The all-or-nothing switching function establishes and interrupts the power supply of the

receivers. This is usually the function of electromagnetic contactors. In most

In cases, remote control becomes essential to facilitate the use.
like the worker's task, which is usually away from the power control controls.
As a general rule, such control provides information on the action performed that
It can be visualized through the indicator lights or a second device.

These complementary electrical circuits called 'slaving circuits and'

"signaling" is carried out through auxiliary contacts that are incorporated into the
contactors, to the auxiliary contactors or to the automation relays, or that are already
included in the additive blocks that are mounted on the contactors and the contactors
auxiliaries.

On-off switching can also be performed with relays and static contactors.
Similarly, it can be integrated into multifunction devices, such as the
motor circuit breakers or the contactor circuit breakers described in the subchapter 'Devices'
of multiple functions.

CONTROLS

This section will provide the basic principles with which machine control begins;
to perform most controls, only a few devices are needed that
they will list below:

Coils: as seen previously, the coil is the independent variable of the

contactor and the dependent variable are the contacts. If the coil is energized, the
contacts change state, if the coil de-energizes the contacts return to their
estado de reposo. En resumidas cuentas sobre quien se debe hacer el control es sobre la
coil. Under the German regulations in fig 2.1, the symbol of the coil is shown and it has
find the element it belongs to, if it is a contactor the coil will be marked with a number
followed by the letter M, if it is an auxiliary relay there will be a number followed by
The letters CR, if it is a timer, will be noted with the letters TR.

Fig 2.1. Coil symbol.

Normally open contacts: as the name suggests, the NA contacts

(normally open) are those contacts that do not leave in their resting state
conduct electrical energy. Once the coil is energized, the contacts close and
they allow energy to pass to other elements.

Fig 2.2. Normally open contact symbol.

Normally closed contacts: as its name indicates, NC contacts
(normally closed) are those that allow current to pass in their resting state and
when the coil that governs them is energized, these contacts open and do not allow
pass energy.

Fig 2.3. Symbol of the normally closed contact.

Buttons: they are the external elements that the operator uses to be able to alter or
change the status of any circuit. Basically, it is the man-machine interface that
It is currently in operation. A button consists of one or two normally open contacts.
or closed, coupled by means of a mechanical shaft that only changes state
as long as an operator keeps a finger on the physical device, the rest
contacts remain in their resting state. The following are the symbols of
the push buttons:

Fig 2.4. Symbols of the pushbuttons

In figure 2.5, the main components of an automation circuit can be seen.

these are divided into two: a control circuit and a power circuit; where the circuit of
control manages small currents and controls the opening or closing of the contactor of
power. The control circuit is often complex and has components such as
push buttons, alarms, timers, sensors and must also maintain the state of
operation of the circuit. Through the control circuit, it is possible to introduce the
orders of change of the power circuit, variables can be monitored and manipulated
The control circuit is, in a way, the most complex of the two; this circuit
It can change depending on the control, the designer, and whether any function needs to change.
the control circuit will also do it.

In figure 2.5, a power and control circuit has been drawn in the two systems most
important in the automation of industrial processes, such as the norm
American and the European standard. As can be seen, the scheme does the same.
function in both drawings only that the symbols have been changed. As it can be
appreciate, the American standard is easier to draw but when it comes to understanding the
the worker can get lost. Meanwhile, in the European standard the drawing is
a little more difficult to carry out but the operation can become more
understandable.

This book always refers to the American standard, as these symbols are
they can easily draw on a computer screen or in a manual programmer
of a PLC and there is no need to change the symbols.
 Fig 2.5 Power and control circuits in European and American standards

Starting from the previous definitions, one is now able to begin designing.
control circuits useful in simple applications such as motor starting, filling
of tanks, turning on lights, etc. It should not be forgotten that every control circuit
it handles a power element and in turn, it manages a part of a machine, the
A complete analysis of the functioning must not overlook any of these parts.

Example2.1.
Design of a circuit that opens or closes a contactor whenever an operator wishes.
This type of circuit indicates that we need a coil, to control the ...
power circuits and a push button, to have an interface between the operator and the machine.

Fig 2.6. Solution to the first statement

The explanation for this statement is very simple: the button 1PB is normally
open, which implies that the 1M coil has no current and therefore the contactor does not
is activated. When the operator presses the button, it allows current to pass and the
1M coil changes the state of its contacts, which implies that the element that is
connected to the power circuit is activated or functioning.

