Fuse block with integral door sensing rotary disconnect

A method for operating a rotary shaft coupled to a disconnect and accessible by a door that can be opened and closed, the steps comprising:

• A) providing an operator carrying a uni-directional coupling mechanism, wherein the operator is carried by the shaft;
• and
• B) rotating the operator in a first direction with the operator and shaft disconnected with respect to rotation by the uni-directional coupling mechanism;
• and
• C) rotating the operator in a second direction with the operator and shaft connected with respect to rotation by the uni-directional coupling mechanism.

An operator assembly for a disconnect having a rotary shaft adapted to receive a portion of a door-mounted knob and rotating in a first direction to connect current through the disconnect, and rotating in a second direction to prevent current from flowing through the disconnect, the operator assembly further comprising:

• (a) a housing;
• (b) a bi-directional coupling mechanism that is releasably connected between the shaft and the housing, wherein the bi-directional coupling mechanism rotates the shaft in the first and second directions in response to rotation of the operator assembly in the first and second directions when the bi-directional coupling mechanism is connected;
• and
• (c) a uni-directional coupling mechanism that is connected between the shaft and the operator assembly, wherein the uni-directional coupling mechanism facilitates uni-directional rotation of the shaft in response to rotation of the operator assembly.

A method for operating a rotary shaft coupled to a disconnect and accessible by a door that can be opened and closed, the steps comprising:

• A) providing an operator carrying a bi-directional coupling mechanism and a uni-directional coupling mechanism carried by the shaft;
• B) engaging the bi-directional coupling mechanism and rotating the operator in a first and second direction to correspondingly rotate the shaft to connect power through the disconnect and disconnect power through the disconnect, respectively;
• C) disengaging the bi-directional coupling mechanism;
• and
• D) after step (C), coupling the operator and shaft with respect to uni-directional rotation of the operator via a uni-directional coupling mechanism.