BF3800A (3-pole 38 A)
Lovato Electric · BF09–BF38 frame (45 mm)
Top of Lovato's compact BF frame at 38 A AC-3 — 20 HP @ 460 V, typical line contactor on 15 kW European screw compressors.
Ratings
- AC-3 (440 V)
- 38 A / 18.5 kW @ 400 V
- AC-1
- 50 A
- Hp (3Φ)
- 10 HP @ 230 V · 20 HP @ 460 V
- Three-phase HP
- 10 HP @ 230 V · 20 HP @ 460 V
Coil data
- Available coil voltages
- 24–415 VAC 50/60 Hz; DC and AC/DC low-consumption versions
- Inrush VA
- ≈ 150 VA
- Sealed (holding) VA
- ≈ 12 VA
- Pickup voltage
- 0.85–1.1 × Uc
- Dropout voltage
- 0.3–0.6 × Uc
Typical measured coil resistance (±15%, ballpark)
24 VAC≈ 4–9 Ω
120 VAC≈ 95–210 Ω
400 VAC≈ 1,400–2,700 Ω
OL = open coil · near zero = shorted turns · coil-to-frame must read >1 MΩ.
Coil resistance checker
Pick the coil voltage, enter your meter reading across A1–A2 (coil disconnected), and compare it to the expected ballpark.
Ω
This model (24 VAC table value)4 Ω–9 Ω
Generic mid-frame 24 VAC4 Ω–9 Ω
OL = open coil. 0–2 Ω = shorted turns (often from a cooked transformer). Ballpark only (±15%+); electronic wide-range coils (e.g. ABB AF) read misleading values — test those at rated voltage instead. Always measure coil-to-frame too: must be >1 MΩ.
Terminals & accessories
Power/coil terminals: Screw clamp to 25 mm²
Auxiliary contacts: Built-in per suffix; expandable with BFA/BFL blocks
Companion overload: RF38 thermal or DMA electronic relay
Cross-references
- Schneider LC1D38
- WEG CWB32/CWB38
- Siemens 3RT2028
- ABB AF38
- Eaton XTCE038C
Field notes
- The DC low-consumption coil version needs a clean DC supply — ripple from an unfiltered supply makes it hum.
- Direct-mount RF overloads set to nameplate FLA; on a star-delta panel set the overload to 0.58 × FLA when it sits in the delta leg.
- Aftermarket BF-series coils vary widely in quality; prefer genuine Lovato on high-cycle machines.
Manufacturer documentation