Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

October 2002 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the October 2002 issue, Vol. 55, no. 10, © 2002 Barks Publications, Inc. See also October Table of Contents.

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• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues, by Horace B. Barks, Editor and Publisher This month - First international terrorists, then business terrorists: business scandals have left employees jobless and investments worthless, but small businesses have continued to make positive contributions to our economy... In contrast, a business save: John and Skip Davidson saw in a bankrupt shop a successful venture, and an opportunity to save jobs and an economic entity for their community ... There's more to service than motors: a variety of activity occurs in the electromechanical industry ... What's coming in future EA's ... 

• Let's Solve Your Problem The longest-running and one of our most popular features, Let's Solve Your Problem answers real questions posed by people in plants and service shops around the U.S. and abroad. Selected Q&A's from this column are available in our popular Let's Solve Your Problem books. This month's problems include: How are jogging and inching defined?...   Mixing high and low terminal box voltages ...What governs alignment of rotor and stator air ducts? ... Megohmmeter readings: what do variations mean?  ... Why should we tape random-wound end turns? ...What kVA code for part-winding motor starting? ... Is it okay for us to mix transformer coolant liquids? ... Nameplate temperature ratings can be confusing   ...   and more   Edited by the EA staff 

You are invited to send questions to this department. Your identity will be kept confidential, but we ask that you include your name, affiliation, postal (not e-mail) address, and telephone number. If you'd like a pre-publication reply, enclose a stamped envelope and we'll try to respond promptly. We cannot provide personal consultation or supply winding data.

• Letters  - In this issue, letters about - "affect" vs. "effect," from Harish Peru, Electro-Motor, Vido, Texas ... Kind words for EA, from John Ranieri, Ranieri Electric Motor Service, Dafter Michigan  

Electrical Apparatus invites letters, 250 words maximum. All letters, including e-mail, must include name, company, title or position, phone number, city, state or province, and country. We may edit your letter for clarity and space.— Editor

• Trade associations,  professional societies and government activities  News of non-profit  government, and other organizations serving the electrical mechanical industries.  This month's items include news from the SMMA - The Motor and Motion Association ... the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute ... The Electrical Apparatus Service Association ... the Instrumentations, Systems and Automation Society ... the Hydraulic Institute ...  A New Partnership: Advanced Energy (North Carolina) and the Washington State University (WSU) Cooperative Extension Energy Program have formed the Motor Resource Center (MRC) which will work in collaboration with various public and private agencies in five program areas nationwide....  Association People:Thomas L. Jackson, Patricial D. Galloway, Louis C. Aurigemma, Norman L. Buehring, Carl J. Lehman, Annie H. Audio, Larry P. Jedele, Thomas J. Eggum, Garland P. Rose, Eugene N. Balter, and Mario Baratta of the American Society of Civil Engineers ... ...Coming meetings: the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society ...  and more...

Note:  the 2002 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... To update or add a listing to the 2003 EMBR, email eamagazine@barks.com 

• Business Briefs Business news and announcements, including facility briefs, financial briefs, certification achievements, and distribution news.  This month - McMinnville, Tennessee plant earns A. O. Smith President's Safety Award ... Fluke Corp. acquires Raytek Corp of Santa Cruz, California ... Ultimate Motor Manufacturing is new joint venture motor manufacturing plant in China ... Delta Automation is an authorized Yaskawa servicer .. Emerson Motor Technologies opens Pennsauken, New Jersey, warehouse ..  Bahco North America, Inc. is named a Premier Partner of Motion Industries' Mi Industrial-Industrial Supplies and Solutions ...Financial Briefs  Baldor Electric Board reviews corporate governance and compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ..Distributor Briefs  Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation becomes international distributor for Martindale Electric Company ...3-D Service is authorized by GE Industrial Systems as an exclusive flagship distributor ...   Edited by Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor

• Standards briefs This month: published standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission... the American Society for Testing and Materials seeks help from battery manufacturers ... National Electrical Manufacturers Association introduces new motor control center document ... Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers offers new guidance on transformer losses .. new and revised standards announced by the American National Standards Institute ...  and more ...  Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events, from July 2002 through July 2003 ... Edited by Stacy L. Whitman.

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. This month: "What we need to know about dry-type transformers"   Überlgungen zu der Gestaltung und den Einsatz von Trocken-transformatoren ... Considérations de conception et d'application pour les transformateurs secs ... Consideratciones en el Diseño y la Aplicación de los Transformadores en Seco

• Utility Briefs This month: Raising the awareness of Pennsylvania Utility consumer choice @ www.utilitychoice.org ... New York State approves Long Island Power Authority and Keyspan contract ... Sempra Energy certifies its financial statements and names Peter Sellars CEO of Henry Bath & Son Ltd....

