Fused terminal blocks offer localised protection

23rd April 2014

Hylec APL Ltd

Staff Reporter

0 0

A range of fused terminal blocks, offering localised protection within an electrical circuit, has been launched by Hylec-APL. Designed for a wide range of uses, especially lighting applications, the terminal blocks ensure that a circuit fault in one fitting does not affect others on the same circuit, which can keep the majority of the lights on and make it easier to locate the fault.

Most large lighting installations involve multiple fittings being supplied by a single circuit protection device. However, if a fault occurs within one of the individual fittings it will cause the circuit protection device to trip and the remaining units on that circuit will lose power. Losing so many lights at once may cause significant inconvenience, but it can also make identifying the location of the fault a lengthy task as all of the connections need to be checked until the fault is found.

By using fused terminal blocks from Hylec-APL, it's possible to provide individual fittings with properly discriminated protection; meaning that in the event of a fault only a single light will go out. The terminal blocks are available in a variety of configurations, with one to five poles, making them ideal, even for emergency light fittings, each having a 5x20mm fuse-holder, rated for 13 amps, with an integrated spare fuse carrier.

The terminal blocks can be specified with or without earth terminals and wire protectors depending on customer requirements. They are made from UL94-V0 flame retardant polyamide for the terminal moulding and the connectors are nickel plated brass and rated to 20 amps. The terminals offer IP2X finger protection and can accept conductors up to 4mm2 without wire protectors.