1. DIN Rails By Erik Flum 11/29/06

2. Background DIN rails are a standardized 35mm metal rail with a hat-shaped cross section. Widely used in Europe, becoming popular in the US. Used to mount low voltage industrial control equipment.

3. Standards DIN – Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute of Standards) Other common DIN dimensions : 15mm 75mm Std. Length: 1 meter DIN 46277

4. Properties Made from any conductive material, commonly copper or aluminum. Arranged in rows or banks within a cabinet or rack. Spaced for easy wiring and access.

5. Use Power supplies are used to produce standard DC voltages in the rails: 5V, 12V, 24V, 48V, 96V.

6. Use Continued Many standard industrial controls can be used on DIN rails including: PLCs, relays, wire terminals, switches, monitoring equipment, even small PCs.

7. Example Equipment Wire Terminal Modular DIN rail PC from SHF Communications Technology Temperature Monitor

8. Pros/Cons Pros Low voltage systems Space saving Organized Centralized controls Cons Can only be used with low voltage equipment Requires more wires Requires several power supplies

9. Recap DIN rails are a German industrial standard. They are used to organize and space industrial equipment. They can be powered by any standard DC voltage. There are component options for almost any situation.

10. Resources Manufactures www.automationdirect.com www.abb.com www.elmex.net  Research  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_rail  http://www.engineeringtalk.com/guides/ din-rail.html