Comparison DigiTOP AP-50A vs DigiTOP MP-63A

— Voltage relay. Protective devices that automatically turn off the protected area when the mains voltage goes beyond the specified parameters. Usually, such devices are able to respond to both a significant increase and a significant decrease in voltage. A voltage relay will be a useful addition to traditional protection such as plugs or a circuit breaker, since such protection only reacts to excess current and does not monitor voltage. And in three-phase networks, protective relays can also provide monitoring of phase synchronization, triggering in case of skew, breakage, sticking or phase sequence violation.

— Current relay. Protective devices that automatically turn off the protected area when the consumed current exceeds the specified parameters. It is similar in purpose to circuit breakers, however, firstly, the current relays can also respond to a decrease in current, and secondly, such a device may not work instantly, but after a certain time. It makes sense to install a current relay where short-term operation at high currents is allowed, however, the time of this operation must be limited, and also where long-term idle operation at low currents is undesirable. A classic example is connecting a power-controlled motor: the current at maximum power can be set as an upper limit, and the lower limit can be set just above the no-load current. The shutdown time in such devices, usually, can be set within a few minutes.
...> — Power relay. Protective devices that automatically turn off the protected section of the circuit when the power consumption is exceeded. Such a device monitors both the current strength and the voltage at the same time — we recall that the power is calculated by the formula "current strength multiplied by voltage." The need for a power relay is due to the fact that in some situations it is not an excess of current or voltage that gives an overload, but a combination of them — moreover, both volts and amperes can remain within acceptable values.

— Multifunctional relay. Models that combine the capabilities of several protective devices. A multifunctional device usually has the function of a voltage relay (with upper and lower trip limits) and a power relay or current relay (both with only an upper limit). See above for details of each variety; here we note that their multifunctional relay allows you to get by with one device instead of two.

— Phase selection relay. Protective devices used when supplying a single-phase load through a three-phase network. As the name suggests, such a relay provides automatic selection of the most favorable phase; in other words, if a failure occurs on the current phase, the device switches the load to another phase, with more stable voltage indicators. Such devices are mainly intended for connecting especially important and sensitive devices that have increased requirements for voltage stability.

— Impulse relay. Control devices that close or open the circuit when a short-term voltage pulse is applied to the control input. Also, such devices are called bistable, since each of the switch positions (both “on” and “off”) is stable and changes only when a control pulse is received. One of the options for using such relays is to control lighting from several places at the same time, for example, from two switches installed at different ends of a long corridor. By connecting both of these switches to an impulse relay, one can turn on the light at the entrance to the corridor, and the second one can turn it off at the exit, regardless of the direction of movement. Theoretically, even on one relay, you can tie up as many switches as you like; there are more complex schemes for the use of bistable control devices.

Rated switching current for which the control relay is set. In some models, this parameter can be changed at the request of the user; for such devices, the current value set in the factory settings is indicated (usually, this is the maximum indicator).

For a voltage relay (see “Device”), the rated current is the maximum current allowed for the device and the network segment protected by it for an unlimited time, in fact, the maximum current in normal operation. Exceeding this current is allowed, but not for long (up to several minutes) and not much, not higher than the maximum current (see below). And devices with the functions of a current relay or a power relay can work as follows: if the actual current is between the rated and maximum, the relay goes into the “delayed off” mode, and turns off the power after a certain period of time (for example, 10 minutes). This avoids both overload from long-term operation at high currents, and unnecessary power outages at large, but short-term permissible loads.

Maximum switching current allowed for the control relay. This is the maximum current that the device can safely pass through itself. And for models with current relay functions (see "Device"), this is also the default threshold of instantaneous operation — the current at which the relay instantly turns off the power to the load. In many models, you can set a lower threshold, but not a higher one.

Time to turn off the device on the lower limit of voltage or current. This is a kind of "reaction time" of the relay: the period of time between reaching the lower limit and turning off the protected network segment.

The lower this value, the more advanced the protection will be, the lower the probability of failure of sensitive devices due to untimely operation of the relay. On the other hand, a high response rate for the lower limit is not as critical as for the upper one, and the shutdown time can be quite long — 1 s or more.

Also note that for some devices, this paragraph gives the minimum turn-off time (fastest response time), while in certain modes this time may be longer. For example, a voltage relay with a lower limit of 160 V may provide tripping after less than 0.05 s when the voltage drops below 120 V and tripping after 1 s when the voltage is in the range of 120 – 160 V, but above 120 V. This avoids unnecessary shutdowns with relatively weak and short-term voltage deviations. In the characteristics of such a device, 0.05 s will be indicated.

The device shutdown time on the upper limit of voltage or current. This is a kind of "reaction time" of the relay: the period of time between reaching the upper limit and turning off the protected network segment.

The lower this value, the more advanced the protection will be, the lower the probability of failure of sensitive devices due to untimely operation of the relay. Note that a short reaction time in this case is especially important, because too high a voltage or current is a serious danger to any device.

The reclosing delay is the time after a safety shutdown after which the device turns on the mains power again. Usually, in modern control relays this time can be adjusted, so the characteristics indicate the range from the minimum to the maximum value.

Adjustment of the delay allows you to adjust the format of the relay to the characteristics of the network. So, if voltage failures do not mean critical problems, you can set the minimum re-closing time, and if jumps occur only with serious problems that need to be fixed, it is better to turn on the maximum delay. Note that triggered relays usually allow manual reclosing, and in most models it is possible to completely disable the automatic reclosing function.

The lower voltage shutdown limit provided in the relay; when the voltage drops below this value, the device turns off the power to the protected network segment. Usually, this limit can be adjusted, and the specifications indicate the range of such adjustment.

Although the main danger for various electrical appliances is increased voltage, many devices do not tolerate too low voltage. Therefore, modern voltage relays provide shutdown not only on the upper, but also on the lower threshold.

The upper voltage shutdown limit provided in the relay is the voltage, when exceeded, the device turns off the power to the protected network segment. Usually, this limit can be adjusted, and the specifications indicate the range of such adjustment.

The upper current shutdown limit provided in the device is the threshold above which the relay switches off the protected network segment. Many models allow you to adjust this limit; for them, the range of such adjustment is indicated in the characteristics. Note that for the upper limit of this range, some manufacturers take not the maximum, but the rated current of the device; see above for details on these options.