Have you ever wondered how the switch?
Relay - an electromechanical switch. It works just like a manual switch, but instead of having to manually press the switch, you are applying to it the power to change the position of the switch.
It was the first component of which I have learned, and it helped me to begin to understand how the electronics.
This is very useful for the automatic switching on and off the power of a device. And it is also useful to switch more powerful devices with low power consumption.
The relay consists of:
- electromagnet
- mechanical switch
Electromagnet
Electromagnet - it is a simple device consisting of a wire wound on the coil around a core of ferromagnetic material such as iron. This is a very interesting device, and it is easy to create your own.
To create your own electromagnet all you need is a nail and a little insulated wire. Wind the wire into a coil around the nail and apply power. Beware, it can get very hot, if you have too little or too much winding voltage is applied!
How it works?
When the wire is conductive, it creates a magnetic field. If we wire wound into a coil around a core of ferromagnetic material such as iron, we increase the field and obtain the electromagnet with sufficient magnetism.
mechanical switch
The relay also comprises a mechanical switch. It might look like this:
When the electromagnet (1) is energized, it breaks the connection between the primary medium (3) and a left (2) contact and creates a new connection between the middle (3) and right (4) contact.
Many relays have at least two switches, so you can switch between two devices simultaneously.
It's important to know!
Always check the rated voltage and current of the relay. Some are designed for switching low voltage only, while others are designed for switching a higher voltage.
I hope this simple guide on how to operate the relay has helped you understand how it works! Now you can begin to practice!