Patent US 5,206,572

A microcomputer-based device that performs the functions of motor starting and overload protection. The starter function is customized for a particular application by storing program steps representing the input command and output control logic peculiar to a given motor in a programmable, non-volatile memory cell. Each set of program steps, which the microcomputer executes, compose an expandable library of such sets representing the different motor circuit applications available for configuring a starter to match its particular application. A configuration can be changed by simply loading into memory the appropriate set of program steps from the library and changing the labels of the inputs and outputs to match the new application.