Relays R Us FAQ

A relay is an electromagnetic device, within which an electro magnet is fixtured to cause controlled movement either by magnetic attraction or magnetic repulsion. Other hardware attached to the moving magnetic portion of the motor such as relay contacts will cause switching of electrical circuits.

The word “normally” refers to deenergized condition of the relay or the state of the relay when no power on the coil The second words “open” and “closed” refer to the position of the contacts at the deenergized condition.

We must express the load as a contact rating, which is the electrical load-handling capability of relay contacts under specified conditions and for a prescribed number of operations or life cycles.

Resistive Load: A resistive load usually consists of some sort of resistance in the circuit; e.g., heaters, resistors etc.

Inductive Load: An inductive load consists of a load created by a wire wound coil, such as in a relay, which uses a winding over a magnetic iron core. Breaking an inductive load is usually more severe than breaking a resistive load.

Motor Load: A motor load can be referred to as a rotating inductive load, generally with a high inrush of six times the normal load. The breaking of the load is much the same as a resistive load.

Lamp Load: The loads we normally concern ourselves with are tungsten filament lamp loads. Tungsten filament lamps when first turned on will draw an inrush current of 10-15 times of the steady-state current. The inrush is similar to a motor load inrush and is caused by the cold filament in the lamp. After the lamp filament has heated up, the current will drop to its normal level. Most tungsten filament lamp load ratings are 20% of a resistive load.

SPDT Relay : ( Single Pole Double Throw Relay) an electromagnetic switch, consists of a coil (terminals 85 & 86), 1 common terminal (30), 1 normally closed terminal (87a) and one normally open terminal (87). When the coil of a SPDT relay is at rest the common terminal (30) and the normally closed terminal (87a) have continuity. When the coil is energized, the common terminal (30) and the normally open terminal (87) have continuity.

When energizing the coil of a relay, polarity of the coil does not matter unless there is a diode across the coil. If a diode is not present, you may attach positive voltage to either terminal of the coil and negative voltage to the other, otherwise you must connect positive to the side of the coil that the cathode side (side with the stripe) of the diode is connected and negative to side of the coil that the anode side of the diode is connected. That is why we only sell diode relays, to those specifically requesting one.

SPST Relay: ( Single Pole Single Throw Relay) an electromagnetic switch, consist of a coil (terminals 85 & 86), 1 common terminal (30) and one normally open terminal (87). It does not have a normally closed terminal like the SPDT relay, but may be used in place of SPDT relays, in most places where only one thing needs to be switched.

Diodes are most often used across the coil to provide a path for current when the current path to the relay is interrupted (i.e. switched off, coil no longer energized). This allows the coil field to collapse without the voltage spike that would otherwise be generated. The diode protects switch or relay contacts and other circuits that may be sensitive to voltage spikes. We feel resistors are just as effective, for most automotive purposes, while maintaining the advantage of not being polar sensitive.

Anytime you want to switch a device which draws more current than is provided by an output of a switch or component you will need to use a relay. The coil of a SPDT or a SPST relay that we most commonly use draws very little current and the amount of current that you can pass through a relay common, normally closed, and normally open contacts will handle up to 40 amps. This allows you to switch devices such as headlights, parking lights, horns, etc., with low amperage outputs such as those found on keyless entry and alarm systems, and other components.

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Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information

We will never provide your personally identifiable information to third parties for their use in marketing their products or services to you without your consent. Relays R Us takes great pride in having you as a customer and we will ensure your privacy as a customer. Relays R Us does not sell or exchange names or any other information about our customers with third parties.

We may disclose any information, including personally identifiable information, we deem necessary, in our sole discretion, to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request. We may also exchange information, including personally identifiable information, with other companies and organizations for credit fraud protection and risk reduction.

We may retain other companies and individuals to perform functions consistent with our Privacy Policy on our behalf. Examples include customer support specialists, web hosting companies, fulfillment companies (e.g., companies that fill product orders or coordinate mailings), data analysis firms and email service providers. Such third parties may be provided with access to personally identifiable information needed to perform their functions, but may not use such information for any other purpose.

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As we continue to develop our business, we might sell certain of our assets. In such transactions, user information, including personally identifiable information, generally is one of the transferred business assets, and by submitting your personal information on the Site you agree that your data may be transferred to such parties in these circumstances.

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Similarly, when you visit this Site or view one of our emails, we may use pixel tags (also called "clear" gifs), tracking links and/or similar technology to note some of the pages you visit on our Site and personalize your experience. We may also use pixel tags to determine what types of email your browser supports. We may use the information collected through pixel tags, tracking links and similar technology in combination with your personally identifiable information.

YOUR DOMAIN NAME HERE does recognize your ISP (internet service provider), however, we cannot identify you as an individual. If you make an on-line purchase we do collect information (such as sales statistics and traffic patterns) to help improve your shopping experience. We keep all information confidential.

We may use the information you provide in aggregate (non-personally identifiable) form for internal business purposes, such as generating statistics and developing marketing plans. We may collect, store or accumulate certain non-personally identifiable information concerning your use of the Site, such as information regarding which of our pages are most popular. We may share or transfer non-personally identifiable information with or to our affiliates, licensees and partners.

This Privacy Policy applies only to the information collected on this Site. Our Site may contain links to or from other websites and you should be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of other websites linked to the Site.

Relays R Us seeks to protect the security of your personal information both online and offline. All credit card transactions are secure. Every on-line order is encrypted and sent through a secure server, using SSL technology to prevent information from being intercepted.

Confidential information such as your credit card number will be used only to fulfill your order. To protect your privacy, we will ask you to enter your credit card number and expiration date each time you place an order with us. This way, even if someone else accesses the account information stored on your computer, they won't be able to use your credit card.

E-mail is not encrypted and is not a secure means to transmit credit card numbers. We will only display the last 4 digits of your credit card number on your account.

Relays R Us reserves the right to revise this Privacy Policy in the future by posting changes at this location and we may make changes at any time without notification.

If you are a registered member at Relays R Us, you can change your personal information at any time by updating your information at check-out.

We welcome your comments and questions about privacy. Please send email to pokornysales@pokornyrelays.com.

We are confident that your visit to Relays R Us is secure and safe. However, you may choose to call us directly to place your order over the telephone. Please call Customer Service toll free at 973-663-4040.

Orders received by 2PM local time typically are processed the same day received. Shipping times will vary depending on your location and selected shipping options. Typical shipping times range from 1-5 days and may vary during the holiday season. For UPS shipments you can track the progress of the order using their order tracking number available on your order. Shipping delays can occur when the wrong address or zip code is submitted for the shipping address. If the shipping company cannot deliver the package we will contact you via phone or e-mail.

Relays R Us offers our customers the option of selecting 2 day ground, next day, or air through either the United States Postal Service USPS) or United Parcel Service (UPS) for shipments in the continental U.S.

If an items needs to be returned, the customer is responsible for the return shipping fees and should obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA). Please contact our Customer Service Department at 973-663-4040 to discuss the reason for the return and make the necessary arrangements. The amount of the refund will be based on the purchase price of your products and may include a restocking fee.

We apologize for any inconvenience but we do not currently ship outside the continental U.S. We do not ship to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or other U.S. Territories, or international locations at this time.