If you know RIB® relays, you'll be familiar with our use of the red LED. However, not everyone knows what the red LED means on the relay devices we offer. Let's shed some light on this sometimes confusing detail!
Ease and Convenience
First, the aim with RIB relays, and Functional Devices as a whole, is to make installation easy and convenient for the field technicians and installers. The benefit of RIB relays is that they're offered in pre-packaged, pre-wired, and UL approved formats. This saves time and money when it comes to installation. One way we thought of passing savings on to you is by incorporating the red LED on our relays.
Typically, some kind of visual indicator of relay coil status is incorporated in any relay installation. This visual indicator says to the outside world, "Hey world, my coil is being energized!" Over the years, Functional Devices has listened to feedback, determining that our relay products are higher quality when an LED is added to the construction.
LED On = Energized Coil
Contrary to what a red light typically means (i.e. stop, warning, etc.) the red LED on our RIB relays signifies that the coil of the relay is being energized. It does not mean that there is something wrong with the RIB relay. That can be an important detail when debugging the system using the RIB relay. For example, let's say that a RIB2401B relay is controlling a fan motor. The building automation system (BAS) is calling for the fan to turn on. The red LED is illuminated, however, the fan is not turning. What could be happening in this system?
- Is the motor is locked up?
- Is the power to the motor is down?
- Is the motor is too large of a load and the relay contacts seized?
While that list is not exhaustive, it certainly narrows down the possible issues which then helps to debug the system. When the problem is determined quickly, it means a solution may quickly be implemented to bring everything back to normal.
I hope that helps to clear up any confusion about the red LED on the RIB relay devices we offer. There are a few exceptions to this rule in some products, though, so if you have a question then contact us.
About Functional Devices, Inc.
Functional Devices, Inc., located in the United States of America, has been designing and manufacturing quality electronic devices since 1969. Our mission is to enhance lives in buildings and beyond. We do so by designing and manufacturing reliable, high-quality products for the building automation industry. Our suite of product offerings include RIB relays, current sensors, power controls, power supplies, transformers, lighting controls, and more.
We test 100% of our products, which leads to less than 1 out of every 16,000 products experiencing a failure in the field.
Simply put, we provide users of our various products confidence and peace of mind in every box.