The relay's primary appeal is its ability to do a lesser-switch's bidding but it's capable of so much more. Relays can be wired together to create very useful, simple, and utterly reliable networks.

The ordinary type of relay is an electromagnet that operates a switch. Many kinds of switch can be used, including the "SPDT" (see Index to find explanation in an earlier chapter), which is shown in ...

The real core of engineering, in addition to technical expertise, is the ability to articulate the inevitable tradeoffs and pros/cons of design alternatives, and then weigh these relative to each ...

Relays usually are driven using optocouplers, which offer isolation between analog and digital grounds to ensure that switching currents in the relay coils do not affect the noise margin of the ...

Relay sockets accept electromechanical switches in which the variation of current in one electric circuit controls the flow of electricity in another circuit. Relay sockets are made of metal or ...

In this Design Idea, we look at how electromechanical relays display hysteresis behavior that is surprisingly similar to the solid-state Schmitt trigger circuits, and how they can be used for many ...

An RC circuit in series with the coil allows full-current turn-on for reliable relay operation, then reduces the current to save power. Fellow engineer Sanjay R. Chendvankar of Mumbai, India, recently ...