Weight and volume

Compared to electromechanical switches, SSPC has advantages in weight and volume. From a top-down perspective at the system level, referring to Figure 3, the representative system of the electromechanical switch providing eight0 ampere 2eightV power to 8 loads is 4.25 "x 7" x 10.9 "or thirty-two4 cu. Inches, weighing 11.5 pounds. Referring to Figure 4, switch the 480A 28V power supply to an SSPC module with thirty-two loads of 11 "X 7.8" X 3.1 "or 266 cu. Inches, weighing 15000g.

As a comparison and reference to Figure 5, the power to volume ratio of the electromechanical switch system shown in Figure 3 is 6.9 watts/cu. The SSPC module shown in Figure 4 has a power of 50.5 watts per cubic inch. At the system level, this provides SSPC with a 7.3:1 power volume density advantage. The reduction in volume frees up more space for crew members and/or equipment. The power to weight ratio of the electromechanical switch system (Figure 3) is 194.8 watts per pound, while the power to weight ratio of the SSPC module (Figure 4) is 896 watts per pound. This gives SSPC an advantage in terms of power to weight density of approximately 4.6:1. The reduction in weight translates into fuel savings. The differences in volume and weight density of these systems can be attributed to various factors. This includes:

As described below, solid-state components have inherently lower volume and weight compared to electromechanical relays and circuit breakers.

In addition to directly reducing the overall size and weight, the reduced component size also reduces the size and weight of related PC boards and chassis.

Solid state components are directly connected to printed circuit boards. In some cases, relays and circuit breakers are installed on metal frames rather than PC boards and interconnected through separate wires rather than PC board traces.