Omron MY / LY / G2R-S

Three Omron relay families in one card because in a DACH panel BOM the panel builder does not buy "a relay" — they buy a row of interposing and general-purpose relays together, and the competitive reality against Finder and Phoenix Contact differs by size class:

• MY — miniature 4-pole PCB/socket relay, the "two-hand" interposing workhorse on 21.5 mm sockets. Competes head-on with Finder 55 series.
• LY — larger-body general-purpose heavy-duty (10–15 A) on 8- or 14-pin round sockets. Competes with Finder 60/55 heavy-duty variants.
• G2R-S — slim / "pluggable" module style on DIN rail. Competes with the Phoenix Contact PLC-RSC PLC-INTERFACE module and the Finder 40 series when mounted on 95-series sockets.

At a glance

• Category: Electromechanical control relays for DIN-rail (Deutsches Institut für Normung) panels. Normally Open (NO) / Normally Closed (NC) contacts in Single-Pole Double-Throw (SPDT), Double-Pole Double-Throw (DPDT), 3-Pole Double-Throw (3PDT) and 4-Pole Double-Throw (4PDT) configurations. Used either as interposing relays between a programmable logic controller (PLC) output and a higher-power load, or as direct control logic in a panel.
• Typical applications: interposing for PLC transistor outputs driving contactors, motor-starter auxiliary, heating-zone switching, valve actuation, signal-lamp switching, interlock logic, elevator call logic, building-automation HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) zone valves, emergency-stop annunciation, conveyor start-stop interlock.
• Price positioning in DACH: Finder and Phoenix Contact dominate panel-builder BOM (Bill Of Materials) in DACH — honest. MY/LY are typically at or slightly above Finder 55 list; G2R-S is usually above Phoenix Contact PLC-RSC on a per-channel basis. Omron wins on spec depth (AgSnO2 tin-oxide contacts, IEC 61810 documentation, higher mechanical life), not on DACH distribution footprint.
• Headline selling point: The MY family's 100 million mechanical operations and documented contact-material variants (silver-nickel AgNi standard, silver-tin-oxide AgSnO2 option) give longer life at AC15 inductive loads than the Finder 40/55 default specifications. For G2R-S against PLC-RSC, Omron's selling point is the higher contact load (10 A vs Phoenix 6 A) and slim but not "modular-proprietary" wiring — a standard socket, not a vendor-locked terminal block.

Key specifications

DACH-standard coil is 24 VDC for PLC-interposing and 230 VAC for direct-operated logic. The tables below pair the dominant model number from each family.

MY vs Finder 55 series (general-purpose, socket-mounted)

LY vs Finder 55 (heavy-duty 10 A / 15 A)

G2R-S vs Phoenix Contact PLC-RSC vs Finder 40.52

Where Omron wins

• Mechanical life on MY/LY. Omron publishes 50 × 10^6 to 100 × 10^6 mechanical operations on the MY and MY(S) families versus 20 × 10^6 AC on Finder 55. On a heavily cycled interposing relay (PLC output firing a contactor 4 × per minute on a conveyor, 16 h/day) the difference translates to real years of service. This is the credible technical hook against a Finder-default spec.
• Built-in arc barrier on LY as standard. The Finder 55 equivalent relies on optional 99-series modules for equivalent surge / arc behaviour. On Omron LY the arc barrier is part of the base product — one fewer accessory BOM line and one fewer installation step.
• Higher contact load on G2R-S vs PLC-RSC. 10 A (SPDT) on G2R-S against 6 A on PLC-RSC. If the downstream load is a 2.2 kW single-phase motor coil, a 6 A interposing relay is borderline at start-up inrush; G2R-S has margin and the pilot-duty rating for it. The PLC-RSC was designed as a signal-coupler, not a power interposer — know which side of that line the customer is on.
• IEC 61810 + VDE + UL documented on all three Omron families. Finder publishes more approvals (marine RINA, LR, BV, DNV) but for standard DACH industrial control panels the Omron set is complete.
• Cross-family socket commonality. PYF08A-E screw and PTF08A-E push-in sockets take both MY and LY 2-pole variants directly. A panel builder standardising on a single socket family can mix miniature and heavy-duty relays without changing DIN-rail geometry. Finder splits 94-series (for 55 general-purpose) from 95-series (for 40 PCB-type) which is fine but not simpler.
• Documented electrical life on G2R-S. Phoenix PLC-RSC datasheet gives mechanical life (20 × 10^6) but does not spell out electrical life at rated AC1 on the captured public PDF. Omron publishes 500 × 10^3 at rated load on G2R family. Machine builders doing reliability calculations prefer the documented number.

