What it is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1196-4ED42-0AA0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) built for line protection in distribution panels. It carries a 16 A rating at 40 °C through 55 °C, then derates to 15 A at 60 °C through 70 °C — so in a hot enclosure you lose an amp, but it holds steady across the typical panel ambient range. Four poles, fitted with a TM210 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. That means fixed thermal pickup and magnetic trip — no interchangeable trip units, no adjustment dials. It's set and forget, which is what you want for a straightforward feeder or branch circuit where coordination is already figured. Breaking capacity is the headline number: 121 kA at 240 V AC, 75.6 kA at 415 V, 52.5 kA at 440 V, and 11.9 kA at 500 V and 690 V. At 240 V that's a serious fault-current rating — it'll clear a bolted fault on a big transformer secondary without the arc flashing over to the bus. The 415 V and 440 V numbers cover common industrial supply voltages in North America and Europe.
Where it fits in the panel
Mounts on a DIN rail or direct-panel screw pattern. Dimensions: 130 mm tall, 101.6 mm wide, 70 mm deep — that's a 4-inch wide footprint, so it takes the same slot as other 4-pole SENTRON 3VA frames. IP40 on the front face, meaning it's protected against tools and wires dropping in, but not sealed against hose-down. Keep it inside a cabinet. Rated insulation voltage 800 V, so it's comfortable on 480/277 V and 600 V systems with headroom. Power loss maxes at 10.6 W — negligible for panel heat budgeting unless you stack a dozen of them in a sealed box.
No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no communication module, no ground-fault monitoring. This is a plain-vanilla thermal-magnetic breaker — line in, line out, it clears overcurrents. If you need remote tripping or ground-fault protection, you'll add external accessories or step up to a 3VA with the electronic release.