Domae – This was the final range of MCB's branded as Square D. Unusually they are not the push-fit type which was what Square D was really known for. This range just uses a standard din-rail clips and was a ‘competitive' product aimed purely for the domestic market. Later versions were branded Schneider but are identical to the Square D.

A new range of Polestar was launched in 2012 and called Polestar Compact. Although the new range was 16kA rated due to advances in technology it was significantly slimmer and is not interchangeable with the older style. Not all pods are the same, some have long leads for triple pole boards and some have short leads for use in domestic boards. Also worth mentioning that the pods will fit the Memera 2000 range of MCB's as well but only the part numbers that start ALB or ALC. Fortunately the situation with Bill and MEM MCCB's is not as confusing. Firstly MCCB's are made to a different standard to MCB's, BS60947-2. Whilst that standard has been updated to allow for new technologies it still remains as the current British Standard.Memshield 2 – These are also a commercial breaker and come in types B,C & D. These also will fit into all Memera 2000 range boards. Mini circuit breakers are triggered by overcurrent - electrical current that exceeds a designated safe current and makes use of a relatively robust mechanical mechanism designed to minimise failures and false alarms. Initially the range was made to BS3871 standards so Types 2 & 3 were available from 6A up to 63A in single and triple pole. RCBO's were also available but they were initially referred to as MCB/RCD units as the term RCBO was not really established as yet. Residual current devices ( RCDs) are a different form of electrical safety equipment. While MCBs have a general function, RCDs are specifically built to protect against the frequently fatal risk of electrocution from touching exposed wires or incorrectly earthed cables. They operate directly within electrical circuits to detect faults and cut off potentially hazardous currents.

MEM first started manufacturing circuit breakers in 1965 and were one of the UK's biggest names in circuit protection. Now they go under the trade name of Eaton but still use the MEM name on some products. However, just to add a little confusion, some MCB's were discontinued whilst under the MEM brand but due to complaints from customers, specifiers and electrical wholesalers the company had to start manufacturing again. Some of these products are branded Delta and from 2003 some of these products are branded Eaton when they company was bought out yet again. Specifications matter more than brand when choosing MCBs, so in theory, you can use any component that is compatible with a particular device. However, mixing brands in the same installation is not recommended as it makes testing less reliable and can invalidate warranties and installation guarantees. Why are MCBs Preferred to Fuses? Confused? Well it gets worse because by the time that Delta/Eaton decided that they needed to manufacturer some of the older products to keep the peace with customers the British Standard BS3871 had changed. Previously all MCB's had been marked with a ‘Type' (either 1,2,3 or 4) but BS3871 had changed so that Type 1 MCB's were no longer used and Types 2,3 & 4 were now Types B,C & D. Square D was bought out by Schneider in 1991 and although they changed the appearance of the circuit breakers the later versions will still fit the older boards.Memera 2000 – There are several different styles of MCB's in this range but all will fit any Memera 2000 board. Memera 2000AD – These have a narrow terminal and only fit boards specifically marked Memera 2000AD. They won't fit in older boards. All MCCB's in MEM's Memshield 2 range or Bill's Talisman Plus range are branded as such. Even though Eaton bought out Delta in 2003 they maintained the old branding until they came out with the latest range, Memshield 3. Even though they are using the Memshield brand all breakers are now marked as Eaton. Still Confused? Moulded case circuit breakers ( MCCBs) have a very similar function to MCBs but they also have a higher capacity. MCBs are all sub-100-amp devices and are designed for low voltage circuits, so their trip curves cannot be adjusted. By contrast, MCCBs feature adjustable trip characteristics, which means that they can be used with higher voltages – as much as 2,500 in some instances. What is the Difference Between MCBs and ELCBs? After 1994 the British Standard of BS60898 came into effect and the range was changed to Types B, C & D and now included double pole mcb's as well. RCBO's were now being widely used and theses were available in Types B & C although it's rare to see Type B in use as most installations were commercial.