A relay switch uses electricity to do work (such as open and close circuits) by using an electromagnet.

A relay switch is a device that works on the operating principles of electromagnetic induction. It uses electricity to do work (such as open and close circuits) by using an electromagnet. The two kinds of relays are mechanical relays and semiconductor relays like solid state relays.

ISO relays are the standard type of relay and these adhere to International Standards Organization standards. Relay diagrams are symbolized as the coil and the box, with the common terminal connects placed close by, and you can see this type of relay pictured in many guides to circuit symbols.

Relay switches are used where it would be impractical or dangerous to make or break the electronic circuit manually. For example, in power stations, the big circuit breakers are all controlled by electrical relays, which are themselves regulated by control panels.

To control these huge currents, generally, they use very large solenoids connected with many turns of wire in order to produce enough force on the armature (the thing moving back and forth which does the switching) to move the relay contact or contacts in the tiny fraction of a second before any damage occurs to them. This is why these relays are often known as controlled circuits or controlled circuit relays.

Smaller but still high-power relays control electrical circuits and other electronic equipment that are used in various industries.

A simple electromagnetic relay consists of an electromagnet that is energized by a small electric current flowing through a coil of wire (the coil is sometimes called the relay coil, control coil, or control circuit), usually when it receives a small voltage pulse (the input signal) applied to an input circuit called the "control terminal". The arm that moves is mechanically linked to one or more sets of mechanical contacts. When the relay contacts are opened and closed with the use of a control switch, they allow power to flow through an electrical circuit. The circuit for an electromagnetic relay is sometimes also called a magnetic circuit.

In some circuits, a relay will "latch", that is, the contacts will remain in position until another signal from the same or a different circuit operates the relay again and makes the moving contacts disconnect or makes the contacts connect (by making the movable contact touch the fixed contact). Actuator relays (actuated relays) are binary actuators as they as the same relay has two stable states - the "latched" state, when it is energized, or the unlatched one, when it is denergized.

The resulting "switch" can then be used wherever an electrical load needs to be controlled by electric signals rather than a mechanical movement. The output circuit (also known as the control circuit) of the relay is the portion of the relay that switches the load on or off. It is possible to have a relay with both multiple inputs and multiple outputs.

A simpler version of this sort of switch is called a limit switch. It only changes the connections when the arm has reached one end of its travel. They are used on things like machine tool tables and automated teller machines where they act as protective stops for robotic arms and point of sale devices which prevent them from colliding with obstacles or injuring someone if something goes wrong. They aren't generally referred to as relays though some people do refer to them as such.

Relays can have one or more poles. There are four main types of mechanical switches:

  • SPST (single pole single throw)

  • SPDT (single pole double throw) SPDT (single pole double throw)

  • DPST (double pole single throw)

  • DPDT (double pole double throw)

When it comes to single pole switches, of the two, SPDT switches are the most common. In fact, they are the most common type of mechanical switch. A semiconductor relay (like a solid state relay), on the other hand, is a solid-state electronic component used to control electrical circuits by switching them on and off frequently. They are available in many different forms but they all work on the same principle - they allow two conductors to be connected at one time which makes them ideal for doing a variety of tasks where a mechanical switch can't be relied upon. The advantage of semiconductors over electromagnetic relays is that semiconductor relays (like solid state relays) can turn themselves off whereas electromechanical relays have to be turned off manually or stay latched closed until power is removed. This means that it's more likely you'll hear about semiconductor relays being used as sensors since once something has been detected there is no need to keep checking whether it is still there. Other advantages include the fact that they are silent, maintenance-free and relatively small which means that in most cases they can be hidden away from view. This makes them ideal for use where people might not want to see what's being controlled or sensed e.g. on vending machines or public toilet lavatories where you wouldn't want someone to know if they were watering a plant or by how much money was left in the machine via any visible indicators on it. The disadvantages of semiconductor relays (like solid state relays) are that they usually require an external power source whereas electromechanical relays often have their own internal batteries built-in and their switching speed isn't generally as fast since there isn't anything moving to slam the contacts either together or apart.

How does a relay switch work?

A simple relay generally has three connections to its switch contacts, labelled COM (common), normally closed (NC) and NO (normally open relay). A normally open relay is the default in the open position, and a normally closed relay is the default in the close position. Normally open relays are the more common of the two, though both contain two circuits. When power is applied through the relay coil which forms an electromagnet, it creates a magnetic force or magnetic field. A lever or armature attached to its end moves into the path of the magnetized core which completes the switching circuit. This means that when you connect two different wires together by operating your switch, the current will flow from one circuit through the coil terminal in one direction until it reaches another set of contacts on the other side called "switch contacts". These are metal pieces usually spring-loaded so they normally touch each other but not while you have your switch in the position you want them to be in. When the switch is closed, they will be separated and current can flow from one wire to another since the path of least resistance is created by this circuit. Once you've turned your switch off again, these contacts spring back together and disconnect your circuitry again. Please note that most relays also have a fourth connection called "common" which is used to complete the entire circuit when power is applied to it even if you don't want or need it so some outlets or light switches may have four terminals as opposed to three which would only create a single electrical pathway for electricity to flow through. Some relays can have as many as eight terminals.

What is the main purpose of a relay?

A relay is an electrically operated switch which means it can be used to control several electronic circuits and other electronic equipment with a single command such as the ON/OFF button on your television's remote control.

Such a relay can also be used for many different kinds of tasks such as controlling the speed of electric motors, controlling industrial motor starters, or determining whether an object is near something so you can turn on the projector screen, unlock a door or activate some kind of alarm.

