Things You Should Know A High Voltage Contactor

By Robert Hughes


Developments in semiconductor technology have led to the innovation of solid state switches that can replace thyratrons, ignition and spark gaps that were being used before. Older electronics used drivers that are being replaced by TTL input. These advances have improved the efficiency of switches over time. A high voltage contactor has the flow features that make them one of the best inventions.

One of these details is the low input power loss. This low loss has been making possible through the use of MOSFET technology when developing the switches. The only loss incurred in this technology is only caused by the total gate charge, the drive voltage, and switching frequency. The loss is very low since the overal gate charge is small. Switches that use bipolar transistors such as BJT tend to cause more losses. There is a lot of power lost especially during switching.

They are reliable for current applications. They offer steady hard saturation even at short-circuit operation. The ability to switch faster enabling them to use smaller inductors in switch mode supplies. This increases overall efficiency. This reliability makes it possible to use these contactors in medical test equipment.

These contactors can be customized in a number of ways to suit where they are being used. The customization is mostly done with the housing and the footprint. Another area that customization can be done is sensitivity. These innovations help the switches to run effectively with the equipment.

When designing the switches, one important factor considered is prevention against voltage reversal and overload. Chances of voltage reversal are very low with these switches. This prevents cases that would have been otherwise catastrophic. There are different technologies used when making the switches including MOSFET and SCR. These ensure safety and security whenever the switch is in use. Especially during switching.

These contactors are voltage controlled unlike those controlled by current. This helps them to switch using very little current which means they can handle high loads without heating. On the other hand, other switches require a fair amount of current to switch which makes them create a lot of heat when handling high loads. The possibility of these switches operating in linear mode is very minimal. This is because the level of drain current does affect the gate-source voltage.

Faster switching is guaranteed with these switches. This is because they are able to handle high frequencies. The switching losses are incredibly low compared to other switches. The gate of transistors used in these contactors is insulated with a thin oxide layer which means they do not need to draw current when switching. This has an advantage in speed and the time taken to switch.

There are many developments still being made in the semiconductor technology in order to reduce limitations if these contactors. They are efficient enough to be used in day-to-day operations but still have a few downsides that need to be taken care of. The above-discussed features are just some of the advantages of using these switches. These are sure to make your work easy.




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