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers.  This month -  Money saving tips for last-minute travel plans ... How trademarks differ from patents & copyrights ... How the U. S. Family Leave Act affects the workplace...  

  "Electrical Manager" is a copyrighted feature of Electrical Apparatus.  Any kind of reproduction, including electronic transmission, without permission of Barks Publications is illegal and is prohibited. 

• Safety and health in the workplace This month - In the safety sweepstakes, "Lock out, tag out," an OSHA standard to control hazardous energy, is a winner ...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  What kind of retirement plan? Rather than settle for an inferior copy, create a program tailored to your needs   By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the newly published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• New Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors.  See also Books for the Plant and Shop from Barks Books, including titles from the editors of Electrical Apparatus, including our latest new book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Names and Faces This month - Margie Basney and Steve Dick of Hoffman ...Bradley Child, William Taylor, and John Glatz of Pennsylvania Electric Coil ... Mary Rodman and David Maloney of K. J. Electric ... Brian O'Connell of Belden Electronics Division   ... Edited by Stacy L. Whitman.

• Deaths  This month - Bernie Rosenberg, Sharon, Massachusetts - public safety advocate and founder of Park Armature Co. (later merged with Cambridge Electric Motor Service.) 

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. This month  - literature from Extech Instruments Corp. .. Lyon Workspace Products ... Tyco Electronics  ...and more ...   Edited by the EA staff

Mail announcements of new products and literature to Editorial Department, Electrical Apparatus (page 2). No faxes, e-mail, or follow-up calls, please. There is no charge for publication, which does not constitute endorsement, nor can we verify product claims.

• Training Briefs Announcements of workshops, seminars and instructional materials, and our Training Index, listing program topics featured in Training Briefs in the past year - This month: seminars and training materials on HVAC/R equipment installation and service ... International Standards .. Mechanical engineering ... Predictive maintenance ... Safety ... Energy management ...  and more ...

Producers of workshops, seminars, and instructional materials are encouraged to mail announcements to Training Briefs Editor, Electrical Apparatus. There is no charge.

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of ... drives and inverters ... safety products ... measuring equipment ... software ... switching devices ... test instruments ... tools ...and more  ... Edited by the EA Staff.

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus. This issue - More renewable energy resources and fewer large distribution networks may be a way to increase electrical production ... The U. S. Postal Service takes steps to improve its overseas services ... Surgery is better than wrist splints for carpal tunnel syndrome ... Surgery may or may not cure prostate cancer ... Americans do not like dollar coins ... 30 million Americans may suffer hearing loss...  

• Web briefs ...  Selected websites for the electromechanical specialist … Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• EMBR update  - changes to the Electromechanical Bench Reference 2002, the annual buyers' guide that readers received with their December 2001 Electrical Apparatus.  Since the directory was published, corrections and additions appear in subsequent issues of the magazine. 

• Classified Advertising Equipment, jobs, businesses, business opportunities and services.

• Cy's Super Service, Motorhead and Generatorhead Comic strips featuring characters from our favorite cartoonists. 

• Advertising Index  An easy to use reference to the advertisements in Electrical Apparatus magazine.

• Puzzles   Puzzles you and your colleagues can solve for fun and, if your answers are correct, for recognition in Electrical Apparatus.   Our most recent puzzle featured "The Housing Development."  Congratulations to those who solved the last puzzle, "The Handcuffed Prisoners" brainteaser, which ran in the June issue: Chester "Gayle" Littrell, of Krauth Electric Co. in Lexington, KY,  was the first person to submit a correct entry.  Other readers who solved the puzzle were: Sandy Kirchner, Beals Motor Rewind, Cherokee, LA ... Douglas McClung, Sungenta Crop Protection, St. Gabriel, LA ... Jim Milam, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mountain Home, Arkansas ... Bala Raghavan, Marathon Electric, Wausau, WI ... Ralph E. Rundell, Rundell Electric, Grygla, MN ... Timothy M. Thomas, Suncoast Electric Motor Serivce Inc., Tampa FL .. Lou Van Hout, Shakopee Public Utilities, Shakopee, MN      by Lillian Nielsen, Special Correspondent  

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace.   Last month - How big is a "large motor"?  Choosing the right word means going along with a consensus by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor 

• Electropix  Photographs of people, places, equipment and more ...Last month - Student competition winners at the Leadership Conference and SkiillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, Mo. ... the EASA show in photos ...