In general relays are break-before-make since they work by a single leaf moving between two contacts.

Break-Before-Make: A switch that is configured to break (open) the first set of contacts before engaging (closing) the new contacts. This prevents the momentary connection of the old and new signal paths.

b. A second major cause of early life failures in relays is mechanical wear of internal switching elements. In fact, the life of a relay is essentially determined by the life of its contacts. Degradation of contacts is caused from high in-rush currents, high- sustained currents, and from high voltage spikes.

These terms Normally Open, Normally Closed or Make and Break Contacts refer to the state of the electrical contacts when the relay coil is “de-energized”, i.e, no supply voltage connected to the relay coil. Contact elements may be of single or double make or break designs.

Contact Functions Make-before-break switches are those that will complete a new circuit before breaking an old one. Break-before-make switches are those that will only complete one circuit at a time, leaving an interval of time between the time one circuit opens and the next circuit closes.

Make-before-break: In a switching device, a configuration in which the new connection path is established before the previous contacts are opened. This prevents the switched path from ever seeing an open circuit.

If your starter relay has gone bad, the electrical signal will never make it from the battery to the starter motor. As a result, your engine won’t turn over – no matter how many times you turn the key. A faulty relay often produces an audible clicking sound when you turn your car.

The engine will not start If the main relay is not supplying the engine computer with the power it needs, then the engine will not be able to crank and run the right way. Failing to get the main relay replaced will usually lead to the car being unusable.

For an electrical switch or relay, Make-Before-Break means makes the new connection before it breaks the previous connection, so the centre contact is momentarily connected to both contacts.

What is a make and break relay? The most common make and break relays are produced to switch a single feed line (usually positive) to power a section of a circuit, the relay is switched manually via a toggle/push switch or remotely through the circuit.

Make-Before-Break
For an electrical switch or relay, Make-Before-Break means makes the new connection before it breaks the previous connection, so the centre contact is momentarily connected to both contacts.

The most common make and break relays are produced to switch a single feed line (usually positive) to power a section of a circuit, the relay is switched manually via a toggle/push switch or remotely through the circuit.

Relays with MBB contacts have an overlapping mechanism where the NO contacts close before the NC contacts open. These are also called “continuous contacs.” Did this article help you to solve your problem?

For such an application, a make-before-break switch design can be built, in which the movable contact lever actually bridges between two positions of contact (between number 3 and number 4, in the above scenario) as it travels between positions.

Make-Before-Break (MBB) is a term “Denoting a switch or other device in which a new electrical connection is made before the existing one is broken”. In short, it simply means, shorting the circuit before disconnecting it. You may know about MBB when purchasing a relay.