Ans. The "knife" switch.
Ques. Describe a small switchboard.
Ans. [Fig. 500] shows one suitable for two dynamos. At the top is a voltmeter and two ammeters. Immediately below is a row of feeder switches serving to connect and disconnect the various feeders with and from the bus bars which are mounted behind the board. Below are two rheostat handwheels, and two large switches connecting the dynamos with the bus bars. V S is a voltmeter switch connecting the voltmeter with various parts of the system. Below the voltmeter switch is a double-throw switch to transfer the bus bars from connection with the dynamo switches to one with some other source of current such as a street circuit, in the event of a breakdown. At the bottom are two circuit breakers.
Fig. 501.—Diagram showing various connections of voltmeter switch of the small switchboard shown in [fig. 500].
Ques. Describe the voltmeter switch.
Ans. [Fig. 501] shows the connections, from which it can be seen that the voltmeter can be connected with the terminals of either dynamo or with the bus bars, or with either a central or remote part in the lamp circuits.
Under ordinary conditions it remains connected to the circuit at the central point of distribution. When one dynamo is already in circuit, however, and it becomes necessary to connect up the other one, the voltage of the latter must be the same as that at the bus bars. Accordingly, connections are provided to the voltmeter switch such that the attendant can compare the voltages at the dynamo terminals and bus bars before closing the dynamo switch. All the positive connections are on one side of the circle swept by the switch and all the negative connections on the other side.
Fig. 502.—Roller-Smith, single-pole, plain overload circuit breaker. As its name indicates, the function of the plain overload circuit breaker is to automatically interrupt the circuit in which it is placed when the flow of current through it exceeds the predetermined limit for which the apparatus is set. It is the most common of all of the types and is utilized for the protection of dynamos and motors and all other electrical apparatus which, by reason of the conditions of operation, may become subject to loads in excess of the normal. The single-pole type may be used separately for the protection of a single wire of a given circuit or grouped to protect the two or more wires of one circuit, becoming in the latter case the so called independent arm multi-pole apparatus. The action of this type of circuit breaker is fully explained in [fig. 491].