Do you have issues when switching DC Solenoids?

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James West, technical support engineer for Interface technology and switching devices discusses one of the technical problems he regularly gets asked about.

As a technical support engineer, I get a lot of support enquiries requesting replacement relays. Most of these application problems could be avoided by using the correct type of relay.

Solenoids are a common method of controlling valves in an automated machine. They do not have a particularly high holding current, however they are often used in high frequency switching applications and it’s this factor which will cause any associated mechanical relay to eventually fail.

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Efficient energy management

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Written by Fraser Cowie, Product Marketing Manager- Interface

Phoenix Contact has an innovative and coordinated portfolio of class leading products that can save you time when it comes to energy data acquisition. Future-oriented communication solutions and digital services help you to integrate, manage and process your data.

Whether you are doing complex energy measurements or simple cost centre billing Phoenix Contact has a solution for you with EMPro multifunctional energy measuring devices, including MID certified meters, conventional current transformers and retrofit Rogowski CTs.

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Protect your most sensitive equipment

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Written by Mark Lloyd, Senior Product Manager- Power Supplies & Surge Protection

If you were to ask any electrician or plant maintenance engineer what the main reasons are for electrical equipment failure, some of the answers would be insulation degradation, poor grounding, bad connections but I would put money on voltage spikes as being one of the top answers…..

Voltage spikes can be harmful to electrical and electronic devices and increasing the voltage above a devices nominal operating voltage can cause internal arcing and heat generation that can cause damage to circuits, and with devices becoming smaller and more sophisticated this increases the likelihood of this kind of damage. Often if damage occurs within the devices usually warranty period, the cause may not even be identified. 

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Time for the new standard

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Written by Tony Parrot, Business Development Manager- Machine Building

Exciting times are looming with a simple new concept from Phoenix Contact. Simple in conception but very far reaching in its consequences.

As a manufacturer, Phoenix Contact is taking component supply to another level with all the current trends of efficiency and cost saving the real focus. In line with the new forward thinking manufacturing industries, Phoenix Contact really wants to take partnership all the way through from product selection to integration into systems and machinery with all the relevant support.

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Phoenix Contact’s answer to smart buildings

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Written by Deepan Patel, Industry Manager- Infrastructure

  • Have you needed to use the Niagara Framework on critical applications?
  • Have you needed to fight for space in your cabinet?
  • Have you ever needed to have a more robust hardware?

Phoenix Contact answers those questions and many more! Introducing our Building Controller, a full N4 Niagara Framework (provided by Tridium) controller. The solution to make your building “smart”. Our ILC 2050 BI controller offers native integration of numerous protocols as standard as well as two NICs with 4 ports.

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Simplicity + Safety?

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Written by Andy Maskell, Product Manager- Functional Safety

Implementation of functional safety can cause a bit of head scratching and confusion over the best way to physically connect everything without creating a complex web of cabling and drawings. Not only does this take time it also creates the opportunity for errors.

So let us make it simple for you.

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Electrifying our world

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Written by Duncan Nicol, Sales & Marketing Manager- Device Connections

The year is 2050 and the Paris climate agreement of 2016 is a distant memory but the world has responded dramatically to the existential threat of climate change.

As I sit here writing this blog, the electricity charging the battery in my tablet is 100 percent green and coming from my solar tiled roof. The national grid still exists but is fed from thousands of micro grids dotted around the country and coastline. These micro grids are no longer powered by the dirty leftovers from the dinosaur era but by solar, wind and wave generated energy and backed up by utility scale battery farms.

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Running out of Space in your cabinet?

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Written by Scott Mulholland, Product Manager- Industrial Components

Empty cabinets look big don’t they? But start putting the equipment in and it’s surprising how fast that space fills up.

That’s why at, Phoenix Contact, we are constantly finding new ways to save you space in the cabinet. Our Clipline Complete range of push in terminals (PT), part of the Complete Line system, have many options that are specifically designed to save you space. And if you’re saving space, you may well be saving money.

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Turn your circuit breaker into an IoT enabled device

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There are number of trends in the world of automation, one of the more recent ones is the increasing use of circuit breakers designed specifically to protect DC lines. So called electronic device circuit breakers are fast replacing standard AC circuit breakers as the first choice.  Despite AC breakers being lower cost the technical advantages of DC electronic breakers to protect critical loads and the peace of mind that brings is driving a rapid growth in their usage.

One of our more popular products is the 4 channel CBMC electronic circuit breaker. Each channel can be individually set up to a maximum of 10A to protect the connected loads. In our Vlog we are featuring a version with an IO-link interface which now enables remote access to the device via platforms such as Proficloud.

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Saving valuable space on a PCB

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Written by Duncan Nicol, Sales & Marketing Manager- Device Connections

PCB designers often complain about the lack of space when laying out a PCB. The overall dimension of the device has often been defined right at the outset and before the circuit design is complete. Therefore finding extra space on the PCB is a very welcome and valuable asset.

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