Getting Started With DIN Rail

Welcome to “Getting Started With DIN Rail”.
This page will provide a guide to the physical mounting of the Kvaser DIN Rail family of products.
For guidance on programming the Kvaser DIN Rail SE400S-X10, a 4-channel CAN interface,
download the User Guide and refer to section 4:
Download User Guide

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Section 1

DIN Rails

A DIN rail is a metal rail of a standard type widely used for mounting circuit breakers and industrial control equipment inside equipment racks. They are a universally interchangeable rack-mounting systems used across a wide selection of industries.

‘DIN’ is an acronym that stands for Deutsche Institut für Normung, which translates into English as ‘German Institute of Standards’.

Devised originally in Germany in the late 1920s, in the 1970’s the name DIN became the official symbol for technical standardization in Germany and has become commonplace for Automation equipment to be mounted on 35mm DIN rails ever since.

Section 2

What are DIN rails?

Kvaser DIN Rail Getting Started Guide - Image 1

DIN rails are designed for securely attaching electrical and industrial control products such as circuit breakers, terminal blocks, power supplies, actuators, solenoids, etc. inside a typical equipment rack housing cabinet or frame.

DIN rails are simple and easy to install, and can enable installers to create an extremely cost-effective and space-saving solution that is reliable and easy to maintain.

DIN rails exist purely for the purpose of supporting physical components, rather than as any sort of connective or conductive element within a system.

The advantages of a DIN rail system for mounting hardware components are:

  • The rail saves time and effort, as components simply snap or slide into place on the rail, rather than users having to panel mount each individual component separately.
  • The rail saves space because the DIN rails allow for tight configurations of components and provide a convenient site for bringing internal and external wiring circuits together, ideal in limited space applications.
  • They’re cost-effective, both in terms of the pricing of the DIN rail itself and the potential it offers for high-density adjacent mounting that can contribute to a reduction in the overall amount of wiring and cabinet space needed.
  • They promote neat and well-organised component layout, which is better for all-round safety and maintenance access.
  • DIN rails adhere to universal sizing and mounting protocols, working to a series of universal standard widths and shapes of mounting hardware.
  • Those that use DIN rails can be guaranteed dimensional uniformity across a whole suite of relevant products, regardless of the supplier.
  • The DIN rail system allows the builder flexibility to mix and match components, without having to stick to a single proprietary model range to get the job done.