What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1196-5GD46-0AA0 is a SENTRON-series 4-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 16 A continuous current with a TM210 thermal-magnetic trip unit. It provides line protection for cables and downstream equipment against overloads and short circuits.
Thermal-magnetic trip — TM210
The TM210 designation means the thermal element (for overload protection) and the magnetic element (for short-circuit protection) are both fixed, non-adjustable. The '210' typically indicates the frame size and trip curve family within the 3VA platform. For a 16 A breaker, the thermal pickup follows a standard inverse-time curve — it'll hold 16 A indefinitely in a 40 °C ambient and trip faster as current rises. The magnetic instantaneous pickup is fixed, usually around 10–12 times In for this class, so it clears hard faults in under a cycle. No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no ground-fault monitoring on this variant — it's a straight thermal-magnetic line-protection breaker.
Panel fit and environment
The 3VA1196-5GD46-0AA0 measures 130 mm high, 101.6 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. That 70 mm depth is the body depth behind the panel face — important when you're laying out a shallow enclosure or checking clearance against a backplate. It's a 4-pole unit, so it occupies the width of four standard pole spaces on a DIN rail or mounting plate. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C, with storage from -40 °C to 80 °C. Power dissipation at rated current is 10.6 W — that's the heat you need to account for in your enclosure thermal calculation. No trip indicator on this variant, so you won't get a visual flag when it trips; you'll need to check the handle position or add an auxiliary contact.