Electronics Category - Page 3 of 4

GE Multilin: Frequently Asked Questions

GE Multilin has been around since 1995. This part of General Electric focuses on industrial controls and manufacturing relays. This includes flexible process bus solutions and dual and multi-feeder protection for industrial applications. It also includes integrated motor protection for medium/large induction and synchronous motors.

Closeup of a GE Multilin 850 Feeder Relay — GE Multilin 850 Feeder Protection Relay (850-EP5NNG5HNNAANGAPFCSENNBN)

What is a Multilin Relay?

Industrial motors, feeder systems, transformers, and generators can use Multilin relays. These management relays protect while offering advanced monitoring functions.

GE Multilin is part of GE Grid Solutions. GE Grid Solutions is the renewable energy subsidiary of GE. It offers products and technology for control, metering, and communication. It is applicable for industrial, commercial, and transportation applications.

How are GE Multilin Relays used?

Many industries make use of GE Multilin relays. For example, utilities use the 850 Feeder protection system to ensure continuity within the power grid. Small and medium-sized distribution transformers, also part of the power grid, use the Multilin 350 feeder protection series.

Additionally, distributed generation interconnect protection and bus blocking often use the 750/760 Feeder management system. The 489 Generator Management Relay design protects and controls small to medium-sized generators. Moreover, the 369 and 469 Motor management relays offer management and protection to three-phase medium (369 AC only), and large (469 only) HP motors and driven equipment.

What are the benefits of Multilin Relays?

Multilin relays must stand up to rugged industrial standards. Most have front panel displays for viewing and programming in the field as well as RS232/RS485 ports to network and download data. Front panel LEDs are easy to read and the front keypad makes it simple to toggle through values and fault diagnosis information, as well as to set new data points.

A note about the FM2 Multilin and resetting trips

The FM2 Feeder series has a reset key that will allow a tripped state to be reset. However, earth faults or thermal overloads cannot be reset using this key. But the Lockout Reset feature will assign a fault to the programmable switch inputs. Overriding this lockout can occur through the lockout reset interlock.

How do I program my GE Multilin or update firmware?

GE is great about providing technical help to its users. There are over 100 Multilin videos on the gegridsolutions.com website covering everything from how to update the firmware to how to set a transient recorder. These videos are available in French, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and sometimes Russian.

AX Control carries a wide variety of GE Multilin products, including the GE Multilin 750.

Is Maintenance Enough to Protect Equipment from Heat Damage?

Well-maintained equipment will pay dividends for years. But is maintenance enough?

Electrical equipment has the same need for air and cooling as human beings. Without a proper air supply, machines will flounder and fail. You have to protect equipment from heat damage, or they’ll die. But these expensive casualties don’t have to occur.

Pull out the manual for any equipment in your plant, and you’ll probably see a bolded notation stating its proper operating temperature range. Keeping equipment operating within this range makes sure those machines remain an efficient and reliable part of your operation, and avoids the cost associated with failures like unexpected shutdown, deteriorated performance, and shortened equipment life, not to mention the need to replace damaged equipment.

Sustaining proper operating temperature is especially important in CNC machines where machine precision can be affected by thermal errors. Machines running outside their proper operating range have significantly more errors than those running within range.

Is basic maintenance enough?

Basic maintenance is a good first step for protecting equipment. The primary source for damaging heat comes from within the equipment’s own enclosure. As temperatures increase, lifespan decreases: a 10C change can cut a machine’s lifespan in half. While new, clean equipment can easily maintain proper operating temperature, internal temperatures will increase as particulate matter like dust, debris, pollutants, or dispersed oil sit on the surface like a thermal blanket and create a topical barrier.

How Electricity Works

It’s not a stretch to say electricity is one of the most impactful discoveries of human existence. But how does it work?

We take electricity for granted these days. But think of everything we do with electricity. We cook our food, light our homes, keep our families warm with it. It powers our vehicles. And it keeps many of our waking hours filled with entertainment. But do you know how electricity works?

Electricity is one of most of the impactful technologies to human existence.

close-up of an Edison bulb with others in the background as we ponder how electricity works — Electricity is useful, helpful, even beautiful. But how does it work?

How does electricity work?

Is the electric shock we receive from staticky socks the same as power coming into our television and computer? If they aren’t, how do they relate to each other? And what about batteries? Also, how does the power stored there relate to those other kinds of power?

In simplest terms, the power in your socks, in batteries, and coming into your home are all the same. Each one has electric current moving particles from areas of a different charge. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about annoying static, a charge hidden in batteries, or high voltage lines. In each case, there is a discharge occurring as the system tries to find a balance between positively and negatively charged electrons. Read more below.