(a) Overcurrent protection. A conductor of a control, interlock, or indicator circuit of a motor controller must be protected against overcurrent unless:

(1) The conductor is wholly within the controller enclosure;

(2) The rating or setting of the branch circuit overcurrent device is not more than 300 percent of the current-carrying capacity of the control, interlock, or indicator circuit conductor;

(3) There is an overcurrent device in each side of the line that has a rating or setting of not more than 300 percent of the current-carrying capacity of the control, electrical interlock, or indicator circuit conductor, except if under operating conditions there is no appreciable difference in potential between the external conductors, overcurrent protection need only be at the supply of that side of the line; or

(4) The opening of the control, interlock, or indicator circuit creates a hazard.

(b) Accidental ground. The controller must be designed to prevent an accidental ground in a remote control circuit from causing the stop switches to fail to operate or causing the motor to start.

(c) Source of potential. The potential for a control, interlock, or indicator circuit must be derived from the load side of the motor and controller disconnect device, except if the control functions require circuits that must be common to two or more controllers, the switching arrangement in paragraph (d) of this section must be met.

(d) Switching. In the design of a control, interlock, or indicator circuit, all practicable steps must be taken to eliminate all but one source of power in an enclosure. If the control functions make it impracticable to energize a control interlock or indicator circuit from the load side of a motor and controller disconnect device and the voltage of the control, interlock, or indicator circuit is more than 24 volts, there must be one of the following alternative methods of switching:

(1) Each conductor of a control, interlock, or indicator circuit must be disconnected from all sources of potential by a disconnect device independent of the motor and controller disconnect device. The two independent devices must be adjacent to each other, and a fixed sign, warning the operator to open both devices to disconnect completely the motor and controller, must be on the exterior of the door of the main disconnect device.

(2) Each conductor of a control, interlock, or indicator circuit must be disconnected from all sources of power by a disconnect device actuated by the opening of the controller door, or the power must first be disconnected to allow opening of the door. The disconnect device and its connections, including each terminal block for terminating the vessel's wiring, must have no electrically uninsulated or unshielded surface. When this type of disconnect device is used for vital auxiliary circuits, a nameplate must be affixed to the vital auxiliary motor controller door that warns that opening the door will trip a vital auxiliary off-line.

[CGD 74-125A, 47 FR 15236, Apr. 8, 1982, as amended by CGD 94-108, 61 FR 28282, June 4, 1996; 62 FR 23909, May 1, 1997]