What they really excel at though is amplifying low-power control signals into larger, more powerful ones. They switch power for signals only a small amount of electricity which means that unless you're using extremely high voltages and currents, they will operate just fine without needing too much power to do their job. Since they use very little power, they can often be left powered up even when something isn't activating them but this may depend on the quality and type of relay you are using as not all types of relays need electricity flowing through them in order to remain in their activated state. They are a key element to electrical safety, which the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading has a handy guide to.

What are some other uses for a relay?

Other relays can be used to control voltage devices with high voltage using low voltage commands such as 12V, 24V, or even 120V AC which you could easily get from an Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or any other kind of microcontroller board (a printed circuit board with a microcontroller on it). Some multi-channel switches known as "relay modules" can be daisy-chained so that many different kinds of relays can be controlled by only one pin on your microcontroller and this is why it's almost always better to choose one of these over trying to build several electromechanical relays yourself. Using relays also has the added benefit that they will protect your circuitry from any kind of high voltage spikes or other electrical problems which can happen in certain circumstances. This means that if you want to use an electromechanical relay, it would be a good idea to use one with isolated contacts so when it activates, the metal parts will move away from each other instead of touching and breaking your circuit. Other ways relays can be used include using them to control a circuit track on a model railway.

What is the difference between a relay and a switch?

Although they may look very much alike, a relay and a switch operate in extremely different and separate ways. A switch will either bring the circuit into contact or completely disconnect it while a relay can change which terminals are electrically connected by changing the configurable contacts within the device.

They also have no moving parts and instead contain an electromagnet around a steel core which pulls a set of internal contacts together when a small current is passed through its coil. This means that they can be activated without needing to actually touch anything since all you need to do is influence them with electricity from your Arduino, Raspberry Pi, microcontroller board or calculator chip.

What is the difference between on/on and on/off?

On/on basically just means that you have two separate circuits for each one then when power is applied to one of them, it activates the other one. In a device like a relay, this kind of configuration will mean that you get two sets of contacts. These are either the normally closed contact or open contact, which stay in position until power is supplied to them thus allowing them to either make or break their connections. On/off circuits simply mean that when you want one circuit activated, all you need to do is activate another one. This kind of setup can be used for something like a security light where the side connected to your Arduino would only have 2 terminals instead of 4 where electricity could flow through it from either side but not both at once unless activated by another part of your circuit which does have four terminals so that when the power goes through the first line, it passes into the second one and branches out from there into different parts of your circuit.

What is the relay switch on a car?

A relay switch on a car is a mechanism that allows you to use your internal electronics system in order to activate something else such as your horn or the windshield wipers. Automotive relays are basically just another type of electromechanical switch that is activated by a small electrical current from a nearby microcontroller or another kind of computerized device. The most common relays in cars are the relays that allow the ignition key to work. Another popular use of relays in cars is to create audible alarms as anti-theft protection.

How do you wire up a relay?

To begin with, take apart the relay and look at how it's made. You should be able to see that there are 4 electrical terminals on the outside - one for each connection between the coil and anything else so these will be where your power needs to go in order to activate it. Next you want to connect your supply wires (positive and negative) so that they go through all of them in parallel which means they need to cross over each other before connecting together again once inside the device - this is why relays often have 3 connections instead of just two like switches do since when you hook them up in parallel, you essentially get 6 individual relay circuits all hooked together into one larger circuit. Since they're usually designed to work with low voltage electricity, you don't want to use any more than that, so you shouldn't increase the operating voltage too much. This is why switching high voltages isn't recommended if you're using a lower voltage device.

What is a double-throw relay?

A double throw relay is simply the kind that has two sets of contacts inside of it so that when it's activated by its coil, either circuit can become live at once or just one of them. This is useful for circuits that need both positive and negative power in order to function properly such as a basic solar panel where you have a light-dependent resistor connected between your Arduino and an LED or solenoid attached to one set of terminals while the other side will either be connected directly to the 5V pin on your microcontroller board or powered through another electronic component such as a transistor before finally making it to the GND pin.

What is the difference between relay and transistor?

Relays are electromechanical switches which means they can be activated by electricity while transistors make use of electrical currents in order to amplify voltages like how an amplifier works when you need more power in order for your speakers to produce sound, as they can switch power from low-voltage to high-voltage. For example, instead of connecting a 12V battery directly into an LED (where it would most likely burn out), you could connect them both up through a current-controlled switch like what's found inside of a transistor.

What are some relays I could use at home?

There are several kinds of relays available but they all work in pretty much the same way although may have different applications depending on what you need them for. Here are some that can be used at home to control pretty much anything like your appliances, garage door opening system or the lights in your living room:

Remote controlled switch

A remote-controlled switch works by plugging it into an outlet and then connecting both of its sets of terminals up with whatever you want to power or activate (like a lamp for example). You'd then set up another part of your circuit on the other side which would require power but not until it's activated by another wire connecting from your Arduino board. This way, whatever appliance is plugged in through this relay will only turn on when signalled by a certain action such as pressing a button attached to one of your microcontroller's pins.

Reversing relay switch

This is a very useful relay that can be hooked up to work with a car reversing light for example so that the moment somebody activates the turn signal, it would automatically activate a set of LEDs on its other side instead of having to rely on two separate circuits working independently from one another by flipping one of them around - an extra push might mean they'll miss out on seeing your signals so it's important to have everything connected properly. Other types of relays include:

  • Protective relays

  • Solid state relays

  • Time delay relays

  • Reed relays

The Queensland State Government has some handy information on safety switches.