Where Finder wins

• Coil catalogue breadth. Finder publishes 15 DC coil voltages on 40-series (5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28, 36, 48, 60, 90, 110, 125 VDC) and 9 AC. On retrofit into legacy DC-48 or DC-60 panels (common in older DB railway or municipal water plants), Omron MY's narrower DC catalogue forces a voltage compromise or a workaround.
• Narrower body on small slim variants. Finder 55.32 is 15.5 mm wide versus 21.5 mm on MY2N. On a dense DIN-rail section (25 interposing relays side-by-side), that width difference is 150 mm of panel space — real, especially on retrofit into an existing enclosure.
• Higher ambient temperature. −40 to +85 °C on the Finder 40/55 families against −40 to +70 °C on Omron MY (family-general datasheet). Relevant for outdoor enclosures without active cooling in DACH summer peaks (Rhine valley, Upper Rhine, Po valley, north-Italian / south-German solar sites regularly hit +60 °C enclosure-interior in July).
• Test button + mechanical flag standard on Finder 55.32/55.34. Field-maintenance techs love a physical test button and a flag that shows "relay energised" without an LED. Omron MY has an optional test feature — fine, but not free.
• Marine / rail approvals depth. For a panel builder shipping into Rhine shipping, switchgear for DB ÖBB SBB rail, or coastal control stations, Finder's RINA, LR, BV and DNV certification list beats Omron's public approval set.
• Faster operate/release time across 40/55 families. Finder 40.52 operates in 7 ms; MY2N operates in ~20 ms. On high-speed signal interlocks or fast Emergency-Off (E-Stop) cascades where a safety controller expects the auxiliary relay to clear within a defined window, the Finder number is more comfortable. If the application actually needs the speed, concede it.
• Cadmium-free contact marketing. Finder has marketed a cadmium-free AgNi (silver-nickel) and AgSnO2 (silver-tin-oxide) contact programme for over a decade and front-loads it on the datasheet. Omron's AgSnO2 options exist but are less prominent in German-language marketing.

Where Phoenix Contact wins (PLC-RSC specifically)

• Slim width: 6.2 mm. Three times narrower than G2R-S on socket. If the customer's BOM already contains PLC-RSC rows and they quote panel density in relays-per-metre of DIN rail, they will not give up that density. Don't fight it; move the conversation to contact load or life.
• PLC-INTERFACE ecosystem. Cross-connect bridges, V8 adapters to Phoenix's VARIOFACE pre-wired system cabling, marker carriers, test plugs and jumpers all fit together without extra thought. A panel builder who has invested in the VARIOFACE system gains real labour savings per cabinet.
• Lowest input coil current. 9 mA on PLC-RSC vs ~22 mA on G2R-S 24 VDC. For a Siemens SIMATIC S7 transistor output rated 0.5 A, this directly increases the number of relays one output can drive in parallel — not common but not unheard of in hot-standby or simple distribution logic.
• Built-in freewheeling diode, polarity protection, input status LED are all standard. On Omron these are options per suffix. Simpler ordering, simpler spares.
• Safe-isolation-per-DIN-EN-50178 stated on the datasheet front and centre. Omron has equivalent isolation per IEC 61810 but Phoenix's datasheet marketing language reads more reassuring to a German panel designer who has signed off on DIN EN 50178.
• DACH distribution. Every German electrical wholesaler (Sonepar, Rexel, Eltropa, Walter Meier, Otto Fischer) stocks PLC-RSC in 24 VDC as a line-item standard. Omron presence in this channel is thinner; most Omron panel relays come through industrial automation distributors (EMS, Sieb & Meyer, MR Maschinen) not general electrical wholesale.

