A-53
  Appendices
NJ-series CPU Unit Hardware User’s Manual (W500)
A-2  Specifications of Basic I/O Units
A
A-2-3  Precautions on Contact Output Units
Precautions for Correct UsePrecautions for Correct Use
Do not connect a capacitor as an arc killer in parallel with an inductive load
as shown in the diagram on the right. This arc killer is very effective for pre-
venting spark discharge at the moment when the circuit is opened. How-
ever, at the moment the contacts are closed, the contacts may be welded
due to the current charged in the capacitor.
DC inductive loads can be more difficult to switch than resistive loads. If
appropriate arc killers are used, however, DC inductive loads will be as easy
to switch as resistive loads.
Circuit
Current
Characteristic Required element
AC DC
CR 
method
Yes Yes If the load is a relay or solenoid, there 
is a delay in the resetting time.
If the supply voltage is 24 or 48 V, 
insert the arc killer in parallel with the 
load. If the supply voltage is 100 to 
200 V, insert the arc killer between the 
contacts.
The capacitance of the capacitor should be 
approx. 1 to 0.5 F per contact current of 1 A and 
resistance of the resistor should be approx. 0.5 to 
1  per contact voltage of 1 V. These values, 
however, vary with the load and the characteris-
tics of the relay. Decide these values from experi-
ments, and take into consideration that the 
capacitance suppresses spark discharge when 
the contacts are separated and the resistance 
limits the current that flows into the load when the 
circuit is closed again.
The dielectric strength of the capacitor must be 
200 to 300 V. If the circuit is an AC circuit, use a 
capacitor with no polarity.
Diode 
method
No Yes The diode connected in parallel with 
the load changes energy accumulated 
by the coil into a current, which then 
flows into the coil so that the current 
will be converted into Joule heat by the 
resistance of the inductive load. This 
delay in the resetting time caused by 
this method is longer than that caused 
by the CR method.
The reversed dielectric strength value of the 
diode must be at least 10 times as large as the 
circuit voltage value. The forward current of the 
diode must be the same as or larger than the load 
current.
The reversed dielectric strength value of the 
diode may be two to three times larger than the 
supply voltage if the arc killer is applied to elec-
tronic circuits with low circuit voltages.
Varistor 
method
Yes Yes The varistor method prevents the 
imposition of high voltage between the 
contacts by using the constant voltage 
characteristic of the varistor. There is 
delay in the resetting time.
If the supply voltage is 24 or 48 V, 
insert the varistor in parallel with the 
load. If the supply voltage is 100 to 
200 V, insert the varistor between the 
contacts.
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Power 
supply
Inductive load
C
R
Power 
supply
Inductive load
Power 
supply
Inductive load
C
Power 
supply
Inductive load