Spannung freigeben

English translation: enable the power supply

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	Spannung freigeben
English translation:	enable the power supply
Entered by:	Languageman

09:05 Apr 25, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng

German term or phrase: Spannung freigeben

From the operating instructions for a circuit board tester. From what I can gather, there are a number of stages involved in getting the power supply to the board on test, i.e.:

- Plug in the transformer and switch on at the wall
- Switch on the tester
- Switch on board itself
- "Spannung freigeben" using the key switch

Context examples:
====
Das Prüfgerät ist an einem Trenntrafo zu betreiben.
Der Schlüsselschalter darf nur von elektronisch geschultem Personal benützt werden. Er aktiviert die Spannungsfreigabe.
----
Damit die Spannung frei gegeben wird, muss der Schlüsselschalter umgedreht werden. Die Spannungsfreigabe ist an der grünen Leuchte zu erkennen.
====

So, in English I can't release, authorise, enable or approve or activate a voltage, so what am I doing here? Thanks for your ideas.

Stephen

Languageman KudoZ activity Questions: 291 (none open) (4 without valid answers) (17 closed without grading) Answers: 337 United Kingdom
Local time: 20:21

enable the (supply) voltage

Explanation:
In electronics, "enable" is a standard term and equivalent to "freigeben."

References

enable v.
freigeben v., durchschalten v., zuschalten v., entsperren v., entriegeln v., ermöglichen v., vorbereiten v. || ~
Aktivieren n., Einschalten n., Freigabe (FRG)
(Siemens A&D Transl. Wörterbuch industrielle Elektrotechnik, Energie- und Automatisierungstechnik. 2004)

Examples

The publication also mentions the use of the same principle construction to *enable the supply voltage* to be connected in two stages.
www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=1995010932&IA=WO1995010932&...

To *enable the supply voltage;* enter the BIOS setup screen ...
http://www.j2retailsystems.com/support/Documents/J2 520ex Te...

The first isolation means circuit point 37 is connected to the supply voltage circuit point 12 , so as to *enable the supply voltage* V to be applied to the first isolation means 36 .
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6669098.html

A *key operated switch enables/disables* all local switching functions.
Power presence to each chassis is acknowledged by two LEDs indicating proper supply for single or redundant AC power configuration.
http://mavriq.com/Specs_01.htm

Distributed, load sharing power supply system for IC tester
An *enable signal EN input to power supply* 30 from FPGA 26 (FIG. 1) turns on the power supply. Enable signal EN also provides an input to an enable control circuit 47. When the EN signal is not asserted, enable control circuit 47 pulls down on a gate of transistor 48, turning off the transistor, thereby *preventing power supply 30 from supplying any current to the load.*
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7053648-description.html

Selected response from:

sci-trans
Local time: 21:21

Grading comment

Thanks all for the help and ideas. I decided 'enable' was probably the closest in meaning here, although I'm still not convinced that you can "enable a voltage". I therefore used "enable the power supply", which was close enough for this application.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

switch on power

Richard Stephen

enable the (supply) voltage

sci-trans

apply voltage

Ross McCalden

unblock the circuit, electric system

MichaB

release electrical current

Nicholas Krivenko

Answers

5 mins confidence:

apply voltage

Explanation:
or turn on power or something like that?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2008-04-25 09:31:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You're right - 'apply' probably doesn't convey it all.
How about 'discharge' as an alternative?

Ross McCalden
Germany
Local time: 21:21
Native speaker of: English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for the idea. I'm not really sure that conveys all the information of 'freigeben' though. I would like an English term/phrase that gives a sense of the "authorising" aspect of this requiring a key.

Asker: Re 'discharge': Thanks again, but I don't think that would really fit either. Discharge usually means to 'release a stored charge', which is not what is meant here, so this would be confusing.

28 mins confidence:

switch on power

Explanation:
You have different expressions in German, and will have to adapt your English translation accordingly, however I think that "switching on the power" would fit in all contexts in one form or the other: It switches on the power; to switch on the power;The green light indicates that the power is switched on, etc.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-25 10:15:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't think "authorization" is really meant here, other than the fact that only "authorized" personnel have a key to switch the power on and off. (Don't be so literal).

Richard Stephen
United States
Local time: 13:21
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 304

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for the answer. You're right, it does fit in all cases to an extent, but I don't it really convey the sense of 'authorisation' involved, which is what I was hoping for.

5 hrs confidence:

unblock the circuit, electric system

Explanation:
So lange keine Spannungsfreigabe erfolgt ist, ist das gesamte System ohne Strom. Alle Geräte, die an dem Stromkreis angeschlossen sind, können also nicht angeschaltet werden. Das ist (glaube ich ) so eine Art Sicherheitssystem, damit ein versehentliches Einschalten einer Komponente zu keinem Unfall führt. Ich weiß nicht, ob das gutes Englisch ist, aber vielleicht hilft es ja bei der Suche nach einem passendem englischen Begriff (so würde ich das zumindest auf Englisch umschreiben).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 Stunden (2008-04-25 14:44:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Once the system is unblocked, a green light will... oder so!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 Stunden (2008-04-25 19:30:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Ich kann das Englische natürlich nicht ganz genau einschätzen, aber "apply voltage" oder "switch on power" ist es nicht, das ist zu allgemein!

MichaB
Works in field
Native speaker of:

German

Notes to answerer

Asker: Danke für die Vorschläge. Ich denke, Sie haben meine Frage gut verstanden, allerdings bin ich nicht so sicher, dass "unblocked" genau treffend ist. Grüße und ein schönes Wochenende.

Asker: Danke für das weitere Feedback. Ich stimme überein, dass die anderen Vorschläge zu allgemein sind. Mangels einer besseren Alternative, habe ich bislang "activate the power supply" verwendet, was aber auch ziemlich allgemein ist.

14 hrs confidence:

release electrical current

Explanation:
...or supply... If you are still looking.

Nicholas Krivenko
Ireland
Local time: 20:21
Native speaker of:

German,

English

2 days 2 hrs confidence:

enable the (supply) voltage

sci-trans
Local time: 21:21
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 43

Grading comment

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations