Essential Components in a Control Panel

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Control panels are a critical part of building automation systems, providing a centralized location for managing controls, performing maintenance, and making system modifications. Essential components include mounting track to securely hold devices, relays to manage electrical signals, power supplies, and terminal blocks to organize wiring. These elements work together to create an efficient, organized control panel that simplifies system management. Personally, I'm a bit partial to our very own mounting track, such as the MT4, but by far, the most popular around is the DIN rail.

DIN Rail Mount Relays

Admired for its durability and versatility, DIN style rail can be found in control panels across the nation. Naturally, we here at Functional Devices have hopped on the bandwagon, too, and created our own line of DIN rail mount relays. These come in a variety of options, such as SPDT and DPDT, with and without a switch, and some even with replaceable relays. Of course, if you're like me and still want to use some of our Track Mount relays, you can also get our AT4 series adaptable track that clips onto DIN rail.

Low-Voltage DC Power Supplies

In addition to DIN rail, another important component of Control panels are low voltage DC power supplies. There are lots of ways to generate low-voltage DC power, the most efficient of them being the Switch Mode Power Supply, or SMPS for short. They also happen to be the most conservative on space, making them the perfect candidate for control panels. And wouldn't you know it, Functional Devices offers some SMPS that are also DIN rail mount! (Its almost like we planned it that way or something... )

The SMPS themselves all have an adjustable output of 24-28 Vdc, many of them being Class 2 rated. Inputs can take anything from 100 Vac to 240 Vac, and the outputs range in power from 15W all the way up to 240W. Some of the larger models, such as the PULS-PIC240-241D, even have an auxiliary contact so that your controller can know when its power output is good. They also are compatible with the relays mentioned above.

Contact Us With Questions About Control Panel Components

DIN rail mount power supplies and relays might not be as important as the controller itself, but a panel is still not complete without them. Speaking of, make sure your panel is complete by checking out our housings and DIN rail itself. As always, if you need help finding any other components for your control panel or have any other questions, be sure to contact us at tech support.