Mysterious pcb tracks? Antenna? What is it?

[peranders]

The pictures show a light relay and is powered using a capacitive voltage divider (common in time relays). This serpentine pattern, what is it for? I have no clue. (Pay no attention to the yellow arrow in the picture.)

[iMo]

..  it looks like an XXXnH inductor wired in series with the resistor and something else (ie a capacitor) at the relay contacts. Perhaps a snubber or something like that..

[peranders]

Inductor? Isn't the meander pattern cancelling the inductance?

[Andree Henkel]

could also be a resistor made of copper track

or a delay line

[mikeselectricstuff]

In this context, a fuse

[Doctorandus_P]

I don't believe it's a fuse in this case, because it is in series with a resistor.

With a PCB track used as a fuse, there is usually also a section that is noticeably thinner then the rest of the track, to make it predictable where the fuse blows.

(The video that Mike made about such a fuse destroying a whole microwave is excellent though)

[MariuszD]

The meander is connected in series with a resistor and a capacitor supplying power to the electronic circuit.
I estimated the resistance at 150mΩ and the reactance at less than 1mΩ. I don't know the resistor, but such resistors usually range from 100 Ohms to 1k Ohms.
The resistance and reactance of the meander are negligibly small compared to the nearby resistor.

[Alex Eisenhut]

There appears to be a pattern of marks on the ... pattern. I mean it looks like the solder has been deformed by being held in a vise or something. Could this just be a contact for inserting into something??

[gbaddeley]

The long trace Isolates the temperature rise of the resistor from the relay contacts and the connector Just guessing. Looks like the resistor gets pretty hot, as the phenolic pcb is darkened.

[Kalvin]

My guess: extra copper was added in order to balance the amount of copper on the pcb so that etching would not etch out that single trace.

[Seekonk]

This is part of a capacitive dropping power supply.  I believe it is a vain attempt to add some lightning protection. While the inductance would seem to cancel out, things like this drive lightning spikes crazy. 

[peranders]

Could this have something to do with wave soldering? Some sort of solder trap?