Solid-State Relays
Opto 22 • 43044 Business Park Drive • Temecula, CA 92590-3614 • www.opto22.com
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Solid-State Relays DATA SHEET
Form 0859-090819
PA G E
19
FAQ: SSR Applications
Q : What is a solid-state relay?
A: A solid-state relay (SSR) is a semiconductor device that can be
used in place of a mechanical relay to switch electricity to a load in
many applications. Solid-state relays are purely electronic, normally
composed of a low current “control” side (equivalent to the coil on
an electromechanical relay) and a high-current load side
(equivalent to the contact on a conventional relay). SSRs typically
also feature electrical isolation to several thousand volts between
the control and load sides. Because of this isolation, the load side of
the relay is actually powered by the switched line; both line voltage
and a load (not to mention a control signal) must be present for the
relay to operate.
Q : What are the advantages of using an SSR over a
mechanical relay?
A: There are many applications that require a moderate amount of
power (W to kW) to be switched on and off fairly rapidly. A good
example would be the operation of a heater element in a
controlled-temperature system. Typically, the amount of heat put
into the system is regulated using pulse-width modulation turning
a fixed-power heating element on and off for time periods ranging
from seconds to minutes. Mechanical relays have a finite cycle life,
as their components tend to wear out over thousands to millions of
cycles. SSRs do not have this problem; in the proper application,
they could be operated almost infinitely.
Q : What are the limitations of using an SSR?
A: SSRs have a few limitations when compared to the capabilities
of their mechanical counterparts. First, because the relay is
semiconductor-based, it will never turn all the way on, nor off. This
means that in the “on” state, the relay still has some internal
resistance to the flow of electricity, causing it to get hot. When in
the “off” state, the relay will exhibit a small amount of leakage
current, typically a few mA. This leakage can conspire to keep some
loads, especially ones with a high impedance, from turning off!
Additionally, SSRs are more sensitive to voltage transients; while
Opto 22 relays are very well transient-protected, if a relay gets hit
hard enough a sufficient number of times, it will die or degrade.
This makes SSRs less ideal for driving highly inductive
electromechanical loads, such as some solenoids or motors. SSRs
should also never be used for applications such as safety power
disconnects, because even in the off state, leakage current is
present. Leakage current through an SSR also implies the presence
of a potentially high voltage. Even though the relay is not
conducting a large amount of current, the switched terminal will
still be “hot,” and thus dangerous.
Q : Do you make multi-pole or multi-throw SSRs?
A: Opto 22 manufactures only single-pole, single-throw SSRs. If
multi-phase operation is required, just use a relay on each phase.
Because of the limitations on semiconductor devices of the type
used in SSRs, it is not practical to build single-device multi-throw
SSRs. However, an alternative to multi-throw operation may be
accomplished with multiple relays.
Q : Can I hook up SSRs in parallel to achieve a higher
current rating?
A: No. There is no way to guarantee that two or more relays will
turn on simultaneously when operated in parallel. Each relay
requires a minimum voltage across the output terminals to
function; because of the optical isolation feature, the “contact” part
of the SSR is actually powered by the line it switches. One relay
turning on before the other will cause the second relay to lose its
turn-on voltage, and it won’t ever turn on, or at least not until the
first relay fails from carrying too much current.
Q : What does a “zero-crossing” turn-on circuit refer
to?
A: “Zero-crossing” turn-on and turn-off refer to the point on the AC
wave form when the voltage is zero. It is at this point that an AC SSR
will turn on or off. All Opto 22 AC relays are designed with a zero-
crossing turn-on and turn-off circuit. When the AC circuit voltage is
at zero, no current is flowing. This makes it much easier and safer for
the semiconductor device in the relay to be turned on or off. It also
generates much less electrical EMI/RFI noise.
Q : Can I use an AC SSR to switch DC?
A: No. Because of the zero-crossing circuit described above, the
relay will most likely never turn on, and even if it is on, it will likely
not be able to be turned off, as DC voltage typically never drops to
zero.
Q : Can I use a DC SSR to switch AC?
A: No. The semiconductor device used in Opto 22’s DC SSRs is
polarized. It may break down and conduct for the portion of the
waveform that is reversed in polarity.
Q : Can a DC SSR be used to switch an analog signal?
A: This is not recommended at all. First, the voltage drop across the
relay will cause signal loss. Second, the conduction characteristics of
the SSR are very non-linear at low operating voltages and currents.
Use a mechanical relay; it will work much better.