Do you know about the Ice Cube Relay? Just imagine a phenomenon. You are lying in your bed. All of a sudden, it begins cats and dogs outside. Your room temperature becomes low and you want to switch off the ceiling fan. But, you feel very lazy to move. You are thinking that if you could switch off the fan automatically with your voice. Actually, it’s not rocket science. You can easily develop this kind of system if you have sound knowledge of automation engineering.
In this case, a magical switching device can help you named relay. Relay is one kind of electromagnetic switch which controls our loads automatically. On the basis of its action, there are many kinds of relay. Ice cube relay is one of them. Let’s discuss it.
What is Ice Cube Relay?
It is a special type of relay which is commonly used in industrial automation systems with a view to controlling the power flow in a circuit. You are maybe very curious to know why this relay is called “Ice Cube Relay”? Now, I am going to give the answer to this interesting question.
Why it is Called So?
Look at the following picture of this relay. There is a transparent plastic cover. This cover is square-shaped as an ice cube. That’s why we called this relay “Ice Cube Relay”.
Basic Components of Ice Cube Relay
It has two basic parts. They are:
- Load Circuit
- Control Circuit
The basic load is connected with the load circuit. On the other hand, the control circuit controls the load.
How does control circuit control a load?
The control circuit contains two contacts. These are:
- Normally open contact (NO)
- Normally close contact (NC)
There is an electromagnet due to activate the NO and NC contact
Wiring Diagram
Working Principle
Now, I want to present the working principle of this relay simply. The heart of this relay is an electromagnet. When we connect the 12 volt supply the electromagnet will be energized. Then a powerful magnetomotive force will create in the control circuit. This Magnetomotive force helps the spring to move the armature body of NO and NC contact. When there is no power supply, then it is remaining in NO position. But while supplying the DC/AC power, the relay activates and remains in NC position. Then the load circuit gets power and the load (Loud-speaker, Light) turns on.
Voltage Ratings of Ice Cube Relay
120VAC, 220VAC, 12VDC, 24VDC relays are available in the market. We have to use it according to our requirements.
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