Safe, Reliable Direct Current Connections up to 750V
MELTRIC DSDC plugs and receptacles ensure user safety, provide long operating lives and simplify installation and operation for non-load break direct current applications up to 200A at 250V, 100A at 600V or 30A at 750V.
Benefits
Enhanced Safety and Security
Like all MELTRIC products, our Direct Current devices are designed with the first priority of keeping users safe, even in abnormal conditions. More…
Ease of Operation
Integral and optional features make connection and disconnection easier than with competitive devices, especially in cord drop and in-line applications. More…
Improved Reliability
Spring-loaded silver-nickel butt contacts maintain high conductivity for thousands of operations, even in harsh conditions. More…
Configuration Flexibility
A variety of accessories and options are available for all DSDC devices making it easy to configure the product for any application. More…
Spring-Loaded Butt Contacts Provide for Thousands of Consistent and Reliable Connections
MELTRIC Direct Current plugs and receptacles use spring-loaded, butt-style contacts similar to those used on contactors and switchgear. Their end-to-end mating provides a stable connection, the spring-loading delivers optimal contact pressure, and the integrity of the electrical connection is maintained over thousands of operations.
Spring-loaded butt contacts automatically compensate for manufacturing variations, eliminating contact mating and connection quality problems caused by the dimensional variations of other contact designs.
End-to-end mating eliminates the effects of wear inherent with sliding contacts.
Consistent spring pressure eliminates overheating caused by poor contact force. The performance and design advantages of spring-loaded butt contacts make them a superior choice for providing consistently safe and reliable connections.
Silver-Nickel Contact Material Provides Superior Conductivity
MELTRIC uses solid silver-nickel contact surfaces on its DSDC Direct Current plugs and receptacles. The contacts’ 85% silver and 15% nickel composition combines the durability of nickel with the excellent conducting properties of silver.
Silver-nickel contacts provide significant advantages over the brass materials used on most other types of plugs and receptacles:
Silver-nickel maintains low contact resistance and superior electrical properties even after oxidation and tarnishing.
The hardness of nickel gives the silver-nickel contacts excellent wear resistance.
Silver-nickel performs well in and withstands wet and corrosive environments.
Silver-nickel withstands arcing very well and only welds at extremely high pressure and temperature, providing additional safety margin in case of accidental disconnection under load.
The combination of silver-nickel contacts with a spring-loaded butt-style design provides a long service life with no degradation of conductivity and easily withstands repetitive use.
MELTRIC Direct Current devices disconnect simply by pushing the release button. This automatically ejects the plug to the rest position. The plug can then safely be removed by rotating it 30° counterclockwise and withdrawing it. No struggling to withdraw large plugs from their receptacles.
Dead Front Eliminates Potential Electrical Hazards
When the receptacle’s release button is pushed, its spring-loaded operating mechanism instantly ejects the plug to rest position. In the rest position, the plug contacts are dead and separated from live parts by a safe distance. All contacts are still fully contained within an enclosure formed by the plug’s skirted casing and the receptacle casing and thus are isolated from and inaccessible to users.
The rotation of the plug required prior to its removal from the receptacle automatically closes and locks the safety shutter on the receptacle. This ensures that potential arc paths and access to live parts are blocked before the plug can be removed. The potential electrical hazards are eliminated!
All DSDC Series devices include standard provisions on the plug that allow users to perform lockout/tagout by simply inserting a lock (or hasp) through an existing hole on the device. The user only needs to provide the lock – no additional mechanisms are required.
Lockout provisions are also provided for all DSDC receptacles so that the lid may be locked in the closed position to prevent the insertion of a plug. The lockout may be done with a 5/16” shank lock or an available locking pin. Either will fit snugly in the circular opening through the pawl and block it from operating. Various sized locks and lockout hasps can be used with the locking pin to complete the lockout.
The receptacle lockout provision can also be used to lock the plug and receptacle together to prevent unauthorized or accidental disconnections.
Spring-Assisted Terminals Provide Superior Conductor Connections
On traditional plugs and receptacles, the loosening of terminal screws is a common cause of failure. MELTRIC devices have patented, spring-assisted terminals that provide more permanent and secure conductor connections.
As the terminal screw is tightened, pressure is generated against the conductor and causes the split-terminal body to expand and elliptically deform the spring ring around the terminal. Since the spring ring wants to return to its original circular shape, it exerts a constant pressure against the terminal conductor, pushing them together. This constant spring pressure on the screw and conductor helps to compensate for strand settlement and conductor yield, while also providing superior resistance to the effects of vibration, shock, and thermal cycling.
MELTRIC DSDC Direct Current plugs and receptacles achieve their rated watertightness simply by connecting the plug and receptacle. There is no need to thread or twist on additional watertightness rings as is required on many pin & sleeve devices.
Type 3R protection is standard, Type 4X is available as an option.
MELTRIC plugs and receptacles are durable and withstand harsh environments, so repairs may never be necessary, but if they are, replacement parts are reasonably priced and readily available. The design allows the changeout of casings, individual contacts, full interiors or other specific parts, avoiding the need and cost of replacing the entire device.
It should be noted that only devices returned to the factory for rebuild will maintain their UL/CSA certification; devices that are field repaired by users do not.
