With reference to FIG. 2, a diagram illustrates components of one embodiment of the protection mechanism 100. When the protected device 80 moves into the magnetic field 40, the current drawn by the device 80 increases. A current sensor 110 determines whether the device 80 is operating within safe current draw operating margins specific to the device 80. If the current sensor 110 determines that the device 80 is not within safe operating conditions, e.g. drawing too much current, then a current switch 120 is opened which blocks the flow of the current to the protected device 80. When the high current is detected, a time delay 130 is invoked such that the current switch does not open during normal current surges, e.g., when a motor first starts up. In another embodiment, the timer periodically check whether the overcurrent condition has been resolved, particularly by the device moving away from the magnet. At the end of the time period, e.g. a few milliseconds, the current switch is closed and the current draw is re-checked. If the current draw is still too high, the current switch re-opens.

The current sensor 110, in one embodiment, includes a resistor in series with the power supply 90. The resistance is based on the range of normal operating current for the particular device 80. The voltage across the resistor can be read in conjunction with several commercially available current shunt monitor integrated circuits such as a INA193 or AD8207.