Electronics ID...

[Paul99]

As there seems to be a number of sparkies and knowledgeable chaps on here I thought I put this up to see if any one knows what it is...

It's been in the box of spare electrical bits for as long as I can remember and was likely removed from a property the old man or even my grandfather would have worked on but neither of them can remember where it was from or what it actually was used for. I showed it to the electrician that wired our shed / workshop and he hadn't ever seen one before and said it must be old obsolete stuff not worth keeping - he's probably right but I'm still curious. I had forgotten all about it until I spotted one very similar behind the counter of a local Petrol station yesterday.

So any ideas what it is / what it was used for?

 

[Wallace]

Looks like an IED.

 

[rtbcomp]

I think it might be a contactor, are there any moving parts?

 

[Wedg1e]

Looks like a contactor to me too, it even has a little graphic showing the terminals. The orange bar probably pushes in...

 

[Wedg1e]

Looks like an IED.

It would certainly stop her getting pregnant

 

[wheresmejumper]

3 pole contactor with a normally open,and normally closed auxiliaries

 

[madkayaker]

Contractor most likely to turn on storage heater board through a time switch for off peak use

 

[500e]

Maybe the relay\contractor for forecourt alarm bell, missing remote switch & air tube

 

[Paul99]

3 pole Contactor it is - the orange bar does indeed move and on it are three copper contacts which meet up with contacts below - presumably when 240v is applied to energise the electromagnet. I had half guessed with the two different sized cables that it could possibly be some sort of high current relay. I'll stick it back into the box of spares it may come in useful one day...

Thank you all for the answer...
Paul.

 

[Wallace]

Thank you all for the answer...

If only I'd had more time and it was multiple choice......

 

[Mikey D]

An electrician didnt know what it was !!!! Thats scary , mind you if all he ever wired was houses that might explain it