Non Cycling Circuit Breaker

There are two types of non cycling circuit breakers. One type is mechanical and is nearly the same as a cycling circuit breaker. The difference is a small heater wire within the non cycling circuit breaker. This wire provides enough heat to keep the bimetallic element open until the current source is removed.

The other type is solid state, called out in this section as Electronic Circuit Breaker (ECB). This device has a positive temperature coefficient. It increases its resistance greatly when excessive current passes through it. The excessive current heats the ECB. As it heats, its resistance increases, therefore having a positive temperature coefficient. Eventually the resistance gets so high that the circuit is effectively open. The ECB will not reset until the circuit is opened, removing voltage from its terminals. Once voltage is removed, the circuit breaker will reclose within a second or two.