Smokers

[Scott Kilford]

Hi everyone don’t know wether it’s been mention before.
Over the weekend I replaced the switch that turns the smokers on with R.C activated relays,I wired two in series for a 30 amp,250 volt setup,now I can turn smokers on/off from my transmitter.

Cya

[Armortek]

Hi Scott - looks like a good solution for the heating element.
Just be aware, and for others that read this thread, the figures you quoted are for AC voltage and not DC. For DC the ratings are a lot lower.

The OMRON Relay that this unit uses is rated at 8A and should not be supplied with over 30V of DC supply. We have the data sheet somewhere around the office and can upload it if anyone wants more details.

As a side note, you mentioned that you had wired them in Series. I think that was a typo and should have said "wired in parallel" since this is what your photos show and that would allow the theoretical doubling of the rated current.

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi all,

just a hint about using 2 relays to roughly double the rated current. Each relay has a specific switch time rating and a specific contact resistance. Therefore it is not a good idea to use 2 or more relays to increase the switching current because the one relay switching slightly faster burns down its contact before the other relay can assist.

I'm using DC relays with 3 to 5 times more rated current than normally needed by the load (e.g. 100 amps - two state relays for the main circuit switching) with best results over years ('install and forget').