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Forum Index : Electronics : Fake circuit breaker?
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
I grabber a circuit breaker from my junk pile, for a project I'm working on. Its a HAGER 64Amp breaker, and was measuring open circuit in both positions. To see if it was a quick fix, I drilled out the factory rivets to look inside.  Looks like the terminal on the right wasn't secure, got hot, and melted the plastic, letting the contact inside get out of contact. But isn't something missing? Where's the mechanism to trigger the circuit breaker? This has never been apart before, is it a fake HAGER breaker? Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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phil99 Guru  Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2149 |
The model number indicates it is a switch, not circuit breaker. |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Well there you go. I assumed these were circuit breakers. Probably lucky it was faulty, I may have used it in a place where I needed a breaker. I guess technically it is a breaker. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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Clockmanfr Guru Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
11 years ago, i chatted with Hager R&D dept, you could in those days. I asked about using breakers for DC, they admitted that only the NBN range could be used but apply a derating of the breaker of about 8 to 6%. I trust this info helps others. Edited 2024-11-12 05:20 by Clockmanfr Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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| Godoh Guru Joined: 26/09/2020 Location: AustraliaPosts: 458 |
Yep that is just a main switch. The only way to tell sometimes is to look at the symbols on the side, if they have an x on one end of the moving armature in the diagram they are a circuit breaker, otherwise they are a main switch Pete |
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Supertech Newbie  Joined: 13/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 20 |
Dear Gizmo, 1. Before you burn down the building, one should always decode any brand of din rail product via Manafacture code document,to identify exactly what it is! This breaker vs switch is for the unaware and very common falocy purely taken for granted. I have seen numerious dangers not just from Hager brand. A French electrician I used to work beside made this very mistake in two storey building, fitting a 3~ 63Amp he thought was breaker from mains supply to upper sub board. Anything wrong? See if this gives you the hint.... Big QUESTION, 2. What IS a circuit breaker used FOR? To protect....what? You'd be very surprised the answer. 3. Symbols? Yes. A 'squiggle' inline of the switch symbol usually makes it a breaker, no squiggle is NOT a breaker. Again always get Manafacture document as the symbol is often drawn diffrently per brand country! 4. World wide "brands" of din electrical products often poorly marked, not meeting even a standard let alone tested to any. I've experienced this on every level use, from meltdown to extream instability to down right illegally deadly dangerious huge building fires. Never take for granted. I have a lifetime of experience in electrical in Australia working from industrial through to domestic, even within manfacture. Now, tell me, the Answer to above 2? Regards. Supertech. |
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| Supertech Newbie Joined: 13/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 20 |
Footnote. Never use a AC breaker for or on DC. 1. DC requires larger contact GAP. E.g If one was to say use a 240vac rated contacked device switch or breaker say to isolate a solar array ~100 to 400 volts....outcome...an arc occours instead of switching AND IT WILL BURN OUT VERY VERY QUICKLY even on 1st use! Call the fire dept! Why? DC stays conducting with a blue Arc joining the circuit acting as a burning resistor. Coversly, AC as it swings to zero volts tends to cease the Arc effect. Of course, lower currents and voltages suffer less of this affect, but for the unlearned, it can be quite dangerous disastrous. And I have delt, in fact Hager is a common offender to contactors that end up stuck on, having welded there contacts closed! This is bad say in 4 pole unit that say controls a raft of fluro inductive light groups. Kills them fast! And this is AC within contact ratings. I have stood in front of a 110vdc coiled modular relay designed to switch AC. However, wrongly wired to switch the 110vdc (not AC it meant for) to about 27 exit lights under fire protection of the building! Um, it switched of, butiful blue arcing through its clear plastic, fortunately burning out contacts in front of me! Must be DC rated (wider contact gap switching) demonstrating this danger. 2. Having worked in R&D of huge power switches, principals always apply. E.g Any loaded switching generates an arc. A 600Amp 3~ even under 100Amp large switch has very specific 'Arc shoots' sort of operating as a chimney, to suppress the resulting Arc or if you like SPARK produced during switching. This of course sets the life of the contacts doing that switching, thus, 3. The contacts makup. AC vs DC, asside from required gap, are made of best life metals and ARE diffrent. So there is things to learn consider even in any project. Supertech. |
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