Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc., Little Neck, N.Y., and the Sensors and Controls division of Texas Instruments Inc., Attleboro, Mass., have entered into a strategic alliance to co-develop products that provide protection against the hazard of arc faults, which are high-power electrical discharges that occur between two or more conductors in electrical wiring.

The alliance pairs Texas Instrument's arc detection technology with Leviton's expertise in wiring devices. The products will carry the Leviton brand name.

The initial focus of the joint relationship will be on the development of arc-fault protection interrupters (AFCIs) for portable room air conditioners. The AFCI products complement Leviton's line of LCDIs (leakage current detection interrupters), which were introduced earlier this year to comply with an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing requirement that portable air conditioners manufactured after Aug. 1, 2004, contain a factory-installed LCDI or AFCI device to reduce the risk of an arc fault in the unit's power cord. Joint resources will be utilized to develop AFCI-protected wall receptacles in anticipation of the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) requirement for arc-fault protection receptacles in bedrooms in new construction and renovations.

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