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Here is a list of 26 Relays categories. It encompasses a wide range including thermal relays, automotive relays, reed relays, power relays, etc. You can search for an overview, principle, and usage of each category, as well as find manufacturers and distributors.
A relay is a component with the function of a switch that turns on or off a subsequent electrical circuit by means of an electrical signal received from an external source.
Unlike manual controls, such as lighting that are turned on and off with a pushbutton, automatic controls require electrically operated contacts. For this purpose, relays are used, whose contacts are operated by electromagnetic force.
A relay is a device that opens or closes an electric circuit by electromagnetic force, and depending on the set capacity, can control even large loads. They are also called electromagnetic relays.
Relays can be divided into two main types: contact relays and non-contact relays. Contact relays are also called mechanical relays, and non-contact relays are called solid-state relays (SSR).
Contact relays consist of a coil wound around an iron core and an electrical contact that turns the current on and off. When electricity flows through the coil, a magnetic field is generated, which attracts the metal contacts and energizes them when they make contact. The operation of the electromagnet and contacts are mechanically linked, but electrically separate. For example, the contacts of a relay operating at a voltage of 24 VDC can be used to light a 100 VAC light bulb.
A relay that does not have mechanically operating components like a contact relay. It consists of electronic components such as photodiodes, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and TRIACs and thyristors, which are a type of power semiconductor. The basic principle is that the photodiode receives the light generated by the current flowing through the light-emitting diode and current flows through it.
Relays can switch large currents on and off with a small amount of current.
Because relays have such a variety of effects, they are used in a wide range of applications, including in-vehicle, communications, home appliances, and factory control equipment.
*This ranking is solely among the companies registered with Metoree, sorted by the number of employees. Please use this as a rough guide to understand their scale.