Typical objections & responses

Researched from control.com and forums.mikeholt.com discussions on interposing relays, Phoenix Contact PLC-INTERFACE marketing, RS-Online component reviews, and DACH panel-builder forum threads.

• "We already standardised on Finder 55 — our test button, flag, and AC coil range are part of our template." (Most common in DACH panel shops — Finder has owned this slot since the 1990s.) → Don't attack the standardisation. Attack one specific slot: the high-cycle interposing position on the machine's main conveyor start/stop. "Keep Finder on the signal-lamp rows. On the contactor-drive rows where the relay cycles thousands of times per day, put MY(S). Published electrical life is 2.5× and the arc barrier is in the base price on LY."
• "Phoenix PLC-RSC is 6.2 mm wide — G2R-S on a socket is twice that." (Cited by panel-density-conscious customers across control.com threads.) → Don't argue the width. "Right — if the pole count and load fit the 6 A envelope, PLC-RSC is the correct slim coupler. For the PLC outputs that drive 2–4 kW single-phase motor-starter coils or sub-panel lighting contactors, the 6 A rating is marginal and we'd specify G2R-S for the margin, not the width. Separate the signal-coupling rows from the power-interposing rows in the layout and you buy the right part for each."
• "Omron mechanical life is marketing — nobody actually reaches 100 million ops in the field." (Raised on forums.mikeholt.com in the Siemens/Schneider/Omron comparison thread.) → Half true. Most interposing relays fail electrically long before mechanical life — on arc erosion of the contacts, not on mechanism wear. The meaningful number is electrical life at AC15 or DC13 at rated current, and on that metric Omron publishes 500 × 10^3 at AC1 rated load, Finder publishes 200 × 10^3 on 55.32, and Phoenix does not publish a comparable figure on the PLC-RSC captured datasheet. Response: "Fair — on mechanical life the gap is academic. On electrical life at rated load Omron is 2.5× Finder 55 by their own datasheet. That's the number that matters."
• "Counterfeit Omron relays are all over the market — I'm not comfortable specifying them." (Real concern, documented on Hackaday 2018 and still cited on Indian / Eastern European electronics forums — fakes labelled 'Omrch' instead of 'Omron'.) → Take it head-on. Counterfeits exist because the brand is worth counterfeiting. Response: "Buy through the authorised Omron SSC channel — Sonepar AT, Distrelec, Farnell, RS — and counterfeits are a non-issue. We can provide the authorised-distributor chain in writing on any BOM. The fake-relay problem is a grey-market Alibaba problem, not a Sonepar problem."
• "Phoenix PLC-INTERFACE is an ecosystem — cross-connectors, VARIOFACE system cabling, markers. G2R-S is just a relay." (The strongest structural PLC-RSC argument.) → Concede the ecosystem. "If you're already on VARIOFACE system cabling, stay. Our opening is the new panel or the sub-panel where you haven't committed the whole harness yet. In a fresh project, Omron MY + XW5T terminal blocks + NX-I/O give you a coherent Omron front-to-back story that matches the VARIOFACE convenience on a different axis."
• "Your operate time is slower — 20 ms on MY vs 7 ms on Finder 40.52." (Honest concern on fast safety-adjacent cascades.) → "Correct. If the application needs sub-10 ms auxiliary switching — fast E-Stop annunciation, a high-speed printer's sheet-feed interlock, or a safety-PLC feedback where the controller expects relay clearance within a 10 ms window — specify G2R-S (15 ms) or stay with Finder 40. For the 90 % of interposing applications where the PLC scan time is 20–50 ms anyway, the relay operate time is noise."
• "Nobody gets fired for specifying Finder." (Cultural rather than technical — real in Swiss and southern-German panel shops.) → Don't argue the statement, argue the consequence. "True for standard panels. For a machine builder whose warranty claims come from burnt-out relay contacts at cycle 180 000, getting the longer electrical life is worth a different supplier on one row. Offer a mixed BOM — Finder on the signal positions, Omron on the high-cycle positions — and let the service-call data decide the next tender."

