Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

February 2003 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the February 2003 issue, Vol. 56, no. 2, © 2003 Barks Publications, Inc. See also February 2003 Table of Contents and Previous issues 

• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues, by Horace B. Barks, Editor and Publisher In this issue:  Maytag's Galesburg plant closure - it could happen again ...  The personal call - the best sales medium ... Seventy-five years old, the Hilton is still modern ... Announcing another new feature:  Automation briefs, compiled by Electronics Editor Dave Tryling ...

• 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: Why are generators differentially compounded? ... Does inverter duty require Class H insulation? ... Undervoltage means under what? ... Partial discharge:  why is it partial? ... Oven temperature:  can it be too low? ... Ring number independent of number of cage bars ... Sizing capacitors without nameplate ....  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 ... More on the Maytag plant closing (EA December 2002)from Lou Van Hout, Utilities Manager, Shakopee Public Utilities Commission, Shakopee, Minnesota, and John K. Carter, P.e., CEO John K. Carter Inc., Camarillo, California ... Grounding paths (EA December 2002), from Richard Reitz, Division Engineer, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Rhinelander, Wisconsin ... Load, not speed, about January's Let's Solve Your Problem column (EA January 2003) from Martin Troy, Manager, Electrical/Instrument, Madison Paper Industries, Madison, Maine ... Corrections to articles in EA December 2002 from Charles Parron, Electrical Equipment Co., Raleigh, North Carolina and Jim Milam, Test Engineer, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, Mountain Home, Arkansas ... and kind words from Ron Swymeler, Raytheon, Fort Wayne, Indiana... 

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

• Business Briefs Business news and announcements, including facility briefs, financial briefs, certification achievements, and distribution news.  This month Eaton Corp. Announces acquisitions of Commonwealth Sprague Capacitor, Inc., and Delta pic ... Motion Industries opens Main repair shop and is honored by the South Regions Minority Business Council of Mobile Alabama ... EnerSys acquires Hawker Batter Japan .. AC Technology opens new Toronto facility ... Emerson names New Jersey Distributor ... Square D. observes its 100th birthday ...  Certification  Briefs  - John C. Dolph Co., recertified to ISO 9001-2000 ... HindlePower Inc. receives several certifications ... Distributor briefs - Electro Motor Inc. becomes a distributor for Toshiba International ... New Sales Reps  - Porter Brown Sales is appointed manufacturer's rep for Galvan Industries electrical grounding products line.  This month's featured photo is of Bill Watt, president and CEO of Encoder Products Co of Sandpoint Idaho, who is pictured with Alex Ritter, chief engineer for Ground Force Manufacturing of Post Falls, Idaho.  EPC recently shipped its one-millionth encoder - Ground Force was the customer.  Edited by Kevin Jones, EA Senior 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: Green car club launched by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association ... New York City adopts National Electrical Code NFPA 70 ... Association People:  Larry Kuziak and Danny Waters of Motion Industries, Inc., elected directors of the Fluid Power Society ... CSA International appoints Randall W. Luecke vice president of certification...  Coming Meetings:  Institute of Electrical an Electronics Engineers ... Electrical Manufacturing & Coil Winding Association's technical conference and exposition ... Edited by Stacy L. Whitman

Note:  the 2003 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... To update or add a listing to the 2004 EMBR, email eamagazine@barks.com 

• 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: HVAC/R: Emerson Climate Technologies and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society present a one day seminar covering fractional horsepower HVAC motors .. Motion Control:  multi-day courses on fluid power, electrical equipment troubleshooting, PLC's and bearings ... Plant maintenance:  Joliet Junior College offers courses in industrial maintenance technology ...  Power quality:  Battery management training and UPS power protection systems course by Solidstate Controls, Inc. ...Electrical distribution - Doble Engineering Co seminar re: transformer design, operation and maintenance ... Repair and management:  EASA courses on motor maintenance and business management ... Electrical testing:  AVO International Training Institute courses in electrical maintenance, safety and telecommunications ... Infrared thermography:  Academy of Infrared Thermography courses to prepare for infrared certification ... courses by Snell Infrared ... .. Edited by Stacy L. Whitman 

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

• Web briefs ...  Selected websites for the electromechanical specialist … This month: Descriptions of sites located @ www.robicon.com, www.kayind.com, www.saftronics.com, www.adhesiveservices.com , www.cdpower.com, www.flirthermography.com, www.watlow.com, www.alfatransformer.com, www.aosmithmotors.com, www.nist.gov/fqa Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

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

• Standards briefs This month: The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers begins work on testing silicone liquids ... the American  National Standards Institute approves Underwriters Laboratories raceway standards ... The IEEE announces standards action on IEEE 637 and IEEE 450....  Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• 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, Let's Solve Your Problem - Volume III.

