Sensor IQ Breakers and Hall Effect Sensors

Symptoms/Issue

Intermittently, some breakers do not switch when instructed to. The LEDs on the breakers may flicker or blink and the Sensor IQ may show breaker errors.

Description/Explanation of Issue

Original revisions of Sensor IQ breakers were problematic in fully populated Sensor IQ panels.

The Hall Effect sensor in each smart breaker senses magnetism. The load contacts in each breaker include a magnet as part of the mechanism. The breaker determines the current state of the contacts by detecting whether the magnet is near or far from the Hall Effect sensor. It was discovered that the original Sensor IQ breakers had an overly strong magnet and an overly sensitive Hall Effect sensor; such that with multiple breakers adjacent, the magnetic field from one breaker could affect the operation of the sensors in adjacent breakers. Breakers may falsely trip or not switch when they are told to. This problem can be difficult to nail down as it is dependent on the position of adjacent breakers and the strength of their magnets.

Fix/Solution

This has been resolved by redesigning the smartbreaker. Breakers marked as Rev B do not have this issue. The Rev A breakers can be differentiated from Rev B as shown below. The breaker will need to be removed from the panel in order to check this label. Please follow proper Electrical safety practices and have this done by a certified individual. If you have Rev A breakers, please contact ETC Technical Services and we will replace them with Rev B breakers free of charge.

Rev. B Breaker Sensor IQ