Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

May 2003 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the May 2003 issue, Vol. 56, no. 5, © 2003 Barks Publications, Inc. See also  May 2003 Table of Contents and Previous issues 

• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues.  In this issue ...How to perpetuate a recession? Do nothing! ... Beyond the basics and back to the basics at the EASA convention  ....  by Horace B. Barks, Editor and Publisher

• 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: Does power circuit wiring use standard colors? ... Circuit design for an odd-horsepower motor ... What thickness is needed for bearing insulation? ... oes service factor apply to motor load, or to current? ... A simple forumla for wire properties ... An easier way to drain excess grease? ... Pipe stress complicates pump/motor alignment .. Should balance weights be welded to rotors?   ...  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 ... The importance of communicating, re: What causes vibration change with temperature? (EA March 2003), from John Roberts, Consultant, Alba, Texas ... Ex-smoker objects to cigar article (EA March 2003) - from Scot Hesselberth, Applications Specialist, D. L. Hermanson & Associates, Tualatin, Oregon .. Feeding pump from inverter, re: "three-phase service for submersible pump" (EA April 2003, p. 4), from Mike Darby, Darby Electric Co., Anderson, South Carolina ... 

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: Monarch Electric acquires JC Industrial ... Lincoln Electric Co. and Genesis System Group form welding partnership ... P.D. George buys Viking Products ... Solidstate Controls bought by Ametek ... Jos. T. Fewkes & Co observes its 100th year in business ... Emerson Motor Technologies recognizes Armor Electric Motor Repair, Inc., as top sales distributor ... GE Supply divides its western sales region ... New sales representatives for Jefferson Electric, Inc. are Abbot Associates, Geo. E. Anderson, Cascade Electrical Agents, R.E. Fulsom Co., and R. T. Electrical Sales Company.  ...  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: HVAC/R association recognizes Heat Pump Pool and Spa Heaters ... The Electrical Manufacturing & Coil Winding Association contributes over $200,000 in 2002 scholarships ...New session about high voltage surge added to Refrigeration Service Engineers Society conference ... Energy Savings cited at Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute's expo .. .ASTM International establishes new membership category for undergraduate and graduate students ... Motor Decisions Matter comes to National Manufacturing Week ... The SMMA Motor & Motion College offers courses that can be customized for presentation at manufacturing facilities   ... Edited by Joseph Hoff 

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 

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events, from May 2003 through September 2004 ... 

• 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.

• Standards briefs This month: Underwriters Laboratories revisions ... ANSI introduces some standards, purges others ... NFPA reminder on standby power systems... New U. S. Government website for comment on proposals: www.regulations.gov  ...   Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• Names and Faces This month - Steve Cook, Sally More, and David Harris of Darby Electric ...  Henri Lau of EnerSys, Inc.  ...  Randy Gorrell and Olivier Duperray of ITT Industries, Cannon ... Herb Seidell of Holophane ... Gary Queen of Toolmex Corporation ... Edited by Joseph Hoff

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace.  In this issue ... Be clear about clearance - Be aware of the difference between diametral clearance and radial clearance ...   by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor 

• Web briefs ...  Selected websites for the electromechanical specialist … In this issue ... www.controlledpwr.com ... www.nrel.gov ... www.control-concepts.com ... www.fike.com ... www.magnetic-shield.com ... www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices ... www.mikeholt.com ... www.stiweb.com ... www.mpta.org ... www.cyberex.com ... www.musheild.com  ... www.drivesys.com ... ...  Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• 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:  Injury-free environment - workplace safety: Behavioral Science Technology ... Solid-state drives - Michigan Industrial Controls, Inc. ... Maintenance of UPS system - Solidstate Controls, Inc. ... Relay application - power system protection - Basler Electric ... Motion control: fluid power, electrical equipment troublshooting, PLC's and bearings ... The Motion Institute ... Motors and drives - Baldor Electric Company ... ower quality ... Solidstate Controls, Inc. ... Motor maintenance and business management ... EASA ... Electrical testing - electrical maintenance safety and telecommunications ... AVO International Training Institute ...  Edited by Joseph Hoff 

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

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature.  In this issue, literature about high speed fuses, electrical plan review (Cooper Bussmann) ... vacuum switchgear (Cooper Power Systems) ... motors, drives and controls (WEG Electric Motors) ... Magnet wire insulation displacement terminals and splices (Tyco Electronics) ... Test instruments and accessories (Meterman Test Tools) .. Workplace cleaning and safety products (New Pig Corp) ... fractional horsepower motors, gear motors and controls (Bodine Electric) ... Spring steel fasteners (Cooper-B-Line) ... Selection guide for thermocouples, RTD's and other industrial sensors (Barber-Coleman) ... Shaft to power transmission couplings (Lovejoy, Inc.) .. commercial truck bodies and products (H&H Equipment Co.) ... Battery chargers (Guest Industrial, Marinco Industrial Group) ... Electrical wiring devices (Marinco Industrial Group) ... Stock Controls (ABB SSAC) ... Facility Matinenance Catalog (Lab Safety Supply) ... 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  -products from Gardner Bender ... Cooper Wiring ... Ludeca, Inc.... Krenz & Co ... EnerSys, Inc.... Loctite Americas ... Oriental Motor USA Corp .... and more  ... Edited by the EA Staff.

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.  In this month's issue:  The Pathfinder, Gayle Littrell, who hikes into the wilderness wildlife preservation areas in Kentucky.  Littrell rewinds electric motors and transformers for Krauth Electric Company in Lexington. 

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus. ....This issue:  Counterfeit electronic parts ... all electric ships ... matching facial images by computer ... coping with war stress ... thirty free online newsletter subscriptions from FirstGov.... ...  by the Editors

• 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. 

• 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. 

• Safety and health in the workplace This month - Looking for disease before there are symptoms - entrepreneurs are opening hundreds of imaging boutiques ...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  This issue: Basic controls over spending - A close look at a small business's spending cycle, including purchases, accounts payable and payment  By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Automation briefs  Recently featuring ... programmable logic controllers from KB Electronics ... power system monitor from Eaton Corp ... Programmable cam encoder from Baumer Electric ... Substation controller from GE Energy Services ... Digital panel meter from Automatic Timing and Controls ... I/O mounting board relays from Omron Electronics LLC ... Serial communications card from CyberResearch, Inc. ... linear variable differential transformer sensors from Sentech, Inc ...  ... Edited by David P. Tryling 

• Braintrainers  Puzzles you and your colleagues can solve for fun and, if your answers are correct, for recognition in Electrical Apparatus.   by Lillian Nielsen, Special Correspondent 

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. This month: "Verifying Motor Efficiency."

• Utility Briefs  .. In this issue ... Texis-New Mexico Power co bought by Sempra Energy ... Wisconsin Public Power buys Pratt & Whitney turbine ... Edited by Kevin Jones

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people

• 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 ..