• Names and Faces This month - Christopher L. Mapes of Regal-Beliot Corp ... Kevin Young, Geroge Miller, Jim Danze, Tony Stavert, Kevin Alewine, Nancy Frost, and John Supancic of Von Roll Isola ... Ronda McCullar of Holophane .. Lance pesola of RBI Bearing, Inc. ... Dave Ferraro of Megger ... Robert Wheeler and Bill Bonde of American Insulated Wire ... Ray McHugh of Quin-T Group .. David Petratis of Schneider Electric ... Tim Albers of Emerson Motor Co.  Edited by Stacy L. Whitman.

• Deaths  - This month:  Billy Barone, shop foreman of Reliable Electric Motor in Hartford Conn. and volunteer baseball coach and manager for 30 years.   

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. This month: "Which rotor design: copper ... or aluminum?"  Welche Rotor-Ausführung - Kupfer oder Aluminium?  ... La conception du rotor doit-ell utiliser le cuivre ou l'aluminium?  ¿Cuál diseño de rotor es mjor, cobre o aluminio? 

• Safety and health in the workplace This month - Safe drinking water critical to employee health - The most overlooked thirst quencher in the workplace is, more often than not, plain old H2O ...  ...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  This issue:  Quoting the right price - Price a job too high and you won't get the business; price it too low and you won't make a profit By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• New - Automation briefs  This issue ... data loggers from Dickson ... Ethernet product line from Electronic Systems Technology .. printed circuit board terminal blocks from PCD inc. ... TCP/IP compatible camera from Vision Components ... Edited by David P. Tryling 

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. This month:  Stainless Steels: Properties - How to Weld them, where to use them - from Lincoln Electric ... Facility maintenance equipment and supplies from Lab Safety Supply, Inc. ... protective device selection handbook from Cooper Bussmann ... electrical safety testing reference guide from QuadTech ... conduit selection design guide from Electri-Flex Co ... utility meter mounting equipment and accessories catalog from Cooper B-Line ... specialty electrical connection parts kits brochure from Del City ... premium tools for electricians quick-reference catalog from Bahco Tools ... CD-ROM electronic catalog of motors and drives from Baldor Electric ... leak and spill control products catalog from SpillTech ... Timers and controls catalog from ABB SSAC ... ovens and furnaces catalog from the Grieve Corp ... wire, cable, harnessing and protection products guide from Tyco ...crane control brochure from Cutler-Hammer ... PC Systems Handbook for scientists and engineers from Cyber-Research, Inc. ... electric powered chain hoists catalog from Harrington Hoists ... heat and control systems catalog from Chromalox ... 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.

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of  controls ... interconnections ... measuring equipment .. motors and gearmotors ... .and more  ... Edited by the EA Staff.

• Braintraners  Puzzles you and your colleagues can solve for fun and, if your answers are correct, for recognition in Electrical Apparatus.   This month's puzzle is "Numerical Digits Sequence. The issue also features answers to December's "wheel Fallacy" Puzzle and featured winners:  Ed Laursen (Servo Motors and Drives, Inc., Greenfield, Wisconsin) ... Robert J. Vaughan (The Reuter Organ Co., Lawrence Kansas); Marius Andreica, Northwest Magnet Inc., Portland, Oregon; Jim Milam, US Army Corps of Engineers, Mountain Home, Arkansas; Mike Nicholls, Ash Grove Cement Co.; Clancy, Montana, Brian Robinson, Textile Electronics, Dalton, Georgia; Douglas Short, Wismer & Rawlings, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada; Wayne L. Stebbins, Perigon, Matthews, N.C.   by Lillian Nielsen, Special Correspondent 

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus. This issue -General Electric revers to long-term research ... Hybrid Powered Autos will be manufactured by General Motors ... New international STP standards will reduce the cost of exchaning digital product information ... US Government Printing Office Bookstores are closing ... European motor buyers say they will spend more on integral horsepower motors this year.... by the Editors

• Utility Briefs This month: Pennsylvania governor honors Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. ... Sempra Energy executives certify financial reports ... General Machine Products Co, Inc., enters India venture (with photo) ...

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers.  

  "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. 

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace.    by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor 

• 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.

• Electripix  Photographs of people, places, equipment and more ..