RIVERSIDE, Calif. – November 26, 2001 -- Bourns, Inc.^® today announced a significant expansion to the Thyristor Integrated Surge Protector (TISP^®) Telecom Overvoltage Protection product line. The new TISP^® technologies expand customer choices for overvoltage protection.

Bourns^®' new range of gated surge suppressor products meet international standards, and can help assure compliance for high voltage SLICs, capable of generating ringing voltages of up to 85 Vrms and dual supply SLICs with battery voltages up to +/- 90V. The buffered gate design of the TISP^® devices reduces the loading on the SLIC supply during overvoltages caused by power cross and induction. Parameters specified allow equipment compliance with Telcordia GR-1089-CORE issue 2 and ITU-T recommendations K.20, K.21 and K.45.

Bourns^®' fixed voltage thyristor surge suppressor ranges have been expanded to include products with protection voltages down to 15V. Offering transformer protection for digital line signal protection in xDSL systems and products with a protection voltage up to 700V, these devices provide protection of system insulation when connected to LANs and other floating networks.

"The expansion of the TISP^® product line allows Bourns^® to provide a wider range of overvoltage solutions to our telecom customers," said Phyllis Jones, Vice President of Sales, The Americas. "Our continued development of Bourns^®' Multifuse^® PPTC and Line-Feed Surge Resistor Networks overcurrent protectors, as well as Bourns^®' Gas Discharge Tube and TISP^® overvoltage protector products offer telecom customers a more comprehensive total protection product line."

Bourns^®' TISP^® products are specially designed to provide protection for telecommunications equipment in instances where high voltages occur as a result of lightning strikes, power line crosses and a.c. switching. Under a system fault condition, the TISP^® device limits overvoltages to a safe level, allowing all current to pass through it and protecting electronics from harmful voltages.

Pricing and Availability
Based on quantities of 1000 pieces, the programmable TISP^® telecom overvoltage protectors are priced at @body.80 - $1.00 per piece. The 15V TISP^® telecom overvoltage protectors are priced at @body.33-@body.40 per piece, while the 700V TISP^® telecom overvoltage protectors are priced at @body.55 for a single configuration for protection of a signal line to ground and $1.15 for integrated dual configurations for protection of two lines to ground. Sample quantities are offered for evaluation.

About Bourns, Inc.^®:
Bourns, Inc.^® is the leading manufacturer of Trimming Potentiometers, Precision Potentiometers, Panel Controls, Encoders, Modular Contacts, Switches, and Resistor/ Capacitor Networks. Bourns also sells Chip Resistors, Chip Arrays and Inductive Components. Bourns^® produces an extensive line of PPTC Resettable Fuses, Line-feed Surge Networks, and thyristor-based overvoltage protectors, which are part of its Circuit Protection product offering. Headquartered in Riverside, CA, Bourns^® serves a broad range of markets, including telecommunications, computer, industrial, instrumentation, automotive, consumer, medical, audio and various other market segments. Bourns^® products are manufactured according to ISO-9000 and QS-9000 standards under Six Sigma quality programs. For more information, contact Bourns^® corporate headquarters at 1200 Columbia Avenue, Riverside, Calif. 92507. Phone: (909) 781-5500; Fax: (909) 781-5006; URL: .