How does a double pole double throw relay work?
Matthew Wilson
Published Apr 05, 2026
How does a double pole double throw relay work?
DPDT stands for double-pole double-throw relay which is an electromagnetic device used to separate two circuits electrically and connect them magnetically. They are often used to interface an electronic circuit, which works at a low voltage to an electrical circuit which works at a high voltage.
What is a double pole single throw relay?
The Double Pole Single Throw DPST relay is the equivalent of 2 SPST switches (NO Normally Open and NC Normaly Closed) and can be used to switch 2 different loads. We have 2 scenarios depending on the type of relay. without voltage on coil: with a NO the loads will be OFF because the current cannot flow.
How do you use a double pole single throw relay?
Single Pole Double Throw SPDT Relay So basically you can see the SPDT relay as a way of switching between 2 circuits: when there is no voltage applied to the coil one circuit “receives” current, the other one doesn’t and when the coil gets energised the opposite is happening.
How does a double pole single throw switch work?
A double pole single throw switch controls two circuits (poles) and has 2 states an “on” (closed) state and an “off” (open) state. A double pole single throw has four terminals in total, two inputs and two outputs which are all controlled by the same switch.
What is a double pole double throw switch used for?
What is a DPDT Switch? A Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switch consists of six terminals, two of which are independent input terminals. Each of the poles can complete two different circuits. In other words, each input terminal connects with two output terminals, and all four output terminals are separate.
What is the difference between SPDT and DPDT relay?
SPDT vs DPDT The difference between SPDT and DPDT is that SPDT has a single input that connects to two outputs while the DPDT has two SPDT integrated together which enables it to control two circuits together at the same time.
What is a double pole switch used for?
A double pole switch can be used to control light and a fan or 2 lights on separate circuits. It is easy to wire a double pole switch to work as a single pole switch because only one side is used instead of both.
What SPDT stand for?
Single Pole Double Throw
A Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch is a switch that only has a single input and can connect to and switch between the 2 outputs. This means it has one input terminal and two output terminals. A Single Pole Double Throw switch can serve a variety of functions in a circuit.
What can a double pole single throw relay do?
The Double Pole Single Throw DPST relay is the equivalent of 2 SPST switches (NO Normally Open and NC Normaly Closed) and can be used to switch 2 different loads. We have 2 scenarios depending on the type of relay without voltage on coil: with a NO the loads will be OFF because the current cannot flow
How many terminals does a single pole relay have?
1 Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) – The SPST relay has a total of four terminals. 2 Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) – The SPDT relay has a total of five terminals. 3 Double Pole Single Throw (DPST) – The DPST relay has a total of six terminals. 4 Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) – The DPDT relay is the biggest of all. …
What does throw mean in solid state relay?
Throw: The throw means the circuit that will be controlled by the pole. We usually use single throw, double throw, or etc. to show how many circuits will be controlled by one Pole. Open: If the pole is disconnected to one throw, the state of this throw is called open state or open.
How to connect a DPDT relay in a circuit?
In order to know how to connect a DPDT relay, you must know what each pin terminal represents and how the relay works. A Double Pole Double Throw Relay comes with 8 terminal points. The terminals are COIL, COIL, COM, COM, NO, NO, NC, NC.
How does a single pole double throw relay work?
SPDT Relay. (Single Pole Double Throw Relay) an electromagnetic switch, consist of a coil (terminals 85 & 86), 1 common terminal (30), 1 normally closed terminal (87a), and one normally open terminal (87) (Figure 1).
Throw: The throw means the circuit that will be controlled by the pole. We usually use single throw, double throw, or etc. to show how many circuits will be controlled by one Pole. Open: If the pole is disconnected to one throw, the state of this throw is called open state or open.
In order to know how to connect a DPDT relay, you must know what each pin terminal represents and how the relay works. A Double Pole Double Throw Relay comes with 8 terminal points. The terminals are COIL, COIL, COM, COM, NO, NO, NC, NC.
How many terminals are in a single pole relay?
( S ingle P ole D ouble T hrow Relay) an electromagnetic switch, consist of a coil (terminals 85 & 86), 1 common terminal (30), 1 normally closed terminal (87a), and one normally open terminal (87) (Figure 1).