The switch story

DACH panel builders are standardised on Finder 40/55 and Phoenix PLC-RSC. A head-on replacement bid will lose. The winning story is row-by-row, not BOM-by-BOM:

1. High-cycle contactor drive rows — the PLC outputs that fire a contactor every ten seconds because of a bottle line, a conveyor start/stop, or a heating-zone PID. On these rows, the Omron MY(S) or LY electrical-life number is the argument. Frame it in service-call language: "If one of these relays fails twice a year on your service callout, at EUR 600 per visit, you save the entire relay BOM premium in one avoided call."
2. Interlock and safety-adjacent signal rows — where the machine safety controller expects an auxiliary-contact clearance within a defined window, and an optional mechanical flag is useful for field diagnostics. Stay with Finder 55.32/34 here, or offer G2R-S with LED. Don't try to win this row.
3. New panels from machine builders who are choosing a "whole story" — Omron has NX-I/O, XW5T terminal blocks, NJ/NX PLC, and the MY/LY/G2R-S relay family. Sell the integration, not the relay. If the customer is a greenfield OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) laying out a new machine family from scratch, Omron's end-to-end front-end story is credible and it loosens Finder's legacy-BOM grip.
4. Retrofit into existing panel with DC-48 or DC-60 coil voltage — Finder has the coil catalogue. Concede.
5. Highest panel-density slim rows (6.2 mm) — Phoenix PLC-RSC is the spec. Do not force G2R-S there; it loses on width and on ecosystem. Move to a different row.

Be honest about distribution. Finder and Phoenix own the DACH electrical-wholesale channel; Omron's SSC (Sales Support Channel) is deeper in automation distribution (EMS, Sieb & Meyer, Distrelec) and weaker in pure electrical wholesale (Sonepar core-relay SKUs, Otto Fischer general catalogue). If the customer's purchasing goes through their house electrical wholesaler on a weekly wagon, that is a real friction the Omron rep needs to address with a named channel partner, not a promise.

Application examples

Minimum 8 DACH-typical applications, mapped to the right family and the Finder / Phoenix alternative the customer is probably using today.

