Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

October 2003 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the October 2003 issue, Vol. 56, no. 10, © 2003 Barks Publications, Inc. See also  October 2003 Table of Contents and Previous issues 

• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues.  In this issue: No easy answers to blackout problems...The ripple effect of the Maytag plant closing in Galesburg, Illinois ... Sign up your company for the (free) 2004 EMBR ... 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: How to keep windings warm in idle d-c motors?  ... Is this motor really overheating?  ... Will conductive grease save bearings? ... Through-bolts may help stabilize a rotor ... What temperature limits for ball bearings? ... Can shielded bearings be properly lubricated? .. Why is a roller bearing failing repeatedly? ... Why change bearing size in coupled motor? ... 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.

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers.  In this issue: Obesity adds to health insurance problems... To increase attention, hold breakfast meetings ...

  "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. 

• Letters  In this issue  - An under-frequency relay can provide utility personnel safety - from Wayne Perry, P.E., APS Consulting Engineer - retired, Phoenix, Arizona (in response to "What relay protection for induction generators, in "Let's Solve Your Problem" in the August EA) ... We love EA - from V Rothemich, Director of Engineering, Fidelity Engineering, Westlake, Texas...

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 issue:  Bonnett to receive 2003 IEEE Nikola Tesla Award ... ASTM International issues call for papers ( www.astm.org/JAI ) .. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute to hold 50th annual meeting ( www.ari.org ) ... HVAC/R programs receive accreditation ... New EASA officers, executive board and directors... EMCW Expo to be Electrical Manufacturing Expo (contact jothurman@emcwa.org for information) ...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 

• Standards briefs  .... In this issue: American Society for Testing and Materials evaluates insulation oil labs ...NEMA releases the 2003 version of MG1, Motors and Generators ...the International Electrotechnical Commission turns to insulation endurance ... ANSI withdraws obsolete control standards, adopts transfer switch standard  .. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approves drive standards, revises solar radiation standard  ... Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• Business Briefs Business news and announcements, including facility briefs, financial briefs, certification achievements, and distribution news. In this issue:  Florida Drives & Gear Motors, Inc., buys steel mill ... Belcher Gear Manufacturing buys right-angle bevel drive line of Hauser Development Corp.... Eaton Corp. and Caterpillar, Inc. enter joint distribution venture ...Volland Electric Equipment Corp. recognized as Motor Dealer of the Year by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority...EIS, Inc., is new Lafert North America national distributor ... Servotec chosen to represent precision high-speed presses manufactured by Ing Yu Precision Industries Co Ltd. of Taichung Hsien, Taiwan ..  Baldor Electric Co enters partnership with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  ... Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation (PEI) opens sales office in Santiago, Chile .. Schneider Electric plans compliance with EU directive ...Schneider plans to buy Gerard Industries, joint venture with Clipsal Industries of Singapore .. Platt Electric opens new branch in Chehalis, Washington ....Edited by Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events, from October 2003 through May 2004... Edited by Joseph Hoff

• Training Briefs Announcements of workshops, seminars and instructional materials, and our Training Index, listing program topics featured in Training Briefs in the past year.    In this issue: Electrical apprenticeship program, Project Apprentice, from Platt Electric (www.platt.com ) ... Drive basics seminar from Michigan Industrial Controls, Inc. ... Motor operation and repair from EASA (www.easa.com  )... Basics of Brushless D-C motors from SMMA -Motor & Motion Association (www.smma.org ) ... maintenance management from Hayo Consultants of Albuquerque  ... UPS system maintenance from Solidstate Controls, Inc. (www.solidstatecontrolsinc.com ... Training seminars on CE Marking from Duquesne University ... Workplace safety from Behavioral Science Technology (www.bstsolutions.com/leadingwithsafety.htm )... Motion control from The Motion 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.

• 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.

• Automation briefs  - the latest in products for electronics and systems applications ... In this issue - this month in controllers - a graphical user interface programming environment from Z-World ... mini-PLC's from ABB SSAC .. industrial PC's  - industrial luggable programmable controller and panel PC from CyberResearch ... motion control moves ahead  - Python Motor Controller from Data Device Corp ... MagRes Magnetic Absolue Muli-turn Encoder from Baumer Electric ... multi-axis programmable controller from Nyden Corp ... ... data acquisition - from IOtech - thermocouple for up to 32 isolated digital I/O channels and 56-channel thermocouple input module ... new in customer education - the Profibus interface center will hold seminars to educated users and support vendors who are developing Profinet interface products (www.profibus.com ) ... Edited by David P. Tryling 

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. In this issue literature about high resistance grounding from IPC Resistors .. water leak detection from Dorlen Products  ... storage products from Lyon Workspace Products  ... tools and accessories for the power industry from General Machine Products Co., Inc.  ... welding wires from Lincoln Electric ...  Edited by the EA staff

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

• Names and Faces ... In this issue: Brenda L. Reichelderfer, David Bland, and Allan W. Hendry of ITT Industries, Cannon ... Barry Myers of Magtrol, Inc. ...Mike Weinstein of Wall Colmonoy ...  Richard L. Nailen receives the IEEE 2004 Richard H. Kaufmann Award for contributions to the understanding of electric motor applications   ... Edited by Joseph Hoff

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people. In this issue, Jimmy Cook, retired chief executive of Electrical Equipment Co., Augusta GA. Mr. Cook was president of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association in 1969-70.

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products ... In this issue, controls, drives and inverters, interconnections, test instruments ...  Edited by the EA Staff.

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

• Braintrainers  Puzzles you and your colleagues can solve for fun and, if your answers are correct, for recognition in Electrical Apparatus.In this issue, winners who were submitted the correct answer to the "Fruit" puzzle on page 50 of the August EA. 9.  Names and a photo of Dean Reschly, who was first to respond, will be published on our website later this week.    by Lillian Nielsen, Special Correspondent 

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus. In this issue: "Economy on the Rise .. Hybrid cars and trucks .. NEMA office in China ... Health care costs rising ... Software bugs bug Microsoft ... Companies keep PC's longer ... by the Editors

• Accounting for management  This issue: Assessing your business - Building and maintaining market share requires that you examine your company the way a customer would.  By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Safety and health in the workplace This month - Bright ideas for emergency preparedness - finding the right flashlight for an industrial setting involves more than just going to the hardware store...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. This month: "Bolted joints - how tight is tight?"

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

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

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

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

• Utility Briefs   .. Edited by Kevin Jones

• EMBR update  - changes to the Electromechanical Bench Reference 2003, the annual buyers' guide that readers received with their December 2002 Electrical Apparatus.  Following publication of the directory, corrections and additions appear in subsequent issues of the magazine. 

• Web briefs ...  Selected websites for the electromechanical specialist, annotated with details of especially valuable content  ..Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.

  Do you know someone working in the electrical aftermarket with a hobby or interest that could be featured in "EA reader at ease"? Tell us who they are, what they do, and how we can contact them to find out more about their special passions. Send your suggestions to Electrical Apparatus, 400 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, III. 60611; (312) 321-9440; Fax (312) 321-1288; e-mail eamagazine@barks.com .

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