Example 2.2.
Design a circuit that energizes a motor with a button and keeps it activated.
until it is wanted and stopped with another button.

The previous statement indicates that a button must be used to energize the circuit.
this is usually called a start button, and its function is to allow current to pass through
to the coil. An element that memorizes and maintains this state is generally a
normally open contact of the element to be controlled; as the circuit
to keep powered for a long time it is necessary to introduce a second button
to cut the power to the coil, a normally closed button, which is generally called a stop.
 Fig 2.7. Control Circuit With State Memory.

In its resting state, the circuit in figure 2.6 does not allow current to flow to the coil, already
that the button 1PB and the contact of 1M are open. Once the operator
I need to power the machine press 1PB, this allows current to pass and powers 1M.
When the contactor changes state, its contacts cause the contact that is in
parallel with 1PB is closed and allows current to flow through it enabling the operator
stop pressing the button. When it is necessary to de-energize the circuit, it should be
interrupt the current through 2PB and the circuit returns to its initial state.

Example 2.3.
Design a circuit that can be started from different stations and maintain its
State until any operator wishes, de-energization can be carried out.
from any station.

You can take the circuit in figure 2.6 as a base and make some minor changes.
modifications. If you want to start from different stations we must provide
different paths for the current to flow to the coil and it is achieved by placing
Push buttons in parallel with 1PB and place them at the different stations. To turn it off.
it is necessary to interrupt the current from any point, this is achieved by connecting
NC buttons in series with the 2PB button as shown below.

Fig 2.8. Contactor control from different control stations.

Example 2.4.
Design a circuit that can reverse the rotation direction of a motor.

To carry out this circuit, the circuit in figure 2.6 must be used twice.
one for the right direction and another for the left direction. Additionally, it
they would need four buttons, one to start each direction and two others to stop them,
but fortunately there are push buttons with more than one contact that can be found
mechanically interlocked, that is, they move at the same time and the development is shown in the
fig 2.8.

This circuit presents the problem that if the motor is rotating to the right and a
The operator needs to change the direction of rotation and activates 3PB; there will be a short circuit in the phases.
that supply the engine and the facilities that supply the engine will be out of
service.

Figure 2.9. Reversing inverter for a motor.

Example 2.5.
Design a control circuit that can reverse the direction of a motor but
that has no possibility of short circuit in the power circuit.

Fig 2.10. Reversing circuit with prior stop.

The control circuit in figure 2.9 is similar to the one in fig 2.8 only that in
In this case, normally closed contacts are added to each control line.
in such a way that if 1M is activated, the NC contact of 1M on line 2 is
finds open and does not allow to energize 2M, the same is done in line 1, there it
introduce a 2M NC contact. This type of rotating investment is called with a stop.
previous, since changing the direction of rotation requires de-energizing the
contactors through 2PB.

Example 2.6.
Design a circuit that can reverse the direction of rotation of a motor without the need for
make a prior stop.

Figure 2.10 presents a circuit with interlocking through push buttons, if

We depress 1PB, the contact on line 2 will open, which first de-energizes 2M and
Then the contact on line 1 will be closed, which will energize 1M, allowing for
de-energize one direction of rotation first and then energize the other direction of rotation; it
The same happens when pressing 3PB. To stop the motor permanently, it is necessary to press
2PB that takes energy from the 1M and 2M coils to bring the circuit to its state
initial.

Fig 2.11. Reverse rotation without prior stop.

Example 2.7.
Design a circuit that simulates an AND gate.

Figure 2.12. Logical AND gate and wired

It is often convenient to treat inputs or buttons as bits, especially

When working with PLC. The logic is: a NO contact symbolizes a ONE and a
contact NC symbolizes a ZERO. Thus, to activate the coil Q there is
need to activate the inputs I1 and I3 and keep the input I2 deactivated, the logic
cable and its digital symbol can be seen in fig 2.11

Example 2.8.
Design a wired circuit that symbolizes the OR gate.

In figure 2.12, an OR gate with contacts has been implemented, there you can
appreciate that to activate output Q, it is sufficient to activate any contact from I1 to I3.
The NAND and NOR gates are obtained by inverting the output, to achieve it.
using wired logic we simply take a normally closed contact of the
contactor or corresponding auxiliary relay.

Fig 2.13. Logical and wired OR gate

Example 2.9.
Design a wired circuit that symbolizes the XOR gate.

