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Old 01-20-2011, 04:07 AM   #1
BB_TX
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Auto reset breaker - I guess I expected more

Not sure what I thought I would find. Opened up my old auto reset circuit breaker for the slides and found it to be just a simple bi-metal strip with a relay type contact on one end. You can see the contact on this one was badly burned, only adding to the overheating problem. DC current just does not like to be interrupted. Each time it opened it just burned it a little more.
 
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Old 01-20-2011, 04:53 AM   #2
illapah
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I wonder if a capacitor in parallel would be of any help???
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Old 01-20-2011, 05:16 AM   #3
BB_TX
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by illapah

I wonder if a capacitor in parallel would be of any help???
Not for this problem.
With AC current, the current flow actually stops for an instant 120 times every second (each half cycle) as it reverses flow. So AC current across a contact will stop much easier without arcing so much.
But DC current is continuous. When the contact opens, the current will continue to flow across the gap (arcing) until the distance is too great for it to continue. That arcing burns the contact a little each time. And each burn increases resistance across the contact causing a little more heating the next time.
For high voltage (125 VDC) and high current applications at my old job, we used special relays with magnetic blowout to suppress the arcing problem. A bit expensive for this simple application.
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Old 01-20-2011, 07:20 AM   #4
Art-n-Marge
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Isn't this why autoresetting breakers fail over time as does most anything that's mechanical?

It's nice to have these, but it's important to find out what causes it to trip in order to preserve the breaker. Over time ignoring what causes the breaker to trip will cause the poor thing to eventually fail.
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Old 01-20-2011, 07:33 AM   #5
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The old 'lowest bidder' for the contract, or for the purchasing agent...
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Old 01-20-2011, 04:08 PM   #6
MuddyPaws
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The same job could be done with $30 worth of electronics. But would anyone buy it?

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