Why is one terminal copper?

[Tycer]

On a 50a ignition protected circuit breaker. Why is one terminal copper and the other steel?

 

[dingbat]

On a 50a ignition protected circuit breaker. Why is one terminal copper and the other steel?

same reason there are “gold” and “silver” terminals on AC wall sockets... polarity.
Gold = positive
Silver = negative

 

[Tycer]

same reason there are “gold” and “silver” terminals on AC wall sockets... polarity.
Gold = positive
Silver = negative

Except that this breaks the positive side only. There’s no ground. Unless you chase the wiring through the various equipment windings and such to ground. So that line of thinking would put the battery on the copper and the load side on the steel.

 

[GA_Boater]

One side is always hot and the other is switched when the breaker pops. Design convention so the load is dead when the breaker is open and a tech knows it should be safe to work on.

 

[Tycer]

[No message]

 

[dingbat]

Except that this breaks the positive side only. There’s no ground. Unless you chase the wiring through the various equipment windings and such to ground. So that line of thinking would put the battery on the copper and the load side on the steel.

There are not “two sides” to a DC circuit.

Current flows from positive to negative.

The positive side of the circuit (lead closet to source) goes to gold terminal. The negative side of the circuit (lead closet to ground) goes to silver

 

[Tycer]

There are not “two sides” to a DC circuit.

Current flows from positive to negative.

The positive side of the circuit (lead closet to source) goes to gold terminal. The negative side of the circuit (lead closet to ground) goes to silver

Thank you!

 

[Silvertip]

Switches and circuit breakers have a "line side" and a "load side". Line side is fed from the power source. Load side goes to whatever the switch or breaker is connected to. Bronze/gold is the LINE side. Silver is the LOAD side. If you are working with AC outlets, then bronze/gold is HOT and silver is neutral (call it ground if you wish). In DC circuits, when you are working ONLY with the +12 volt side of the circuit, there is no Positive and Negative. It is simply line and load. Think of the positive terminal of the battery as the LINE side of any circuit (because it is the "main line" so to speak). The negative terminal of the battery is simply "ground" and is not (or should not) ever be manually switched. There exceptions to that when dealing with sensors however where the sensor completes a ground path to turn on an idiot light or activate an alarm.