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How do electric windows work in cars?
It seems like not so long ago that we had to roll car windows down ourselves. I’m curious about electric power windows and how they work.
Lisa Steuer McArdle · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
We remember those days of manually rolling down our windows, too! **But technology advances fast, and in the most basic terms, electric windows operate when a motor and some gears work together. **
Electric power windows have a small electric motor, which is attached to several gears. This is what creates gear reduction so that there is torque to lift the window.
One of the gears is a worm gear. Many worm gears actually have a self-locking mechanism, and
cannot be forced open
. Due to it being at a certain angle, only the worm can spin the gear—the gear is not able to spin the worm.Different kinds of cars are wired differently. But today, a typical electric window system in a car gives the driver the ability to control all the car’s windows.
In this basic system, there is a window-switch control panel on the door, which is where the power comes from when the driver presses a switch. The driver’s side door contains a 20-amp circuit breaker. That’s why the driver can control the other windows through a system that disconnects a side contact from the vehicle ground, and instead connects it to a center power contact.
These days, power windows and other car technology continue to advance. You’ll want to make sure you have adequate car insurance to protect such an important purchase.
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