Relay Circuits - Relay Logic - Online Basic Course
Description
Control of electrical equipment is essential for proper function. A relay
circuit is designed to control operation of electrical equipment. Many types of
relays have been developed for a variety of applications.
This set of ten different Relay Circuit Assignments is intended to present a learning
opportunity online for anyone who seeks a better understanding of relay
circuits. These relay circuits range from simple two wire control to forward/reverse
operations of motors with jog capability. Performing the assignment tasks will
strengthen technical vocabulary, will give several hands-on experiences with
these circuits, and will contribute to a knowledge base of relay circuits which
every working electrician should possess.
Each assignment presents appropriate vocabulary, background text,
ladder diagrams, audio lectures, pictures, and questions with answers about the relay circuit. The
emphasis of the assignments is the translation from a description of function to
a ladder diagram and then to actual wiring of the circuit under study. Hands-on
activities form an essential portion of this educational activity. To participate
fully, there are some electrical materials which will be needed. A
list with suggested sources is provided near the bottom of this page.
Upon successful completion of each assignment, your understanding of relay circuits
will increase. The intent of these basic relay circuit studies is to build a
foundation upon which to understand advanced concepts.
Admittedly many applications learned here in these activities are not in
current use due to the implementation of more sophisticated control techniques.
But all advanced applications have their basis in the relay circuits which will be presented
here.
Caution
These exercises about relay circuits are intended to provide educational
experiences only to working electricians. These exercises are not for a person who is not a working electrician.
If you are not a working electrician, contact your local
educational institutions to see what might be available to you to aid in your
acquiring electrical knowledge.
Cost
This online course in basic relay circuits is presented by
ElectricianEducation.com. Although the course can be used without charge, you
may feel compelled to support the web site with a payment if you have
learned from the material presented here. The level of paid participation will
determine if more courses will be added and if this one will be continued.
A $25 fee is requested to help pay the bandwidth charges, authorship, memory
cost, and web development fees. Of course, you don't have to pay when you are done with the
assignments. You can just go on your merry way. But, upon completion, if you feel this activity has
helped you to be a better electrician, then send on your payment. Invest
In Yourself. Details
about payment for this course at the end of Assignment #10. Click HERE
to see the form for sending payment.
If you pay $45 for the course in advance of use, you are entitled to email
support from the instructor dularson@bellsouth.net
for questions you may develop as you proceed. Click HERE for payment
instructions.
When you have finished all ten assignments successfully, make your payment.
A certificate of completion will be sent to you. See a sample certificate HERE. No
certificate of completion is available without payment of a course fee.
Previous Experience
As a working electrician with any time on the job and some completed
educational activities, you probably know some or even all of the material
presented here. As you look over the assignments you may be confident of your
ability to wire and draw some of the diagrams from memory. You may also be able to
answer most questions without difficulty. Great. In this case just skip over the
assignments you fully understand.
Here is a caution about skipping the actual wiring and sketching aspects.
Don't. Reading diagrams, drawing diagrams from memory, and wiring relay circuits
from memory are essential skills all successful electricians must possess. This
background will aid in troubleshooting when problems develop. Further this
foundation will make more advanced applications easier to understand with a firm
foundation.
Electrical Theory
Depending on how long it has been since you studied electrical theory, you may
want to review. Click HERE to go to
an online collection of electrical theory facts which may be of use to you.
Obviously there is more information presented at ElectricianEducation.com
that you will need for this online course. But you may want to expand yo0ur
knowledge of electrical theory. Set the main page as a favorite you you can
easily return from time to time as the need arises.
Group Study
You may even want to get your electrician buddies together to work on these
assignments. Since getting all the material together to do the wiring will take
some time, having more than one person work on it at the same time will be
efficient. And even fun! Working together with another electrician will produce
a better educational experience. Why not learn together from the material and from each
other. Everyone has had different work experiences. Working together allows you
to benefit from that accumulated experience. You will strengthen your
understanding of any topic when you explain it to someone else.
Materials Needed
The electrical components needed are available from many different sources. I have included
places where I know these parts can be found. By including a specific source, I
do not feel this is where you need to get what you will use for these exercises.
This is America after all. Go on to get what you need where ever you can find
what you need. A junk box in the van, shop, or warehouse may have much of what
you will need. Flea markets and eBay are even worth checking out. Nothing has to
be new to be useful for these exercises.
You may click on the name of each item to see a picture of what
I use in my classes for each part when I instruct this topic in a classroom
setting.
Quantity
|
Name
|
Description
|
Source
|
3
|
|
any N.C.
pushbuttons will do
|
|
3
|
|
any N.O.
pushbuttons will do
|
|
3
|
|
power relay
|
|
1
|
|
any three way
switch will do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
3
|
|
any single pole
switch will do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
2
|
|
any keyless
lampholder will do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
2
|
|
any colors will
do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
1
|
|
any cord will
do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
24
|
|
these are
better than trying to hardwire
|
|
1
|
|
any one will do
|
Any electrical
supply house
|
1
|
|
any one will do
|
Any electrical supply house
|
Tools Needed
Pencil and paper for notes
three ring notebook
filler paper
paper punch
volt detect tester
voltage tester for 120 volts
continuity tester
screw driver
wire strippers
Safety Glasses
120 volt power source GFCI protected
Free Literature
Manufacturers of electrical components used in relay circuits produce quite a
bit of free literature to be used by their customers. Follow the links for Allen
Bradley, Cutler Hammer, Square D which are given at the bottom of this page in
the link rack. Take a look to see what they might have that will help you obtain
education for application of their products.
Safety
Always of concern to an electrician is electrical safety. Please review the
safety information provided at ElectricianEducation.com. Click HERE
to go to a collection of details which you can use as you prepare for the
assignments in this online course.
Of Special Note
Use a GFCI protected circuit for these exercises. Do not energize your test
circuits until you are sure of the connections. Have another working electrician
verify that you have done the work correctly before applying power to the test.
Then stay well clear of the uninsulated aspects of the circuit while power is
on. Remember to turn off power before making adjustments to the wiring. Click HERE
to read about GFCI protection.
Summary
This method of providing educational activities in the open on the internet
without passwords seems like a grand experiment to me. You can proceed at your
own pace. You can work on the assignments in your own time. You can work from
home. Or from the library. Or from the office. And you can embrace subject
mastery as your goal. No one will be pushing you toward completion. Take your
time to fully understand each relay circuit given here. If, upon
completion, you feel you have gained useful information, then and only then are
you encouraged to pay the course fee. Let's see what happens.
Text Links
As you move through this learning activity you will encounter text link ads from
time to time. If you see a topic given which is interesting to you, click on the
link. See what's there. Then use your back button to return to the assignment.
Here is a sample.
Follow these Google text ads to serve your specific needs as you may
determine.
The internet provides all users with a huge array of sources of information.
By clicking on links, you have the chance to find details which will expand your
mind. The serendipity aspect of internet use is wonderful. Click On!
Suggestions For Improvement
As you work through this online course, please email dularson@bellsouth.net
suggestions to make the course better. The internet allows everyone to join a
community. Participate by suggesting improvements where you can.
Have fun! Cheers:>)
If you would like to research any of these topics further, enter the search
term in this Google Search Box:
Begin HERE - Click HERE to go to Job #1
Use these Relay Circuit links to go to where you left off in
your online activities.
Job
|
Assignment
|
Diagram
|
Lecture
|
Picture
|
Questions
|
Answers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
