Overview of ABB circuit breakers S200, SH200l and Basic M series
The main condition for the safe and trouble-free operation of electrical equipment is not only the installation and layout of the circuit according to all the rules, but also the choice of the manufacturer of electrical installation products. One of the popular brands that produces equipment for electrical panels is ABB. Therefore, we made a review from which you will find out what ABB circuit breakers are and about their features.
Advantages and disadvantages
ABB is a Swedish-Swiss corporation founded in 1988 by the merger of the Swedish ASEA and the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie. She specializes in electrical engineering, energy and information technology. It is familiar to ordinary consumers by circuit breakers with a red stripe on the front panel.
Benefits:
- Circuit breakers correspond to the declared electrical parameters.
- Excellent quality materials.
- Good mechanics and assembly.
- Production in Europe, Russia, a smaller part is produced in Asian countries.
- The assortment has automatic machines of different price categories, which will allow you to choose a quality product that matches your capabilities.
The main drawback of all ABB products is that there are a lot of fakes of dubious quality on the market. This is due to the popularity of the brand. Therefore, purchase equipment for electrical panels only in large retail outlets or dealer stores.
The main competitor of ABB is Schneider Electric, therefore, there is a debate on the forums about the torment of choice between them, and Legrand brand products can also be an alternative.
Series Overview
There are three series of ABB circuit breakers that are used in home electrical panels:
- S200
- SH200l
- Basic m
Consider the technical characteristics and features of circuit breakers in each of the series. But before moving on to the review, it is worth saying that all products can be one-, two-, three- and four-pole. In this case, various configurations are possible, for example:
- bipolar, in which there is thermal and electromagnetic releases in each of the poles, it is marked as 2p;
- bipolar, in which the release is only in one pole, it is marked as 1p + N, or the letters NA are added to the factory marking.
The same applies to three-phase circuit breakers. Marking is carried out as follows (possible options are listed):
1P, 1P + N, 2P, 3P, 3P + N and 4P
On the front panel, the differences between 1P + N and 2P on the example of ABB S202 C25 and C40 machines look like this (differences in the circuit):
S200
ABB S200 is the most “powerful” and advanced of the entire line and belongs to a series of products called System pro M compact. To begin with, the S200 series circuit breakers have a maximum short circuit current (breaking capacity) of up to 25,000 amperes (25 kA). This means that the power contacts are able to disconnect a circuit in which a current of a specified magnitude flows for a short time without being destroyed.
ABB circuit breakers from the System pro M compact family are available in three types: S200, S200 M and S200 P.They differ in the value of the breaking capacity of 6kA (found most often), 10kA and 25kA.
The range of rated currents of circuit breakers in this series:
0.5, 1, 1.6, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40, 50, 63, 80, 100
Products are produced with time-current characteristics of all known types:
B, C, D, K and Z
The next feature is the ability to connect PIN-rails to the connectors specially designed for it. If you do not use such rails in your installation, you can connect an additional wire instead of it, so as not to squeeze several wires in one terminal block. The design allows clamping cores with a cross section of up to 35 square meters. mm in machines with rated current up to 63A, and 50 square meters. mm for 80 and 100 ampere models.
The use of PIN-rails not only makes the installation neat and reliable, but also saves space in the electrical panel (in some cases this is critical). On the front automatic panel there is a window with a status indication.
SH200l
The next in our review series is SH200l. This is a slightly simplified version; it belongs to the Compact Home product family; its main external difference from the S200 is other terminal blocks. They are not square, but semicircular in shape.
Due to this, the contact contact area is larger, and it is better to crimp when connecting several conductors. The manufacturer’s catalog states the maximum cross-section of connected conductors up to 25 square meters. mm There is no power indicator on the front panel of ABB SH200L vending machines
The second significant difference from S200 circuit breakers is a lower breaking capacity - 4.5 kA, but for most cases this is more than enough (especially for domestic use). Available with trip characteristics B and C, and the range of rated currents is from 6 to 63 A, with a standard step:
6, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40, 50, 63
Basic m
The third in our review will be the ABB Basic M series of machines - it differs slightly in appearance from the two previous ones, and in terms of characteristics it is almost similar to the SH200l. If S200 and SH200L are produced in Germany, then Basic M - in Bulgaria.
ABB automatic machines of the Basic M series are characterized by a breaking capacity of 4.5 kA, and the range of rated currents is from 6 to 63 A with a tripping characteristic C. In the model with a rated current of 6 to 40 amperes, conductors with a cross section of up to 25 square meters can be connected. mm, and in 50-63 ampere automatic machines - up to 35 square meters. mm
Based on user reviews, we can say that the ABB Basic M circuit breakers are not inferior to their "older brothers" in terms of workmanship and ease of installation, although they are cheaper.
PIN rails
An integral part of the modern beautiful and reliable installation is the use of PIN-rails, or as they are called by electricians "comb" or "comb". These slats are used for machine connections in the shield. ABB has three series of PIN rails:
- PS - designed to connect equipment for the S series shield.
- PSH - designed for SH series.
- Basic M.
They are quite different, if you use a PSH rail with S200 automatic machines, you have to turn it in the opposite direction, that is, with plastic protection for yourself. Otherwise, it will be installed unevenly and there will be no way to connect the cable.
Reiki is produced with a different number of poles, which allows you to organize the installation of a three-phase shield or connect an RCD or other bipolar devices. The number of pole poles is indicated by the first number after marking: PS1 is single-pole and PS2 is double-pole, the following numbers are the number of modules that you can connect. In this case, the poles alternate: 1-2-3-1-2-3, on the example of a three-pole bus you see this below, the marking of the pole is circled in red.
There are also special tires for Basic M, you see them below, they are similar to PSH.
Conclusion
To summarize our review. All three series of ABB circuit breakers that we examined are suitable for use in any household electrical switchboards. In most cases, the switching capacity of 4,500 amperes is enough.
However, forums often say that the S200 is for “professional” use, while the SH200L and Basic M are for home use. It would be fairer to say a little differently (quote):
SH200l is the standard series and S200 is the expensive
This statement is due to some structural differences in the insides of the machines, such as small differences in the design of the arcing chamber. However, the workmanship, durability and stability of their work are similar.
This means that even younger products are more than enough for an average electrician who wiring in houses, apartments and offices. And finally, compare the prices in rubles for products of different series as of March 2019:
| Product | Price | ||
| S200 (6000 A) | SH200L (4500 A) | Basic M (4500 A) | |
| 1p C16 | 270 | 190 | 145 |
| 2p C25 | 950 | 400 | 395 |
| 3p C25 | 1860 | 680 | 550 |
| 4p C50 | 3845 | 1710 | 1450 |
This concludes our review of ABB circuit breakers of the most popular series for home installation. We hope the information provided was useful and interesting for you.
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