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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Wiring, Protection and Safety

Distribution board

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, distribution board means: An enclosure that divides an incoming supply into separate circuits, each protected by its own breaker or fuse. In North America it is usually called a panelboard or breaker panel.

In Turkish: dağıtım panosu, elektrik panosu, sigorta kutusu

How it is used

Used in buildings and industrial installations, and often shortened to DB. Electricians install, wire, label and test a distribution board. In UK homes it is called a consumer unit. Larger industrial versions include the main distribution board (MDB) and the motor control centre (MCC).

Example sentences

  1. Label every breaker in the distribution board so the next person knows what it feeds.

  2. The second-floor distribution board is fed from the main panel in the basement.

Common collocations

  • main distribution board
  • sub-distribution board
  • consumer unit
  • panel schedule
  • circuit breakerAn automatic switch that opens a circuit when it detects too much current, for example from an overload or a short circuit. Unlike a fuse, it can be reset and used again.
  • RCDShort for residual current device: a protective device that switches off a circuit when it detects current leaking to earth, for example through damaged insulation or a person. 30 mA devices are common for protecting people.
  • single-line diagramA simplified drawing of a power system in which one line represents all the conductors of a circuit. It shows sources, transformers, breakers, busbars and loads, and how they are connected.
  • wiring diagramA drawing that shows the physical connections of an installation or machine: which wire goes to which terminal, with wire numbers, colors and connector pins.
  • neutralThe conductor that carries current back to the source in an AC system and is normally close to earth potential. In IEC wiring it is blue; in North America it is white.

More terms: Wiring, Protection and Safety

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