Fig 2.14. Logic and wired XOR gate

This is a quite practical example of making AND and OR connections; let's remember that
the AND connection results from connecting contacts in series and the OR connection results from
place contacts in parallel.

Example 2.10.
Diseñar un circuito cableado que simbolice un latch tipo RS.
 Fig 2.15. RS flip-flop with wired logic

This is perhaps the most useful flip flop when it comes to control, as the other flip flops
they are derivatives of this and are only used in digital electronics. It is important to remember
the truth table of this with a band diagram as follows:

Fig 2.16. Timing diagram of the RS flip flop

As seen in fig 2.15, when the operation of the Flip Flop begins, both outputs are
are found deactivated, upon starting a SET action the output Q is activated, and it remains active
In this state until a RESET action occurs, when the reset is triggered, only the
state of the outputs if the SET input is deactivated, otherwise it will be maintained
Q negated action. When there is no active input, the coils remain.
in its previous state.

Example 2.11.
Design a wired circuit that maintains the temperature of an oven while a
operator so wishes.

Fig 2.17. temperature control of an oven.

When you need to turn on the oven, simply press the button with the
start name, this energizes 1CR which works similarly to a contactor and
The NA contacts keep 1CR and the output Q energized. Once the
the oven has reached the desired temperature, the sensor opens its contacts and does not stop
passing current to the resistor, without current the resistor stops emitting heat and
heat the environment. If the temperature drops, the NC contact of TE closes and the
the oven temperature increases and thus stays within a range.

1.1 Rules for the design of control circuits in Electromagnetic Assemblies.

The following are the most common rules to keep in mind for
design the control circuits when assembling with contactors, end switches
of race, timers, etc. That are mounted discreetly.
This type of diagrams is only used to handle control signals.
 2) A fuse should always be installed per phase to protect the components of a
short circuit.
3) Control coils or auxiliary relay coils can only appear as elements.
actuators.
4) A coil should not be repeated.
Only NA and NC contacts from sensors, buttons, final contacts can appear.
race, etc.
There is a limited number of contacts NA and NC of any element.
7) Only horizontal drawings should be made.
8) If a button, limit switch, selector switch, sensor has more than one contact,
these must be coupled with a dotted line between the contacts of the
elements to indicate that both are activated at the same time.
It becomes necessary to use auxiliary relays when the contacts of an element
electromagnetic are insufficient.
Every coil must always go at the end of a step.
11) Every coil must be controlled by at least one contact or one element.
12) Try to make each step as simple as possible, to avoid
complications in the review of the assembly.
13) Every terminal must have a label that identifies it.
14) No more than two coils should be connected in series.

Example 1. Filling door.

In figure 2.18, there is a door used to drop substances to a

mixer. It consists of a motor that raises and lowers the gate (it has inversion of
(spin), when the door is open the material falls by gravity and fills each one of the
containers, to stop dropping material, it is enough to close the door, it is necessary to keep in
It is necessary to have a limit switch at each door stop to stop it.
movement.

Fig 2.18 Remote-controlled door

In the figure, the three main views of all automation can be seen.
on the left you can see the mechanical arrangement of all the elements that make up the
installation, there should appear the location of the motors, their coupling method with the
load (door), location of the sensors or limit switches that will restrict the
movement, location of pneumatic cylinders. These elements must be located in
the most precise way possible, since several engineers are involved in the overall design and
they must make the best decisions for automation to be the best
possible. In the center, the power circuit is specified, this is commonly
composed of a three-phase motor that can be reversed or one
Single-phase that will always rotate in one direction. On the right side, a circuit is shown.
typical control that consists of two contactors, two limit switches and two
push buttons.

The operation is easy to understand; when pressing 1PB, the door starts to open until
reach the limit switch of 1FC, when the door hits the limit switch the circuit of
the control de-energizes the motor and it stops, this stoppage does not happen immediately
but due to the inertia of the motor, it moves a little further. The NC contact of 1M in series with
1FC is used to prevent short circuits when pressing 1PB and/or 2PB simultaneously. If it is
take a look at the control circuit the second step has the same configuration
and works the same way, only here the gate is lowered.

Unfortunately, there are no clear rules for making control circuits, there are only
try to remember the circuits from examples 2.1 to 2.11 to have a guide, or
to have great design experience.

Example 2. Control with solenoid valve and motor pump.

