulnerable to spikes. Surge protec

are common fare for caravanners

spend a lot of their nights in tourist

parks; but for camper trailer users

who prefer the comforts of a park,

who find themselves needing totop

their batteries off of mains power,th

tech remains more relevant thaneve

The Ampfibian S1000DX standsouta

great choice of surge protector.It’sused

in conjunction with a 15A extensioncord,only

you plug in the surge protector toactasa

middleman between your camper’s inlet and

the power outlet.

The S1000DX comes with a waterproof

case. Inside this tight-fitting shell you find two

protruding fixtures onto which you slot your

surge protector with its two matching holes.

Once it is secured inside, you push the case

closed; the latches on the side automatically

click into place, as do a set of anti-slip cleats

inside. These hold your power cord such thatit

can’t pull out, for example if someone was to

The easy-to-use Ampfibian Surge

Protector can buffer voltage

spikes of up to 1000 joules,

keeping your camper’s

electronics spick and span.

triponit. Thiscasekeepswaterouteffectively,

helpedbya setoffoamseals.Youcaneven

hangit offthegroundusingtheflip-outhanger.

TheS1000DXis ratedupto 1000 joules,

meaningthatit canabsorbthatlevelofenergy,

preventingit frombeingpassedontoyour

electronics.ThisAmpfibianproductis rated

upto3600W,meaningit canserveup3600W

at anygiventime.Invertersin campertrailers

donotgetmuchlargerthan3000W.Soyou

shouldn’tfindyourselflimitedin termsofhow

manyappliances,orwhatappliances,youcan

powerthroughthisintermediary.Thesurge

protectoris madefor15Aoutlets,butcanbe

AMPFIBIAN S1000DX

SURGE PROTECTOR

RRP: $89.99

MORE INFO:

ampfibian.com.au

adapted with other Ampfibian products to suit a

10A source for use at home or at a mate’s.

The simple traffic-light communication

system helps you to understand the power

situation, instantly. A solid green is all the

reassurance you need to know you have

reliable, trustworthy power that you can go

ahead and use. Whereas, red indicates a wiring

problem with the outlet, meaning you shouldn’t

useit; and orange means that there’s been

a powerful surge, so the cartridge (the surge

protector, as separate from the casing) needs

replacing. This is easily and cheaply done, with

replacement cartridges available online for only

$59.99.

While it is hard to safely test the surge

protecting properties of this item, we can verify

that all other components perform as they

should; and there is the reassurance that the

S1000DX meets Australia’s and New Zealand’s

standards. Everything considered the Ampfibian

S1000DX is a great, inexpensive method of

keeping your electronics safe while plugged

into mains power.— Sam Richards

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CREDIT FOR AMPFIBIAN IMAGES: Phil Cerbu