Absopulse Electronics Intros PRC3132-24 Circuit

Absopulse Electronics Ltd. (Carp, Ontario) introduced the new PRC3132-24 circuit, which was developed to optimize the performance of high-power contactor coils by preventing excessive coil heating and premature coil failure. The design operates on the principle that once energized, the contactor coil requires very little power to hold the contacts in position.

The PRC3132-24 circuit is connected between the contactor coil and the 24Vdc supply voltage. Upon applying 24Vdc to the PRC3132-24 input, the full voltage appears at the output of the device. After 2 to 3 seconds, the internal pulse-width modulator is activated, and the output voltage is reduced to a pre-set level (usually half of input voltage). The contactor now remains closed in this power-save mode. A user-adjustable version is also available. Any interruption to the input voltage automatically resets the circuit for a new turn-on sequence.

There are virtually no losses on the switch-mode device. The PRC3132-24 Series is protected against short circuits, reverse polarity and reversed input/output connections. It measures 1.6in x 2.9in x 0.7in (including flanges) and weighs 66g. The standard PRC3132-24 is priced at $35 in quantities of 1 to 4.