A relay is essentially a switch that is operated electrically rather than mechanically. In later model cars manufacturers have started combining relay panels into the fuse box to make maintenance easier.
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How a relay works 12v. To wire an automotive relay make at least four connections. You need sufficient electrical skill to select the tools wire and. Understanding how the relay works will help with diagnosis and modifications to vehicle systems. This strip is set to make contact with a contactor by bending itself with rising temperatures due to excess current flow. When sufficient voltage is applied to the core it starts to create a magnetic field around it and acts as a magnet. Thus the initial position itself is the armature connected in normally closed position nc.
The contact between the strip and the contactor causes the contactor to de. Therefore it cannot attract the movable armature. They are also common in cars where the 12v supply voltage means that just about everything needs a large amount of current. A control circuit shown in green and a load circuit shown in red. Have you ever wondered how a relay works. Looking at the diagram below you can see the pinout of a typical 12v relay.
Relay in normally opened condition. For example the six gray boxes in this photo of a ford windstar fuse box are all relays. Relay energized on current flowing through the control circuit coil pins 1 and 3 creates a small magnetic field which causes the switch to close pins 2 and 4. Relay in normally closed condition. What happens inside a relay isnt magic but it is important. An overload relay switch works in characteristics with current over time and is different from circuit breakers and fuses where a sudden trip is made to turn off the motor.
Relays are quite common in home appliances where there is an electronic control turning on something like a motor or a light. Relays have two circuits. A relay is an electromechanical switch. The control circuit has a small control coil while the load circuit has a switch. Applying a small amount as low as 2 amps of current to the relay coil closes contacts to feed power to an accessory that requires more current to operate usually over 20 amps. Most 12 volt relays operate accessories in a motor vehicle.
Note that each pin is numbered. A relay is an electromagnetic switch operated by a relatively small electric current that can turn on or off a much larger electric current. The spring holds the switch in position until a current gets passed through the coil. The coil controls the operation of the switch. Since the movable armature is. The most widely used overload relay is the thermal overload relay where a bimetallic strip is used to turn off the motor.
Although there are various relay designs the ones most commonly found in low voltage auto and marine applications are electro mechanical relays that work by activating an electromagnet to pull a set of contacts to make or break a circuit. It works in the same way as a manual switch but instead of having to manually push the switch you apply power to it to change the switch position. The coil then generates the magnetic field which moves the switch on and off. This was the first component i learned about and it helped me to start understanding how to electronics works. Two wires to the coil to operate the relay itself and two wires to the relay contacts to apply power to your accessory. When no voltage is applied to the core it cannot generate any magnetic field and it doesnt act as a magnet.
The heart of a relay is an electromagnet a coil of wire that becomes a temporary magnet when electricity flows through it. The switch which is part of the load circuit is used to control an electrical circuit that may connect to. 85 and 86 are the coil pins while 30 87 and 87a are the switch pins.
Gallery of How A Relay Works 12v
