What this MCCB is and where it fits
The Siemens 3VA1196-5ED16-0AA0 is a 1-pole molded case circuit breaker from the SENTRON family, rated 16 A continuous at 40 °C with a TM210 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. It's designed for line protection — think feeder circuits in a control panel or distribution board where you need a compact, high-interrupting device. The 121 kA interrupting rating at 240 V AC means it can clear a bolted fault on a large transformer secondary without the arc flashing over; at 415 V AC the rating drops to 9 kA, which still covers most industrial service-entrance duty. The IP40 front protection keeps dust and tools out of the mechanism, but it's not sealed for washdown — this lives inside a panel, not on the machine frame.
Ratings and what they mean for fit
The 16 A rating holds flat from 40 °C up to 55 °C — no derating needed in a warm panel. At 60 °C it drops to 15 A, and at 70 °C it's still 15 A, so the thermal curve is stable across typical enclosure ambient ranges. The TM210 release is a fixed thermal-magnetic type: the thermal element tracks overloads, the magnetic element handles short-circuit trips. No trip indicator, no undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring — this is a basic, reliable overcurrent-only device. The 3.53 W maximum power loss is low enough that you can pack several on a DIN rail without worrying about heat buildup in a sealed enclosure.
DIN-rail footprint and panel integration
At 25.4 mm wide (1 inch), this single-pole breaker takes one standard module on a DIN rail. Depth is 70 mm, height 130 mm — it fits a standard 200 mm deep enclosure without the cover interfering. The IP40 front means the breaker's operating mechanism and terminals are protected against solid objects over 1 mm, but the back and sides are open to the panel interior for heat dissipation. Wire the line and load terminals with the torque spec from the device manual; the spring-cage or screw terminals (confirm variant) accept up to the rated conductor size for 16 A.