Relay 101

I'm pretty new here, and well I have a lot to learn.

Unfortunatley for me, that relay description on this website didn't help me much on understanding how a relay works and all of that. Could you guys gimmie some links that explain relays in simple terms for me to understand...."Relays For Dummies" would really be great!!!   I'm just getting started, and this relay thing seems something that could come really handy and good to know.  Please gimmie all the help possible. 

If you need 2 e-mail me, my address is: mrtravieso@sbcglobal.net

I dont know of a link but I'll try to explain as simple as possible.

The most common relays in our application are SPDT. They have five contacts. Two of which are used to switch this humdinger on and off. The relay needs both power and ground to operate. 86 and 85 are what we refer to as the coil wires. If you have power on one and ground on the other the relay will energize.

What does this mean? You just turned on a switch! A relay is primarily used because the unit or switch hooked to our 86 or 85 doesnt have the current capacity to control the devices that we wish it to.

The other three contacts can be wired in various ways as to best suit your situation. The relay can break a circuit, isolate a circuit, add amperage, or even add convenience when wired correctly.

Look into The David Levy Company as they have a book on using relay in automotive applications.

Tenacious, Mel