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Schaltbau · Power it
DC switching that breaks under load
A battery bus never crosses zero, so the contactor has to clear the arc itself. Schaltbau DC contactors do it with permanent-magnet blowout in an open chamber. There is no gas fill to age, current flows in either direction through one device, and the parts that wear can be seen and replaced.
Founded in Munich in 1929, Schaltbau has built rail switchgear ever since, and that design now goes into battery storage, charging, vehicles and test benches. Dynamic is the Schaltbau rep for Northern California and Northern Nevada.
See the contactorsSend us your voltage and current
1,500 V, both directionsC303: 500 A continuous, bidirectional, in an open chamber with no gas fill.
5,000 A for 20 msWhat the C303 carries without welding shut.
To 3,000 VCT series contactors with contact tips and arc chute built to be replaced.
UL RecognizedC310 and C320 to UL 60947-4-1 under file E116641.
What Schaltbau makes
Four contactor families, and the parts around them01
C300 family
The workhorse for storage, charging stations and UPS DC links: single-pole, 1,500 V class, bidirectional.
- C303: 500 A continuous, 5,000 A for 20 ms without welding
- Ecosave, high-efficiency and precharge coil options
- C305 and C330 extend to 1,500 A and 2,000 A for megawatt charging
02
C310 and C320
Single-pole contactors for higher voltage and current than the C300 tier.
- C310: 1,500 V, 500 A, AC and DC
- C320: 1,800 V insulation, 1,000 A continuous, 4,500 A for 100 ms
- UL Recognized Component to UL 60947-4-1, file E116641
03
C800 family, on the vehicle
The same bidirectional switching, built for the shock and vibration of a battery disconnect unit.
- Rated to ISO 16750-3 shock and vibration profiles
- C800: 1,500 V insulation, 500 A continuous, 6,000 A short-time
- C801 reconfigures an 800 V pack to charge at a 400 V station
04
CP, CT and CF high-voltage contactors
Double-break contactors to 3,000 V for large storage, heavy equipment and test benches, built to be serviced.
- CT: 1,500 V or 3,000 V, 400 and 800 A, contact tips and arc chute replaceable
- CP: frames to 2,000 A, arc chamber swaps without tools
- CF: configurable from one to six poles
Also from Schaltbau: HV connectors to 1,000 V DC and 470 A, IP69K mated, over 10,000 mating cycles, with a switch that reports the plug is home. LV charging connectors to 500 A. The CPP compact precharge contactor to 1,500 V and 160 A. S8 snap-action switches with 10 million mechanical cycles and shock to 80 g, the same family as the mirror contact inside the contactors.
Specs and datasheets at Schaltbau
The engineering behind it
Why it still breaks the bus late in its lifeDC has no zero crossingAn AC arc dies at the next zero. A DC arc has to be stretched and quenched by the contactor.
Permanent-magnet blowoutThe arc is driven into an open arc chamber and extinguished, with no gas fill to age.
Either direction, one deviceBidirectional switching for charge, discharge and regeneration.
Wear you can seeOn serviceable families the contact set is the wear part, not the contactor.
Ratings set at thermal currentPublished voltage is stated at maximum thermal current; ask about your actual V and I.
State feedback built inMirror contacts to IEC 60947-4-1 Annex F tell the controller the real position.
The long form: how to read a DC contactor datasheet, every rating explained
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