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GUIDE 03 • LEGACY ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS & MOTOR CONTROLS • Electrical & Industrial Electronics

Identifying & Replacing Obsolete Circuit Breakers, Fuses, Motor Starters & Micro Switches

When a 40-year-old motor starter, special time-delay relay, or molded-case circuit breaker trips in an older school boiler room or manufacturing line, replacing the entire panelboard is rarely feasible on short notice. Here is how our Electrical & Electronics Desk (978-454-9101 • ELE@goindustrialsupplies.com) cross-references and sources drop-in replacements.

1. Legacy Circuit Breakers, Fuses & NEMA Motor Controls

Over the past century, dozens of classic American electrical manufacturers—such as Westinghouse, Cutler-Hammer, Furnas Electric, Gould/ITE, Challenger, Pushmatic, Federal Pacific (FPE), and Shawmut—were merged or discontinued. Frank P. McCartin Co., Inc. maintains deep old-stock inventory and direct factory cross-reference lines to supply UL-listed replacement breakers, fuses, and contactors.

  • Obsolete Molded-Case & Plug-In Breakers: Cross-referencing Westinghouse, Cutler-Hammer (Eaton), Square D, Siemens/ITE, GE, and Connecticut Electric UBZ/emergent replacements.
  • Industrial & Semiconductor Fuses: Full stock of Bussmann, Gould / Ferraz Shawmut (Mersen), Edison, and Littelfuse Class RK1, RK5, Class J, Class L, Class T, and midget/electronic fuses.
  • Motor Starters & Contactors: Furnas Electric, Cutler-Hammer, Square D, Robertshaw, and Paragon/Tork time switches.

2. Precision Limit Switches, Time-Delay Relays & Analog Test Equipment

Unlike single-trade electrical wholesalers, FPM operates a dedicated Industrial Electronics counter stocked with board-level and control-panel components:

  • Honeywell Micro Switch: Authentic BZ, V3, LS, and heavy-duty limit switches used on commercial boilers, elevators, packaging machinery, and security interlocks.
  • Relays & Semiconductors: Amperite thermal time-delay tubes/relays, Crouzet timers, Potter & Brumfield / Omron plug-in relays, and NTE universal semiconductor replacements.
  • Test & Intercom Systems: Simpson 260 analog meters, UEI & Hioki clamp meters, and Aiphone / Lee Dan / Atlas Sound school intercom and nurse-call parts.

Legacy Electrical & Electronic Component Cross-Reference Matrix

Component CategoryHistoric / Legacy Brand on NameplateFPM Replacement / Cross-Reference LinePhoto / Nameplate Data to Send ELE@
Molded-Case / Panelboard BreakersWestinghouse, Cutler-Hammer, Challenger, Pushmatic, FPE, Zinsco, ITEEaton / Cutler-Hammer, Connecticut Electric, Siemens, Square DAmperage, poles (1P/2P/3P), voltage (120/240V vs 277/480V), kAIC rating & catalog prefix
Motor Starters, Contactors & HeatersFurnas Electric, Westinghouse, Arrow-Hart, Cutler-HammerFurnas / Siemens, Eaton Freedom/NEMA, Definite Purpose ContactorsNEMA Size (00, 0, 1, 2, 3), coil voltage (24V/120V/208V/480V), and thermal overload heater code
Precision Snap-Action & Limit SwitchesMicroswitch / Honeywell Micro Switch, Barber-Colman, RobertshawHoneywell Micro Switch, Robertshaw, Johnson ControlsCatalog stamping on switch side (e.g., BZ-2RW82-A2), actuator roller/lever style, and SPDT/DPDT rating
Time-Delay Relays & Control ElectronicsAmperite, ECG, RCA, Sylvania, Potter & Brumfield, CrouzetAmperite, NTE Electronics, Crouzet, SwitchcraftPin configuration (octal 8-pin, 11-pin blade, 9-pin mini), heater voltage, and delay seconds
149 CONGRESS ST, LOWELL, MA • TRADE COUNTER & MUNICIPAL DESK COMMBUYS #201354 • MHEC G14 / G19

Submit Your Component Spec to Our Lowell Counter Desk

Direct counter routing to Electrical & Electronics (ELE@goindustrialsupplies.com • 978-454-9101), Plumbing, PVF & Steam (PVF@goindustrialsupplies.com • 978-454-7606), or Finance/Tax-Exempt (ar@goindustrialsupplies.com • 978-453-1681).

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