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Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:59:05 -0400
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From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@roadrunner.com>
Subject: Master relay gets hot!
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Just got home from fishing in Cabo for a week - so if this has already been 
answered, just dump it.

Sounds like you could have a starter contactor (relay) installed as your 
master relay. Many types of both relays look very similar if not identical. 
The difference is in how much current the coil pulls when energized. Starter 
relays pull quite a bit more current as they are designed for intermittant 
use plus need to stay energized during starter operation when the bus 
voltage can sag a bunch due to starter current draw.

The ones in my LNC2 look identical, without very close inspection, so could 
be easy to switch.

Not sure what the actual coil current for these relays are but, on a 12 volt 
system, I think the master relay current should be in the neighborhood of 1 
amp (+/- some), resulting in a coil power dissipation of ~ 12 watts, while 
the starter relay maybe around 6 - 10 amps (72 - 120 watts). One would be 
just warm while the other, if on continuously, would burn your fingers!

Dan Schaefer