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Unread 11-12-2014, 13:05
adciv adciv is offline
One Eyed Man
FRC #0836 (RoboBees)
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Re: Keeping the main breaker from tripping

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory View Post
Your fallacy is in assuming the intent of the breaker is to limit temperature of the bar inside and not to limit current through the breaker.

If the breaker under normal operating conditions (ie: starting at roomp temp) can reach current A before tripping, due to temperature A, then if a match is played shortly thereafter, and the temperature of the bar has not returned to room temp, it will actually trip at some current less than A.

How is restoring the breaker to the properties it has at room temperature a safety risk? If you accept that the breaker is meant to operate at room temperature in a safe manner, there is no justification for claiming that cooling it to room temperature rapidly is any different than operating it as if it were always at room temperature.
No, I assume the intent of the breaker is to limit the temperature of the wiring. Your fallacy is in assuming cooling down the breaker resets the system. A breaker, including this one, is not intended to only protect against high current short duration short circuits but also longer duration overloads. This is why the breaker will trip after an overload which occurs for 30 seconds. Depending on the overload of some breakers, it can require one hour to trip. It depends on the amount of overload.

By cooling the breaker, you are trying to bypass the safety mechanism it represents which includes long duration overloads such as you are apparently inducing in your design. How long does it for the breaker to trip when you practice?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texarkana View Post
I would not want the task of devising a system that 50,000 very smart people try to outwit.

Last edited by adciv : 11-12-2014 at 13:13.