Circuits

• Switchboards typically contain electrical panels, which in turn hold switches -- devices that interrupt or switch the flow of a circuit -- enabling the circuits to be controlled, or properly directed. Switchboards may also contain circuit indicators that detect the strength of circuits. For a switchboard to function, the amount of power transmitted by the switchboard must equal the power it receives.
  
  

Controls

• Devices such as single or multiple generators typically control the electricity supplied to the switchboard. It may also use frequency gauges and synchroscopes, which measure the synchronization between systems of power networks and generators.
  
  

Busbars

• Switchboards contain a set of busbars, or strips comprised of aluminum or copper, used to transmit high electrical current in a switchboard. Busbars connect to a relay or switchgear -- a combination of electrical disconnects, breakers and/or fuses used to clear faults and de-energize equipment.