Mercury Switches
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Mercury Switches
Mercury switches are gravity-activated circuits consisting of a small sealed tube with a pair of unconnected electrodes on one end, and a drop of liquid mercury on the other. When the tube tilts beyond a certain point, the mercury falls between the electrodes, completing an electrical connection between them and activating whatever electrical response the circuit is meant to trigger.
For production purposes, you can use a mercury switch whenever you want to create a reaction to an item's tilting past a certain degree. For example, automobile manufacturers often use them as switches in car hoods, with the opening of the hood tilting the circuit enough to complete an electrical connection that turns on the hood light. By closing the hood, the circuit is broken, and the light goes off. Vending machine manufacturers also commonly use the tilting feature. When the machine is tilted as a way to dislodge merchandise from holding racks, the switch completes an alarm circuit, alerting security and scaring away thieves.
There is a disadvantage to using mercury switches in your business production. Mercury is considered a toxic material. Therefore, if the switch breaks, a trained professional must replace the device. This adds to the repair costs if you wish to guarantee the product. For more information on the uses of mercury switches in manufacturing, read the links available at Business.com.
Mercury Relays
Use mercury relays for accuracy and reliability with your electronic relay needsBy Niki Hampton, Freelance Journalist Self Employed Mercury relays provide accurate results when the right mercury relay is chosen for the job. With a variety of mercury relays to choose from, it's important to cover all the options available before purchasing from a manufacturer of mercury relays or a reputable distributor of mercury relays.
There are many types of mercury relays, including the mercury trim relay, mercury cougar relay and mercury sable relay. These are common among all relay manufacturers and providers. To find the mercury relays right for your application, you should:
1. Use a mercury wetted relay for environments where the mercury will not freeze.
2. Find mercury displacement relays for durability and extreme conditions.
3. Buy a mercury reed relay for multiple pole mercury relay options.
Find a mercury wetted relay from a reputable provider
Use a mercury wetted relay for accuracy and ease of use. However, this relay can not be used in environments dipping below -38 degrees Celsius, which is the freezing point of mercury. These relays also have poor resistance to vibration and shock.
Try:
Cougar Electronics carries mercury wetted and dry reed relays. They are shipping directly from the factory to you with a warranty in case of damage. Magnecraft carries many different types of mercury relays including wetted relays in a variety of models. They are also ISO certified, making them incredibly reliable with a quality product.
Use mercury displacement relays for specialty applications
You can find mercury displacement relays for the ultimate in durability and accuracy under pressure. Unlike wetted relays, displacement relays are manufactured to withstand extreme temperatures and environments making them ideal for extreme situations and applications.
Try:
Temtron offers a variety of mercury displacement relays with single to multiple pole configurations and standard or custom coil voltage options. These options allow you to customize the mercury displacement relay for your needs. MDI specializes in mercury displacement relays for a variety of industries and applications, including those used for heater loads.
Select a mercury reed relay to meet your needs
Use a mercury reed relay for high cycle support, fast performance and high reliability. Consider additional features such as probe cards, electric magnetic shield and electrostatic shielding options to best fit the specific mercury relay needs of your business.
Try:
Sanyu Electric offers a large variety of mercury reed relays with all the options above available on various models. Struthers-Dunn also carries a large selection of mercury reed relays with one, two, three and four poles available and with different AMP ratings.
- Ask for discounts on quantity orders of mercury relays and analyze full product lines before ordering for possible one-stop shopping. Both tactics can save you money.
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