Visit the Smartscan web site

Breakers protect supplies from faulty loads

An E-T-A Circuit Breakers product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 15, 2003

A novel electronic circuit breaker can selectively protect individual component circuits powered from single switch-mode power supplies.

A novel electronic circuit breaker can selectively protect individual component circuits powered from single switch-mode power supplies.

Easily added to a DIN/EN rail, the new E-T-A ESS20 provides advanced circuit protection for components used in factory automation systems, including sensors, actuators, fieldbus couplers and controls.

The E-T-A ESS20 electronic circuit breaker solves a serious problem affecting manufacturing lines and processes powered by 24V DC switch-mode power supplies.

Without the ESS20, an overload in a single circuit will cause a power supply to shut down the output to all the circuits it supplies.

On recovery it may go into 'hiccup' mode.

Costly downtime, scrap and even danger to personnel may result.

The ESS20 physically isolates single faulty outputs, while allowing all other load circuits connected to the same SMPS to continue working as normal.

It is designed to limit the prospective load current to a maximum 1.8 times the rated current and rapidly disconnects the output in the event of an overload or short circuit.

For optimum adjustment to the particular application, the current rating of the ESS20 is switch selectable for 3 or 6A.

An LED, and integral auxiliary contacts, provide status and failure indication for visual verification and as a signal to a logic controller or factory software.

An on/off button also enables manual isolation of the load circuit.

Using the ESS20, it is possible to design highly efficient, cost-effective manufacturing equipment and complex industrial lines.

Under worst-case failure conditions, the fault current will always be limited to a minimum value, the rest of the system will remain in operation, and power can be quickly restored once the faulty output circuit has been corrected.

This guarantees maximum efficiency and productivity of the entire process.

The ESS20 is a further addition to E-T-A's product family of electronic circuit breakers.

It has a width of only 12.5mm and is designed to be plugged directly into an E-T-A power distribution socket, Module 17plus, which is mountable on a DIN/EN rail.

All electrical connections are made by means of convenient screwless terminals.

Traditional protection solutions do not provide the answer.

Circuit breakers with fast operating characteristics would be likely to cause nuisance trips during current peaks, and capacitive loads such as sensors and interfaces could not be reset.

On the other hand, neither delayed operation nor high performance circuit breakers will respond adequately in this situation to overcurrents.

The power supply will therefore switch off completely, bringing all connected loads (ie the entire system) to a standstill.

Find out more about this article. Request a brochure, download technical specifications and request samples here.

Not what you're looking for? Search the site.

Back to top Back to top

Contact E-T-A Circuit Breakers

Other E-T-A Circuit Breakers stories

Newsletter sign up

Request your free weekly copy of the Engineeringtalk email newsletter ...

Visit the Smartscan web site

Browse by category

All suppliers A - Z

A Pro-talk Publication

A Pro-talk publication