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SCR's Please Educate Me :)

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Lack of experience urges me to ask this question...

Silicon Controlled Rectifiers seem to be very limited in scope of application.

When substituted for a mechanical magnetic relay are SCR's that much more inferior? Vulnerable?

Or is it a switch triggering limitation of using a lower denomination direct current voltage?

Or maybe an issue of space, considering an SCR needs adequate (pricey?) heat sinking.

I seem to be reading conflicting opinions online at various websites.
22 REPLIES 22

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Will do. Next trip north is in early December. Wouldn't it be nice if that heavy looking cord was SOW 12 gauge? Some hospital green-dot plugs and receptacles I have purchased had nickel plated contacts. Inside the make up plugs all of the sheet metal clamps were almost twice the thickness. Until a person actually lays hands on a good brand of specification grade or any hospital green-dot plug and receptacle they really don't have a clue as to how much better electrical contact they give. I'm wondering if NEC and NEMA even have a mandatory specification for the how "brass" contacts are alloyed. For a fact, 90% copper and 10% zinc is a far cry from 60% copper and 40% zinc. Add a hint of phosphor to the 90/10 alloy and it turns it into a superior strength electrical contactor. Very high tensile and thermal strength. Couple that with a nylon body and the receptacle or plug is almost break proof. The nickel coating does not seem to add a whit of resistance to contacts.


This puppy is big enough to accept a small army of transient voltage protectors.

We shall see. Ordering this has made my day and my week.

No more traveling circus grade flopping power cords!

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
Gordon
Thank you for that link
Like i said commercial-industrial
Hospital grade is the best
Thanks
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Dangit, Mexico's connection to that free proxy just about froze download speeds. I searched eBay and Amazon, and some Chinese sites to no avail. Now this comes to me on a silver platter.



THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Heatsinking SCRs never bothered me. There are some 100-amp SCR switches available but the unit recommended in the photo above is NEC NEMA "Green Dot" and they do not fool around when it comes to hospital grade electric. No cheesy wavy six-inch long zinc laden brass strips for outlet contacts.

As they say in Mexico HAZ CLIK (Click Here)

ORDERED!


Figured that would be up your alley, heavy duty military surplus. Report back when it arrives and you crack it open to take a peek inside, curious if it's as heavy duty inside as it looks outside.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Dangit, Mexico's connection to that free proxy just about froze download speeds. I searched eBay and Amazon, and some Chinese sites to no avail. Now this comes to me on a silver platter.



THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Heatsinking SCRs never bothered me. There are some 100-amp SCR switches available but the unit recommended in the photo above is NEC NEMA "Green Dot" and they do not fool around when it comes to hospital grade electric. No cheesy wavy six-inch long zinc laden brass strips for outlet contacts.

As they say in Mexico HAZ CLIK (Click Here)

ORDERED!

lynndiwagon
Explorer
Explorer
The switchboard idea is better and safer.
Lynn & Diana Wagoner
Three Boston Terriers
2011 Chevy 3500HD, DRW, 4X4
2014 Big Country 3650RL
Retired

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
How about this? Clicky

Passing nearly 2kw of energy through an SCR is going to make it heat up pretty good, it will need a good size heatsink.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
I want to pass the cords straight down through holes in the table. That gets rid of the clutter. But two of the five need to be switched. I thought SCRs would mean minimal switching, even push-on-push-off would work. Having had two fires with conventional outlet strips eliminates them. When opened up I found the contacts to be about 5% that of a spec receptacle. They are toys. I chopped cords. Their 16 gauge is 17.5 gauge. I'll do this with individual duplex boxes with spec receptacles under the table, s mechanical timer, and an either/or on/on toggle. The timer eliminates the need for pilot lights.

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
i agree you need a better way
but you can get that 12ga outlet strip, get something commercial/industrial
you are thinking of ordering scrs
order the power strip instead

its up to you, but its a whole lot simplier than building something with SCRs, boxes switches etc,

no matter what you build, you still have all those devices , cords and plugs
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Wanna see my pile of burned out terminal strips? Well two have melted switches the others have melted plastic around the prongs. These strips have sixteen gauge wire. Not real cool for a 1875 watt kettle.

Only ONE "switch receptacle" like what you show fits the duplex. They cannot be stacked side-by-side. I sorta know that cause there's one there now. I COULD use a six outlet power strip with TWELVE GAUGE 3 foot pigtail and velcro it to the rear of the microwave oven then start reach around behind the oven to flip switches. The appliance CORDS all do not reach the outlet. This ain't a house with countertop receptacles. Read, the SINGLE MEANING 3 holes total outlet is chest high.

My counters in Quicksilver have an outlet every 18" I'm spoiled. But I am sick of a least a dozen plugging and unpluggings every morning. Ever hold up six cords while wiping down a table?

This sounds like I am whining and I am hopefully whining LOUDLY. There has to be a better way to manage this medusa's octopus.

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
sheesh
whats wrong with one heavy duty power strip as the main source
and power for the devices with on/off switches
and a few cheap power strips with on/off switch for the devices that don't have a power switch

its portable, its removable, it does not require building, soldering, wiring

https://www.google.com/search?num=20&source=hp&ei=_rkTWprbEMi2UYeGt4AO&q=120v+plug+in+power+switch&o...

or

I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
I know Mr DrewE,

Maybe I'm missing the point. I want to clean up that table top. This is a Mexican house and in the kitchen is a wooden cabinet with a stainless sink on top/ Zero counters.

Having live circuits sunk flush (receptacles) occurred to me. But I am not going to waste 40% of a monthly pension trying to find appliances that have integral switches. No matter what I think up I don't like it. It's frustrating as heck. But I can dream all I want, and that single receptacle will not multiply. Concrete walls are a hassle. Wires are submerged into hardened and sometimes sandy concrete. Reminds me of the old Chrysler troubleshooting contest where evil minds conspired to formulate confusing interpolated symptoms to thwart easily diagnosis.

The appliance no-switch point makes this tougher. But for a measly hundred forty five dollars I can diddy bop down to Costco Mexico and get a new Braun griddle with a switch -- sorta pricey switch yes/no?

I'm out of easy answers. BTW I am insisting on DPDT switches for use with electric metal case appliances. Just in case some bonehead attacks the service drop when I am absent.

Brings up a point. Like all Mexican homes this one is full of rebar. With a magnet I can find rebar in the concrete wall. If I learn which threaded screw is designed to function in bare concrete I could establish an earth ground.

DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
Can you get halfway decent switches and skip either the relay or the SCR circuit? That would seem like the simplest approach to me. I mean, 15A AC switches are not exactly NASA grade unobtanium castings, and your loads are nice resistive ones that should have minimal inductance.

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
I'd use relays for controlling appliances.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
SCR v/s Relay. Depends on the use

An SCR. once it is triggered by application of the trigger voltage to the GATE lead will continue to conduct, EVEN if the Trigger voltage is removed, till current drops to a cut off point.. Thus in a DC circuit, they latch on and stay on forever Or till you cut off the SOURCE voltage

In an AC circuit.. They will stop conducting when the voltage nears the base line (ZERO). and not start again till triggered.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times