On Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:25:23 -0700 (PDT), NT
wrote:


IME relays pull in at in the region of half rated voltage, and dc
ratings are typically about half the voltage of the ac rating, which
gives an idea of how much current is determined by L and how much by
R.

---
IME, most relays (with either AC or DC coils) are guaranteed to pull
in at about 80% of their rated coil voltage, so I'm at a loss trying
to understand what you meant by: "dc ratings are typically about half
of the ac rating."

Can you elaborate, please?
---

Running your relay on 220v 60Hz it will work fine.

---
Knowing nothing about the contactor, other than that it's specified to
energize when 240V 50Hz is placed across the coil, your imprimatur is
premature.
---

Contact closing speed will be slightly slower. Margin will be reduced,
but its only being reduced from enormous to slightly less enormous,
so its a non-issue except in very unusual situations.

---
It seems you've forgotten that when the armature makes, and the
magnetic circuit is closed, the inductance of the coil will rise.

Such being the case, the current in it will diminish, reducing the
hold on the armature and making the contacts more likely to chatter.
---

The vibration tolerance of
the contacts will be little affected in practice; if your environment
is harsh enough to shake the relay contact open, then you've got
bigger worries than contacts crackling.

If instead you meant you would use it on 110v 60Hz, then dont. But you
could use diodes to get a higher dc voltage and use that.

---
Interesting conjecture.


Something like this?

+-----+
120AC--|~ +|----+
| | |
| | [COIL]
| | |
120AC--|~ -|----+
+-----+

Since the coil has an impedance of about 6600 ohms at 50Hz, then the
current through it will be:

E 240V
I = --- = ------- = 0.036A = 36mA
Z 6600R

Then, since the coil has a resistance of 4800 ohms, the DC voltage
across it required to force 36mA through it would be:

E = IR = 0.036A * 4800R ~ 174V.

The peak voltage out of the bridge would be:

E = RMS * sqrt(2) = 120 * 1.414 ~ 170V.

Pretty close, but at 120Hz, the reactance of the coil would increase,
limiting the current to something less than the 36mA needed to close
the armature.

However, the reactance of the coil will smooth the current and the
addition of a capacitor in parallel with the coil will remove some of
the ripple and allow the coil to see more nearly pure DC.

Here's a simulation showing both ways:

Version 4
SHEET 1 880 680
WIRE -144 16 -304 16
WIRE 112 16 -144 16
WIRE 448 16 288 16
WIRE 704 16 448 16
WIRE -304 80 -304 16
WIRE 288 80 288 16
WIRE 448 80 448 64
WIRE 480 80 448 80
WIRE 592 80 560 80
WIRE 704 80 704 64
WIRE 704 80 672 80
WIRE -144 112 -144 80
WIRE -112 112 -144 112
WIRE 0 112 -32 112
WIRE 112 112 112 80
WIRE 112 112 80 112
WIRE -144 160 -144 112
WIRE 112 160 112 112
WIRE 448 160 448 80
WIRE 544 160 448 160
WIRE 704 160 704 80
WIRE 704 160 608 160
WIRE -304 224 -304 160
WIRE -144 224 -304 224
WIRE 112 224 -144 224
WIRE 288 224 288 160
WIRE 448 224 288 224
WIRE 704 224 448 224
WIRE -304 272 -304 224
WIRE 288 272 288 224
FLAG -304 272 0
FLAG 288 272 0
SYMBOL ind -128 128 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 5 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName L1
SYMATTR Value 15
SYMBOL voltage -304 64 R0
WINDOW 3 24 104 Invisible 0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V1
SYMATTR Value SINE(0 170 60)
SYMBOL diode -160 16 R0
WINDOW 0 4 -52 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -28 -24 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D1
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode 128 80 R180
WINDOW 0 1 119 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -33 84 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D2
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode 96 160 R0
WINDOW 0 3 89 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -27 118 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D3
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode -128 224 R180
WINDOW 0 2 -28 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -31 -57 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D4
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL res -16 128 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName R1
SYMATTR Value 4800
SYMBOL ind 464 96 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 5 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName L2
SYMATTR Value 15
SYMBOL voltage 288 64 R0
WINDOW 3 24 104 Invisible 0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V2
SYMATTR Value SINE(0 170 60)
SYMBOL diode 432 16 R0
WINDOW 0 4 -52 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -28 -24 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D5
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode 720 80 R180
WINDOW 0 1 119 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -33 84 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D6
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode 688 160 R0
WINDOW 0 3 89 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -27 118 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D7
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL diode 464 224 R180
WINDOW 0 2 -28 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -31 -57 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName D8
SYMATTR Value MUR460
SYMBOL res 576 96 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName R2
SYMATTR Value 4800
SYMBOL cap 608 144 R90
WINDOW 0 0 32 VBottom 0
WINDOW 3 32 32 VTop 0
SYMATTR InstName C1
SYMATTR Value 10µ
TEXT -298 246 Left 0 !.tran .05

If the relay is spec'ed as "must make" at 80% of rated current through
the coil (~29mA), then note that with a 10µF cap in parallel with the
coil the relay will _always_ make using full-wave rectified 120V 60Hz
mains.

--
JF