Requiring only a handful of inexpensive components, the circuit breaker in Figure 1 responds to both overcurrent- and overvoltage-fault conditions. At the heart of the circuit, D 2, an adjustable, ...

Overcurrent protection of conductors is an idea so simple that it is almost self-evident. Excessive current in a conductor results in rapid temperature rise, which damages insulation and creates ...

Do you know the facts about circuit protection, or have you just been relying on what you hear around the shop? As an electrical contractor, system designer, plant electrician, or electrical inspector ...

Circuit breakers are manual switches that open under overload conditions. Circuit breakers discussed here are general-purpose types that meet the minimum Underwriters' Laboratories Inc. (UL) standards ...

Thermal-magnetic circuit breakers contain two different switching mechanisms, a bimetal switch and an electromagnet. The bimetal serves as a means of handling overcurrents. The bimetal typically sits ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Man looking at an open electrical panel in a home - Photoalto/eric Audras/Getty Images Imagine you're relaxing in your living room ...

Nobody looks forward to a power outage. After all, we rely on electricity to power appliances. And when there is a blackout, the situation can move from a minor to a stressful one quite easily. That ...

Until very recently, few alternatives to electromechanical and magnetic circuit breakers existed. Designers were forced to live with such undesirable characteristics as arcing and switch bounce (with ...