In figure 1.19, the cross-section of a solenoid valve is shown consisting of a metal body.
where the hoses connect and internally a piston is placed that allows circulation.
the water in one direction or another, has an electromagnet that moves the piston and the places for
Where water comes in and out is marked with arrows or letters.

Fig 2.19 Cut of a solenoid valve

When the solenoid valve is inactive, the piston is down and obstructs.
the circulation of water, this force is made by a spring and special designs of
Piston. When it is active, a current must be circulated through the coil,
This produces a magnetic field that compresses the spring and allows water to flow.
Cuando el campo desaparece el resorte vuelve el émbolo a su posición de descanso e
The water is interrupted. In conclusion, it can be said that water is allowed to flow when the
The solenoid valve is active and the liquid flow is interrupted when it is de-energized.

In figure 2.20, a water storage system can be seen that must operate from the
next manner. When there is normal water supply, the storage tank
It must be filled to a certain level by pumping water. When there is no water supply.
This must be pumped from the tank to the main pipe. To achieve this
A single pump and four solenoid valves 1 and 2 have been installed along with the
pumps allow the pumping from the main water to the tank and the solenoid valves
3 and 4 allow pumping from the tank to the main pipe.

To ensure the pumping system operates satisfactorily, some have been installed.
rudimentary level detectors that work in the following way. A float is
submerged in the liquid, in such a way that it floats or sinks depending on the
level; if the level is below the required, the buoy pulls the rope and this activates the
end of the race that is at the other end of the rope. If the level is above the
required the buoy to float and no force is exerted at the end of the stroke and this is
disabled. To be able to control the two levels, two of these must be placed
level one level detectors in level 1 and activate the limit switch 1FC and another in level 2
what activates the 2FC.

If the tank is unoccupied, the float that controls level 1 is activated and the 1FC is
closed, allowing 1PB to be pressed and activating the 3M output and this in turn
activate the corresponding solenoid valves and the pump; when the water reaches level 1 the
float buoy, and the end of stroke 1FC opens; allowing for flow control and
turn off the pump and solenoid valves 1 and 2. A 3PB button has been connected for power
disable the filling or emptying of the tank at the operator's will.

To carry out the emptying, the level 2 float is floating and the limit switch is
disabled, which allows 2Pb to be activated and the system to function. When 2M is activated, they are activated
The solenoid valves 3 and 4 along with the pump handle the pumping of water to the pipe.
main when the tank is empty the level 2 float activates and stops the
pumping deactivating the solenoid valves and the pump.

Fig 2.20 Water Pumping

1.2 Exercises
Iron dust collector.

In figure 2.17, there is a plant where iron shavings are collected in a deposit.
that must go back into the oven; for this, a crane bridge has been set up that has
two motors, one to raise and lower the electromagnet and another to move it to the right and left
the left. This process should be automated in such a way that its operation is
A button moves the motor to the right, another button moves it to the left.
One should have a button to raise it and another to lower it. There is an electromagnet.
that attracts the shavings and keeps it attached to the conveyor that will later take it away
to the cart. The electromagnet has two buttons: one to energize it and another to
de-energize it. At each limit, the overhead crane has a limit switch that deactivates the
engines to prevent damage; the emergency stop should not be forgotten.

Fig 2.21 overhead crane for carrying iron dust.

Acetylene producer.

Acetylene is obtained from the combination of quicklime, coal, and water as shown in the
Figure 2.22. There is a lime storage, whose output is controlled by a gate; it is
opens, the lime falls, it closes and stops falling. In a second warehouse, the coal is stored,
which has a similar operation to the previous one. In a steel tank, are dropped
the materials, water is poured when energizing a solenoid valve and acetylene comes out through a
tube at the top. Once the lime and the coal have reacted, they must be extracted.
the waste through another lower gate.

Automate the process in such a way that a button opens each gate.
Another closure, the maximum and minimum limits are detected by limit switches. The
Acetylene and water are controlled by two solenoid valves, the operator controls the
quantity of each element.

Fig 2.22 acetylene production plant.

Alcohol distillery.

Figure 2.23 shows a process that separates alcohol from water. The ...
Mix in a container where the solution is heated with a resistance. A tube in the
the upper part allows the alcohol to be extracted in vapor form. After a while
(estimated by the user), which is controlled by the user, stops the heating and
the water is allowed to escape. The distiller should be automated in such a way that the ignition and the
the shutting off of the solenoid valves is controlled by means of two buttons, one for
turn on and another to turn off.

