A cost-effective alternative to traditional circuit breakers are protective switches with a thermal-magnetic characteristic curve in the Economy Smart version. They ensure safe tripping even under high line resistances and are ideally suited for device and series machine construction. The electronic protective switch distributes the load current across multiple branches and reliably monitors them for overload and short circuits. Short-term current peaks, such as those caused by high inrush currents, are tolerated by the electronics, while branches with prolonged overload are switched off. This is ensured even on high-resistance lines and in the case of creeping short circuits. The nominal current for each output can be individually set using a selector switch. If the nominal current is exceeded, the output is automatically switched off after a defined tripping time and can be reactivated after a short waiting period (thermal relaxation) using a button or remote reset. The button also serves for manual switching of the output. The status of the output is indicated by a multi-colored LED.