Phoenix Contact / CONTACTRON hybrid motor starters

The letters between ELR and the connection type decide whether the device has motor protection, an emergency stop function, or both.

CONTACTRON hybrid motor starters replace a conventional reversing contactor arrangement with a single DIN rail device. They combine semiconductor switching with relay contacts, which is where the name hybrid comes from.

Why hybrid, in practical terms

A conventional contactor arcs every time it makes and breaks. That arc is what wears the contacts out, and on a frequently reversing motor it is the life-limiting factor.

A hybrid starter switches the current through semiconductors during the transition, then carries it through relay contacts once settled. The contacts never break current, so they do not arc.

Phoenix Contact states that CONTACTRON hybrid technology gives ten times longer service life than conventional switching. That is their figure, but the reasoning behind it is sound: the wear mechanism has been removed rather than reduced.

If you are replacing reversing contactors regularly on the same application, this is the range to look at. High cycle counts are exactly where it pays back.

H3 starts, H5 reverses

The first thing to read in the number.

An H3 will not reverse a motor. If the application changes direction, you need an H5.

The function letters are the critical part

This is where a substitution silently removes a safety function.

Compare these two, which differ by two characters:

Both reverse a motor up to 500 V AC at 2.4 A with 24 V DC control. One is part of the machine's safety function and one is not.

Fitting an I where an IES was leaves the machine running normally with the emergency stop path gone. Read the existing device rather than matching on rating.

The usual caution applies: a like-for-like replacement preserves the safety assessment, a substitution may not, and that decision belongs to whoever is responsible for the machine.

Connection and rating codes

Take ELR H5-IES-PT-24DC/500AC-9.

The current figure is not exactly what it looks like

The trailing 2 means 2.4 A, not 2 A. Phoenix specifies the -2 devices at 2.4 A output current.

The -3 is 3 A and the -9 is 9 A. Worth checking against the motor full load current rather than assuming the number is the rating.

Confirmed order numbers

Note 2900420. Same device as 2900414 but with 230 V AC control instead of 24 V DC. If your control circuit is 230 V, that is the one, and the 24 V version will not operate.

Group shutdown via DIN rail connectors

A genuinely useful feature that saves wiring.

Phoenix specifies that group shutdown after an emergency stop is achieved via DIN rail connectors with an upstream safety relay, rather than wiring each starter individually.

So a bank of CONTACTRON starters can be dropped together from one safety relay through the rail connectors. Supply and relay extension work the same way.

The DIN rail connectors are a separate order and are the part most likely to be missed. Tell us how many starters are in the group and we will include them.

Other features worth knowing

The integrated locking circuit is worth noting. On a conventional reversing arrangement you wire a mechanical or electrical interlock so both contactors cannot close together. That is built in here, which removes a wiring step and a commissioning error.

CONTACTRON pro

The current generation, described by Phoenix as offering simple safety integration and modular extension options on the same hybrid technology.

If you are specifying new, that is the range to look at. If you are replacing in an installed panel, the original may still be the right fit.

What to check when replacing

H3 or H5. Starting or reversing.

The function letters. I, ES or IES. This is the one that matters.

Control voltage. 24 V DC or 230 V AC.

Output current. Against motor full load current, remembering that -2 is 2.4 A.

Connection type. Screw or push-in.

ATEX or transient variants. The -T and -P suffixes are not optional extras if the original had them.

Whether it is in a group shutdown chain, because the rail connectors go with it.

What we can supply

Current production. The CONTACTRON and CONTACTRON pro ranges in screw and push-in, DIN rail connectors, relay extension modules and fieldbus gateways. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Discontinued variants. Earlier ELR generations. Surplus and tested used.

Related

Phoenix Contact overview. Interface relays and Power supplies.

For conventional contactors and overloads see Siemens SIRIUS and Allen-Bradley 100-C. For safety relays that would drive a group shutdown see Pilz PNOZ.

Send us your order numbers

Check the function letters before ordering, because I and IES look similar and only one carries the emergency stop function. Include the control voltage. Quotes in NZD including GST.

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Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG. Phoenix Contact, CONTACTRON and COMPLETE line are trademarks of Phoenix Contact. All trademarks, brand names and order numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute a safety assessment.