Circuit Breaker Illumination

 

Carling Technologies offers both illuminated and non-illuminated circuit breakers.

Illuminated Circuit Breakers

Illuminated circuit breaker offerings include Carling Technologies' M-Series. Illuminated circuit breakers are designed with an independent lamp that is powered by a voltage source separate from the circuit the breaker is protecting. Illumination options can include choices of actuator style and color, lamp types, lamp colors, and lamp voltages.

Illuminated Actuator Style & Colors

Illuminated actuator styles include flat and angled rockers. Actuator colors include clear, red transparent, green transparent, amber transparent, smoke-gray transparent, and white translucent illuminated. Actuator legends are imprinted in black for the white translucent rocker. All other rockers are imprinted in white.

Lamp Types, Colors, & Voltages

Carling Technologies' illuminated circuit breakers are available with Neon or LED lamps.

Neon Lamps

Neon lamps utilize a low-density gas in a sealed glass bulb. Via two small electrodes located within the bulb, a sufficiently high voltage ionizes the inert neon gas and makes it conductive. Once it's ionized, a lower voltage will keep it ionized and keep current flowing through the lamp. The light comes from the excited neon ions.

Neon lamps are typically used in higher voltage, 125-250 VAC applications. Carling does not include resistors with its neon lamp option; the customer must supply external resistors. For neon bulb applications at 120VAC, a 47K, 1/4-WATT resistor is required; for 250VAC applications, a 150K, 1/4-WATT external resistor is required. These resistors will control the amount of current flowing through the lamp, so that the ionized gas, which has a negative resistance, won't destroy itself.

When neon lamps are used, illumination colors are typically determined by the color of the rocker selected. However, neon light shifts toward the amber/red side of the color spectrum, and therefore is not recommended for use with green actuators. To accommodate this limitation, Carling offers a "green glow" neon lamp option. Green, clear, smoke-gray, or white translucent rockers must be selected when using the green glow neon lamp.

LED Lamps

LED's (Light Emitting Diodes) are composed of a DC diode chip and connections encased in plastic and epoxy, These lamps are used in DC or AC rectified applications. Carling supplies the LED mounted in the center of the rocker actuator, with the electrical characteristics as follows: 100 millicandela at 20mA; maximum power dissipation of 75mW at 25 degrees C; typical forward voltage of 2.1V at 20mA; typical reverse current of 100uA at 3V. Carling can provide LED illumination with or without resistors. If an LED breaker is ordered without resistors, the customer must supply the proper external resistor to meet the electrical characteristics listed above. Carling offers LED's with resistors for 4-8VDC lamp voltages, and 9-16VDC lamp voltages.

LED illumination colors are determined by the color of the lamp, and include red, green, and amber. When using LED's, the rocker color selected must be clear, smoke-gray, white translucent, or must match the color of the LED selected.