Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

March 2004 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the March 2004 issue, Vol. 57, no. 3, © 2004 Barks Publications, Inc. See also  March 2004 Table of Contents and Previous issues 

• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues.  In this issue: E-mail scams ... about the Encore Gourmet plant's repair and maintenance division ... Correction re: the February cover photo  ... by Horace B. Barks, Executive Editor

• 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: Cable length can be a soft starter problem, too ... Temperature detectors are only an option ... Replacing variable-pitch belts with an ASD ... Why so much margin in stator copper? ... What tests to make on a generator rotor? ... What's available for teaching motor controls? ... What does commercial grade really mean? ... Can testing forestall turn-to-turn failures? ... Is wire width as important as depth? 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  - Michael A. Ference, of Siemens in Burr Ridge, Illinois, questions USPS advice ... Dann Greenberg, Research Manager, E Source Technology Assessment Group, Platts, Research & Consulting, Boulder Colorado, wants to see Electrical Apparatus articles online ... J. Larry Witmer of Witmer Automation in Yrok, Pennsylvania sends kind words about our publication ...

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

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers. In this issue ..  Martindale Electric's Jeffrey "J" Hager is a music man!  "I believe selling and musicboth involve the ability to know your part well, improvise on the spot, harmonize with others, perform like you mean it, work well with others, and make the customers happy," he says.  By Joseph S. Hoff, EA Special Features Editor.

  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 .

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

• Business Briefs Business news and announcements, including facility briefs, financial briefs, certification achievements, and distribution news. In this issue:  Guarantee Electrical Company buys TEL-Vi Communications datacom provider ... GE Supply of Shelton Conn opens Bangkok branch formerly known as Clayton Engineering Thailand ... Doble Engineering Co, maker of diagnostic instruments for the electric power industry, buys Norwegian firm TransiNor AS ... Chicago based utility Exelon Corp, parent company of ComEd, becomes a sponsor of Motor Decisions Matter...  Lighting manufacturer Osram Sylvania winsEnergy Star Partner of the Year from the U. S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency ... New sales representative for NKK Switches ... .Financial briefs Earnings reports from Littlefuse, Inc... Baldor Electric ... General Cable Corp ... A.O. Smith ... Thomas & Betts .... 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 issue: National Electrical Manufacturers Association  to highlight electrical grid failures at 9th Spring Conference  - email mal_clarkes@nema.org for details ... American Society of Safety Engineers establishes a "WISE - Women In Safety Engineering" subgroup for Women  ... Stuary C. Irby Company and The Hite Company contribute $100,000 each to the National Association of Electrical Distributors Education and Research Foundation ... EASA releases a study on how repair and rewinding affect motor efficiency, can be downloaded from www.easa.com  ... The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute issues a revised textbook - details from www.sari.org.    Edited by the EA staff

  Note:  the 2004 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... Update or add your listing to the 2005 EMBR.

• Standards briefs  ...In this issue: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers publishes guide for motor surge protection ... New rights for International Electrotechnical Commission associate members ... The International Electtrochnical Commission releases two switchgear standards ... The National Fire Protection Association seeks proposals for additions or changes to NFPA 79-2002, Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery ... The Standards Association of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers approves two new standards dealing with optical fiber components .. The National Electrcial Manufacturers Association revises NEMA Publication 250, Enclosures for Electrical Equipment (1,000 volts maximum) ...  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.    In this issue: Dynamic Balancing public training course offered by IRD Balancing LLC  - www.irdbalancing.com ... Electrical Fundamentals introduction to basic electrical theory and components, from Kilowatt Classroom LLC - www.kilowattclassroom.com ... Motor/generator rewinding three day seminars from Jarsco Engineering Corp, jaoliver003@aol.com ... Motor application and repair course from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, www.easa.com ... Relay Testing three day conference from Megger, relayconference@megger.com  ... Overcurrent protection seminar from Cooper Bussmann, www.bussman.com or mfinch@buss.com ...  Edited by Sarah E. Wittliff 

  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, annotated with details of especially valuable content  In this issue - www.firmafrance.com ... www.heat-pumpcentre.org ... www.icesonic-USA.com ... www.alliedtube.com  ... www.arcoelectric.com ... www.lightningmaster.com ... www.nsk-corp.com ... www.okonite.com ... www.plantmaintenance.com ... www.hpelectricalconnection.com ... www.endevco.com ... www.beckwithelectric.com  ...Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• EMBR update  - changes to the Electromechanical Bench Reference 2004, the annual buyers' guide that readers received with their January 2003 Electrical Apparatus.  Following publication of the directory, corrections and additions appear in subsequent issues of the magazine. 

• 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.

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people.  In this issue, Louie Cleveland Sr., former chairman of the Cleveland Group

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace...In this issue - What do we mean by 'strong enough'?  Hint: It's not the same as "stiffness" ... by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor 

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. This month: "Crusher duty: What's it all about?" It may describe machinery, motors, or activities in many industries .. by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., E.A. Engineering Editor

• Safety and health in the workplace This month - Facing up to eye protection There's more to protecting your vision than meets the eye  By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  This issue: Business insurance is good business?   Prepare for the unexpected  By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers. In this issue - Delegation, the key to good managem3ent ... Preparing for military deployment ... Romance in the office and plant ...

  "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. 

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. In this issue ... auxiliary ventilating fan system from Wayne Products ... axial flow ventilating fans from Orix ... commercial and industrial luminaries from Holophane ... the 2004 Pigalog Buying Guide ... machinery maintenance training courses from the SKF Reliability Maintenance Institute ... Flexible electrical conduit from Electri-Flex o. .. Code tray systems and accessories from Cooper B-Line ...timer and control relay products from ABB SSAC ..  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.

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products ... In this issue, Three phase solid-state starters from Magnetek, Inc. ... power switchgear from Thomson Technology ... Drives and inverters from Yaskawa Electric America and Minarik Drives .. Insulation from Interface Solutions ... Enclosures from MEDC International ... Measuring Equipment from Fluke Corp., S. Himmelstein & Co., and QuadTech, Inc. .. Vibration switch from Balmac .. portable programmable load bank from Post Glover Resistors, inc. ... Transformer protector from Sergi, Inc.... event messenger from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories ... Tap Changer control and driver system from Cooper Power Systems .. Anti-corrosion packaging film from Cortec ... ZipGrip rubber-toughened rapid curing adhesives from Devcon ... Motors and Gearmotors from Baldor and Emerson ... Switching devices from NKK Switches and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories ... Safety tester from Clare Instruments .. Safety training video from National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee ...  Test Instruments from AEMC Instruments, Wavetek Instruments and Associated Research ... Tools from Seatek, Ideal Industries and Gardner Bender ... Interconnections from Erico, Electri-Flex, Woodhead, King Innovations, Creative Plastics & Design and Micro Plastics .. 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, 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.

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus. In this issue: Cars are getting smarter .. E-Mail scams are proliferating ... Legitimate spams are a growing problem .. Obesity in the U.S. has skyrocketed .. A Wide Range in Wages for Engineering Department Managers and Superintendents ... .. by the Editors

• Utility Briefs  .. Edited by Kevin Jones

• Automation briefs  - the latest in products for electronics and systems applications ...  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 

• Question of the month

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

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

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

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