Times
Duty cycle (ED)
Duty cycle is the time between switching on and switching off the current.
Cycle time
Cycle time is the sum of the duty cycle and the break without any current. For DC-solenoids, the cycle time is limited to max. 5 minutes. If you assume that the maximum cycle time of 5 minutes = 300 seconds, the max. duty cycle is as follows:
5%ED = 15 seconds
15%ED = 45 seconds
25%ED = 75 seconds
40%ED = 120 seconds
100% ED = continuous operation, unlimited duty cycle
Relative duty cycle
The relative duty cycle (ED) is the duty cycle ration to the cycle time, which is usually provided as a percentage. The duty cycle is specified in the tables with 5%, 15%, 25%, 40% and 100%. 100% ED corresponds to continuous operation. The solenoid can thus remain switched on for an unlimited time.
Switching frequency
The switching frequency is used to describe the maximum possible number of switching operations per hour. These values are also standardised. Kuhse DC solenoids are tested for a switching frequency of 240 switching operations/h.
Example for the ED calculation
Duty cycle 9 seconds 9 x 100
Cycle time 20 seconds 20 = 45%ED
The solenoid must be designed for continuous operation 100% ED accordingly.