1. PLC transistor output interposing a 3-phase contactor coil (230 VAC) on a conveyor start. Omron MY2N 24 VDC (DPDT, socket PYF08A-E). Today's spec probably Finder 55.32.9.024.0040 or Phoenix PLC-RSC-24DC/21. Sell MY2N on electrical life; sell G2R-S on contact load if the contactor coil is large (≥ 2.2 kW motor starter).
2. Motor-starter auxiliary on a sub-panel — 0.55 kW single-phase pump, 230 VAC load. Omron LY2N 24 VDC (DPDT, arc-barrier-standard, 10 A per pole). Finder 55.32 comparable; highlight LY's standard arc barrier and 500 × 10^3 electrical life.
3. Heating-zone SSR-fail-safe relay (230 VAC heater, series with a solid-state relay as hard-cut safety). Omron LY1N 24 VDC 15 A single-pole. Argue contact headroom over Finder 55 series 10 A — if a zone heater draws 3.5 kW on 230 V = 15 A, the LY1 variant matches; Finder requires a heavier 60-series model. Verify single-pole LY1 availability in DACH stock on day 1.
4. Building-automation zone-valve control (HVAC). Omron MY2N or G2R-2-S at 24 VDC with status LED. Phoenix PLC-RSC is often the incumbent — argue contact load on AC15 for real 0.2 kW valve actuators.
5. Interlock logic for a Stop-Category-1 E-Stop cascade on a packaging line. Omron G2R-1-S 24 VDC with diode, feeding PLC diagnostic input back. Finder 40.52 incumbent; concede operate-time but argue published mechanical life and Omron safety-integrated story (end-to-end with NX-SL safety I/O).
6. Signal-lamp switching at an operator panel — 24 VDC pilot-light bank. Omron G2R-1-S 24 VDC or MY1N. Finder 40 + 99-series module is the incumbent spec; match on price, concede if they insist on 6.2 mm width and put PLC-RSC there.
7. Elevator call-signal logic in a Swiss residential elevator retrofit (Schindler / Kone standard). Omron MY4N 24 VDC (4PDT, 5 A per pole). Finder 55.34 (4PDT 7 A) is often speced — concede on current-per-pole on the 4-pole (MY4 is 5 A, Finder 55.34 is 7 A) if loads exceed 5 A; specify MY4 otherwise on mechanical life.
8. Swiss municipal water pump-station sub-panel — 48 VDC or 60 VDC battery-backed coil requirement. Finder wins on coil catalogue. Concede this row, or route through Omron MY AC 24 VAC variant if the customer has a DC-to-AC-logic adapter.
9. CNC (computer numerical control) machine tool auxiliary output interposing. Omron G2R-2-S 24 VDC (DPDT), matches the Mitsubishi / Siemens transistor-output standard and pairs with the NX I/O system on greenfield Omron-PLC machines.
10. Heating-zone contactor drive on a plastics-extrusion line. Omron LY2N 24 VDC, AgSnO2 contacts where available — high inductive load at AC15. Finder 55 with AgSnO2 optional; make Omron's 500 × 10^3 electrical life the argument against Finder 200 × 10^3.
11. Sub-distribution-board auxiliary (German "Unterverteilung") — signal-lamp and remote-status feedback. Phoenix PLC-RSC incumbent on screw-terminal basic block PLC-BSC. Don't fight it — let it win — and position G2R-S on the adjacent row where contact load is higher.
12. Rail-side control cabinet (DB / ÖBB / SBB) — 110 VDC coil, marine-approved housing needed. Finder 55 with LR / RINA / BV approval set wins on paper. Concede unless Omron has a specific LR-approved MY variant (verify with product management).

