> > >(2A) relay is closed before the power (8A) relay, then the
> > > power relay will take the brunt of the start-up surge ??
> > >
> > > Yes.
>
> Agree

Thanks Dwayne and Russell - and 1/2 point to me

I did purposefully choose an over-specced relay for the power
as it will do all of the active switching. By luck it just turns out
that the SPST matches the package size of the DPDT, which
keeps the PCB tidy

Is there any mileage in trying to use something like an LM317
(but bigger) to limit the initial motor current, or is it normally
unnecessary or not worth the effort if the power relay is over-
specced by a wide margin anyway ? This is for a 12VDC motor
running on a battery, and will run satisfactorily down to ~9VDC
so perhaps a bypass transistor as current limiter ? The person
who I'm doing this for has had experience with failing semis (FET
H-bridge) in the previous version made by someone else, the
main reason I chose to use relays instead

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic:
[PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads