Windlass relay query

[Cardo]

What happens if both the up and down contacts are energised at the same time?

 

[pmagowan]

A wormhole through time and space?

 

[Talulah]

The mechanism inside the box is such that only the up or down output can be connected at one time.

 

[lw395]

The mechanism inside the box is such that only the up or down output can be connected at one time.

I've seen land rover winches where the changeover has failed, not enough of the relay left to establish exactly what happened!

 

[Cardo]

The mechanism inside the box is such that only the up or down output can be connected at one time.

Is that the mechanism within the relay, or the controller?

So what happens if both are energised? Will the relay stick with the first one it detects? Or stop everything?

 

[Talulah]

You can apply up and down with the controller at the same time.
Inside the relay mechanism is a bar. This bar can only physically move one way or the other, not both.
Hence it's impossible to apply both up and down on the output circuit at the same time.
When both are energised at the same time either could happen or nothing at all.

Sometimes people wire up two completely independant relays. This is when trip switches can save the day.

 

[Cardo]

You can apply up and down with the controller at the same time.
Inside the relay mechanism is a bar. This bar can only physically move one way or the other, not both.
Hence it's impossible to apply both up and down on the output circuit at the same time.
When both are energised at the same time either could happen or nothing at all.

Sometimes people wire up two completely independant relays. This is when trip switches can save the day.

Excellent, thanks for the info.
The windlass relay has a breaker on it, and the two controllers themselves have small fuses on them. I was just worried about what would happen if both up and down were pressed on either/both controllers. Good to know it shouldn't go bang!

 

[nigelmercier]

Sometimes people wire up two completely independant relays. This is when trip switches can save the day.

Or by wiring them up properly so when one is energised it cuts the power to the other.

 

[Talulah]

Or by wiring them up properly so when one is energised it cuts the power to the other.

But then they wouldn't be wired up "completely independantly".

 

[pmagowan]

I must say it is always much better designing in user-error protection from the start. The best approach is to assume if it can be done it will be done and then making a protectiona against it. Wiring in a break in the opposite circuit sounds like a good idea and not difficult to achieve.