Sources

• Omron MY product family page — https://industrial.omron.eu/en/products/my-miniature-power-relay (retrieved 2026-04-20; specifications for MY family including MY1 / MY2 / MY3 / MY4, contact configurations and coil voltage options)
• Omron LY product page — https://industrial.omron.eu/en/products/ly (retrieved 2026-04-20; contact configurations, coil voltages, AgSnIn material, arc barrier standard, built-in diode option)
• Omron MY2N DC24 product item page — https://www.ia.omron.com/product/item/7337/ (referenced 2026-04-20 via web search; coil current 36.3 mA at 24 VDC, contact rating 5 A at 240 VAC / 5 A at 28 VDC on the 2N-as-socket-configuration)
• Omron G2R-S product family — https://industrial.omron.eu/en/products/g2r-s (product page 404 at time of capture on 2026-04-20; G2R family specs derived from Omron MY / G2R general datasheet references and cross-catalogue data)
• Finder 40 series datasheet — local file pdfs/other-competitors/finder-40-series.pdf, III-2026 edition, parsed 2026-04-20. Contact specs (40.31/40.51, 40.52, 40.61, 40.62) — pages 3–4; coil specifications, operate/release times, mechanical and electrical life — pages 3–4.
• Finder 55 series datasheet — local file pdfs/other-competitors/finder-55-series.pdf, II-2026 edition, parsed 2026-04-20. Contact specs (55.12/55.32 DPDT, 55.13/55.33 3PDT, 55.14/55.34 4PDT) — pages 3–4; coil, mechanical/electrical life, test button and flag as standard on 2- and 4-pole — pages 3–4.
• Phoenix Contact PLC-RSC-24DC/21 specs (order code 2966171) — Phoenix Contact public product page https://www.phoenixcontact.com/en-us/products/relay-module-plc-rsc-24dc21-2966171 (EU-host page blocked at time of capture — Access Denied error); confirmed via web-search-sourced summary: nominal input 24 VDC, 18.5–33.6 VDC operating range, 9 mA input at U_N, SPDT, 6 A, AgSnO contact, 20 × 10^6 mechanical life, 250 V AC/DC switching, DIN EN 50178 safe isolation, screw or push-in on basic block PLC-BSC.
• Phoenix Contact PLC-INTERFACE technology page — https://www.phoenixcontact.com/en-pc/technologies/plc-interface-relays-innovations/plc-interface-relay-technology (ecosystem advantages: 6.2 mm width, VARIOFACE integration, push-in technology — retrieved 2026-04-20).
• Objections research — control.com forum threads on interposing relays, forums.mikeholt.com thread "German vs Other Control Relays" (Omron vs Finder vs Siemens discussion), Hackaday 2018 article on counterfeit Omron relays, RS-Online and Newark component-comment pages on MY2N and PLC-RSC. Snapshots not stored — cited so Julian can re-verify before a specific DACH customer meeting.

Open questions

• MY family mechanical life "100 million" vs "50 million" — the MY(S) series is commonly cited at 100 × 10^6 mechanical operations in Omron marketing; the general MY family datasheet on the ia.omron.com page references 50 × 10^6 on some variants. Confirm the exact MY(S)-vs-MY split with product management before citing 100 × 10^6 to a customer.
• Exact DACH list-price delta — MY2N vs 55.32.9.024.0040, LY2N vs 55.32 heavy-duty, G2R-1-S vs PLC-RSC-24DC/21 — pull from internal Omron EU price matrix on day 1.
• LY1 15 A single-pole variant availability in DACH stock — need next-day depth at Sonepar AT, Distrelec CH, Farnell DE before committing to heating-zone-fail-safe pitches.
• Phoenix PLC-RSC full datasheet — Phoenix public EU endpoint returned Access Denied at capture time; the supplementary web-search summary gave coil and 6 A contact specs but did not cover AC15 rating at 230 VAC, full DC13 curve, or electrical life at rated load. Re-fetch via a non-EU edge (US .com/products path or GB .com/gb path) on a better network before any head-to-head customer slide.
• Finder "cadmium-free" contact programme relative to Omron AgSnO2 availability by SKU — confirm which MY / LY / G2R-S suffixes are shipping with AgSnO2 today in DACH stock vs special order.
• Counterfeit-Omron response script — draft a formal "authorised-channel attestation" letter template for SSC to send with larger BOMs, addressing the fake-relay concern head-on.
• G2R-S electrical life at AC15 inductive — the G2R family general number is 500 × 10^3 at AC1 resistive. At AC15 on a 230 VAC contactor coil the number drops — confirm per captured datasheet before any direct head-to-head with PLC-RSC on inductive loads.
• Marine / rail approvals on MY for Rhine shipping and DB / ÖBB / SBB — Finder publishes LR, RINA, BV. Verify internally whether Omron has equivalent approval letters on specific MY / LY variants.
• The briefing mentioned "G2R-S" — Omron product page 404'd on both /g2r-s and /g2r-1-s. Confirm current Omron EU catalogue slug and the correct SKU-family nomenclature (G2R vs G2R-S vs G2R-1-S vs G2R-2-S) with the hiring manager before any customer-facing document.