Fig 2.23 distillation of alcohol.

Sand decanter in liquids.

Figure 2.24 shows a machine used to separate liquids from solids in

a water treatment plant. To inject the solution, a valve is opened and closed.
electrovalve EV1 on the tank. To release the clean solution, a
second solenoid valve at the bottom of the tank EV2 and to extract the solution with high
grado de suciedad se colocó una electrovalvula EV3. El proceso para llenar el tanque es
The upper solenoid valve must be opened to fill the tank, it must be left
let it fill; let the mixture rest for decantation, once it is estimated that the
Once the previous step has been completed, the solenoid valve at the bottom must be activated.
to draw out the water and the process should be repeated. After having drawn out several times, one
you must wash the tank, dirty water should be allowed to drain, a
electromagnetic valve EV3 to let out the muddy water. It is necessary to avoid letting the water
dirty and clean can mix at any moment.

Fig 2.24 Sand decanter.

Filling of grain bags

A sack filler is shown in figure 2.25; it is built with two belts.

carriers driven by two 4Hp single-phase motors each. The first
the band is responsible for transporting the grain from a silo to a hopper and the second one takes the
sacks full from the hopper to a place where they will be stored. To start the
the grain conveyor belt is turned on; it must remain on until
that a limit switch is triggered that is located under the bag conveyor that is actuated
when the bag is full. Once this is activated, the grain conveyor should be stopped and
turn on the sack conveyor until a second limit switch is triggered. The cycle
It should start when the operator places a bag in the spot and presses the button.
start.

Fig 2.25 Filling of grain bags.

6) Industrial presses:

Figure 2.26 shows the diagram of a press for extracting oil from olives.
Freshly cut olives are placed in a silo and through the door P1,
let the compression vessel fall. At the top of the vessel, there is a plate
made of steel that is moved up and down by means of a motor. The plate to
the descender compresses the olives and they release their oil. In a first attempt,
It can extract up to 70% of the oil and in a second attempt, the remaining 30% is extracted.
At the maximum stops of the door and the press, there are limit switches for
avoid damage.

Fig 2.26 olive press

Decantation vessel

In the industry, there are many processes that need to mix solid products, a
the possibility is to have both storage silos and take them to the site of
mixed by means of two conveyor belts. The process must be executed as: the
band 1 must energize and drop a single product, as soon as the first one falls.
The product must energize the second band and stop the first one of the second product.
a single product should also be dropped. To mix the product, it must be energized.
a third engine and leave it until the operator deems it appropriate.
 Fig 2.27 container for the decantation of substances.

Substance mixer:

The process that this machine must follow is simple, as will be shown below.
encender el motor agitador se deja caer la sustancia A; cuando ésta termina de caer, se
allows the descent of substance B and immediately stops the fall of the substance
A, it keeps shaking for a few minutes, after which the engine stops.
to allow an operator to extract the mixed substance. The control of the
Blending must be carried out from two control stations simultaneously. Only
A button must be available to initiate the release of substance A and turn on the motor.
another to drop substance B and close the solenoid valve A and two more buttons
to stop the fall of substance B and stop the stirrer motor (see fig 2.28).

Fig 2.28 Substance mixer

Cocoa toaster:

This type of machine is used to roast cocoa beans that have previously been
sun-dried. It consists of a rotating cylinder, which is driven by a motor
single-phase induction in which the seed of the fruit is found inside. On the outside
a gas flame is found that slowly heats the fruit and extracts the water from it
interior. The steps to follow in automation are:
Start the engine to turn the cylinder.
Ignite the gas for a time that the operator deems appropriate.
Turn on an electronic lighter to ignite the flame.
Let the cocoa roast.
Once the cocoa has been roasted, the flame is turned off by closing the gas solenoid valve.
The roasted cacao should be kept moving until it cools down.
Finally, the cocoa is extracted by centrifugation by starting a motor that rotates at a higher speed.
speed

Fig 2.29. Cocoa toaster.

Concrete doser.

In a concrete plant, it is necessary to transport stone, sand, and cement from some
storage containers to a mixer where the amount of each is regulated
One necessary for a concrete class. The crane has three three-phase motors.
reversible; one to rotate the crane on its axis, another to raise and lower the basket and
a third party to drag the material over the deposit. To automate the
motors taking into account that each direction of rotation involves a button.

Fig 2.30 Concrete dosing machine