Changeover switch for supply-source selection
The Schneider Electric A9SCO463 is a 4-pole changeover switch from the Acti9 iSSW series, rated 63 A at 400/415 VAC. It is designed for one job: switching between two sources of supply — mains and generator, or two independent feeds — in a panel. The utilisation categories AC-22A (resistive/mixed loads) and AC-23A (motor loads with occasional switching) tell you it handles both lighting panels and small motor circuits up to 23.4 kW at 415 V (AC-23A) or 36.2 kW at 415 V (AC-22A). The toggle control has three positions with white markings — source 1, off, source 2 — and a padlock provision in the ON position locks the selected source.
The 63 A rated operational current (Ie) is the continuous current the switch carries under normal load. The rated short-time withstand current (Icw) of 1.26 kA for 1 second at 400/415 V means the switch can survive a fault current of that magnitude until an upstream protective device clears it — it is not a circuit breaker, but it coordinates with one. The peak making capacity (Icm) of 1.26 kA is the maximum peak current the switch can close into without welding contacts; that figure governs its ability to switch onto a faulted bus. Electrical durability is rated at 7000 cycles, mechanical durability at 10,000 cycles. For a changeover switch that may only be cycled a few times a month (generator transfer), that is ample. If the application calls for daily switching under load, the 7000-cycle electrical figure is the limiting number — derate for higher switching frequency.
The switch is an isolation device — suitability for isolation is marked on the product, and the contact position indicator shows whether the contacts are open or closed. The 4 C/O (changeover) contacts break both poles of each phase, so there is no neutral-switching ambiguity on a 4-wire system. Wire stripping length is 12 mm for both top and bottom connections. The 9 mm pitch between modules (12 pitches total) is standard Acti9 spacing — it fits alongside MCBs, RCDs, and other Acti9 devices on the same DIN rail without adaptors.