Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

April 2005 Columns and Departments

Back issues
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• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues... by Horace B. Barks, Executive Editor 
  In this issue:  Building businesses in an uncertain economy ... 29 years later, Chicago's "deep tunnel" nears completion ... The business press polishes its code of ethics ...

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.
  In this issue - Reeling them in     Mike Rogers, founder of Rogers Equipment Sales in Durango, Colorado, is skipper of a 48-foot Sport Fisher. Boating rejuvenates his mind and spirit and enables him to fish for marlin, sailfish, tuna, and other delicacies.
  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

• 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.  Edited by the EA staff 
  In this issue: What limits apply to a single-phase rotor test? ... Transient surge failure location can vary ... Can sealing a motor prevent condensation? ... Why should collector rings be eccentric? ... Is a higher capacitor voltage beneficial? ... Why have grease fittings for sealed bearings? ... When does power factor become 'poor'? ... 220 volt motor on 208 volt power source?  ..  

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.

• New Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors.  In this issue, Practical Lubrication for Industrial Facilities, by Heinz P. Bloch, The Fairmont Press, Inc.  See also our Book Reviews webpage and 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.

• Letters  Comments and questions from readers of Electrical Apparatus
  In this issue:  Inverters? hp? the same? from David Bredhold, Application Engineer, Eaton Electrical, Cutler-Hammer Products, Louisville, Kentucky ... Why a bypass contactor? from Mike Zirnfield, Starter Product Manager, Saftronics, Fort Myers, Florida ... Kind words from Tom Ingram and Celio Balacich, T.&C Electric Co., Brooklyn, New York, and Chuck Montgomery, STS Consultants, Vernon Hills, Illinois

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

• Names and Faces ... News and photos of industry people on the move and in the news...Edited by Sarah E. Wittliff
  In this issue - William A. Mattiford and Frank J. Bruno of Henkels and McCoy, Inc. ... Joseph Colletti Jr. of Marsh Bellofram ... Mark Petrarca of A.O. Smith .. Eric Muladore (pictured) of Ametek Solidstate Controls ... Daniel Skinner of Ametek HDR Power Systems ... Eoff Electric Co's Les Williamson (pictured)  and Electric Supply of Tampa's George Adams Jr. named vice-presidents-elect of the National Association of Electrical Distributors

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people.   In this issue, Clarence Kauffman, longtime employee of Electric Coil Service in Temple, Pa.  He held the title of general manager for 35 years and became senior vice president before his retirement in 2001.

• Trade associations,  professional societies and government activities  News of non-profit  government, and other organizations serving the electrical mechanical industries.   Edited by the EA staff

  In this issue - EASA thinking big in Nashville ...National Electrical Manufacturers Association and ALFA International to hold a product liability workshop ... SMMA (The Motor & Motion Association) looks at China ... The Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectrical Phenomena seeks abstracts of proposed papers on current research ... The Partnership of Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Accreditation has accredited training programs .. The Liberty Mutual Group donates $10,000 to the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation to help students pursue careers in occupational safety and health  ... Team USA of the 2005 Work Skills Competition in Helsinki Finland, May 26-29 ... Association people: Debbie Hawkins, Daniel W. Holmes Jr., Kenneth A. Ohlemeyer of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute ... Patty Voss of the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association ... Carroll Davis honored by ASTM International ...

  Note:  the 2005 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... Update or add your listing to the 2006 EMBR.

• Business and financial briefs  News of expansions, relocations, annual reports, and more, about companies serving the electrical mechanical industries  ...Edited by Kevin Jones
  In this issue: New Superior Essex plant to supply China ... Standard Electric buys Connecticut Electric Equipment Co ... Globe electric subsidiary Keystore International enters joint venture with Asia Lighting Solutions ...Coatings manufacturer Michelman opens China office ... Falk Corp and Svendborg Brakes USA form alliance ... Johnstone Supply opens Pennsylvania facility ... Schneider Electric receives $50 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration ... Emerson Motor Technologies opens Chicago area warehouse ... Eaton Corp acquires Pigozzi S.A. Engrenagens e Tranmissoes, an agricultural powertrain business in Brazil ... A.O. Smith announces increased sales...

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers.   In this issue, Better management of 401(k) accounts ... Using direct mail, the U.S. Navy way ... Tips for successful managers - Leadership, relationship building, business acumen, listening, mentoring, and producing results ...

  "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. 

• Standards briefs  updates of standards and related information... In this issue - Photovoltaics and more from the International Electrotechnical Commission ... Drafts available from the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers ... Underwriters Laboratories revises outlet box standard ... American National Standards Institute adopts and revises several standards ...  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  ... Edited by Sarah E. Wittliff 
  In this issue:  Electrical troubleshooting, from the Central Connecticut Chapter of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, www.rses.org ... Drives and controls training courses by Bosch Rexroth Corp., www.boschrexroth-us.com ... Caulks and sealants, from the Adhesive and Sealant Council, www.ascouncil.org ... Servomotor training, from Quality Solutions Co., www.motor-solutions.com ... Electric power training from Kilowatt Classroom, www.kilowattclassroom.com ... Motor/generator rewinding, from EPRI Power Generation and Teco-Westinghouse Motor Co - joliver003@aol.com   Motor application and maintenance, from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, www.easa.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.

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events... Edited by Sarah E. Wittliff 
  In this issue - conferences, meetings, conventions and more, from April 2005 through March 2006 ...

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. In this issue - "A new language for motor research & development" (read an online English summary)

• Accounting for management  Business financial planning, tips, information and best accounting practices ...By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.
  In this issue - Getting others involved in your business - How a business in the doldrums can be turned around by actively welcoming managerial and outsider involvement...

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace  ...  by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor   In this issue - Know how to specify "severe duty" - You'll need to provide more details than you may think ...

• Electronics (Automation briefs)  - the latest in products for electronics and systems applications  Edited by David P. Tryling  In this issue - programmable motion controler from Smart-Motor ... integrated stepper motor with drive from Baldor ... USB interface to a PC host from Saelig Co ... 15-inch monitor from CyberResearch ... single-chip programmable logic controller from Divelbiss  ..

To submit products for "Automation Briefs" include a photo and website URL to a page where our readers can learn more about your product over the web (URLS are published in the magazine.)  Fax or conventionally mail press releases or announcements to Electrical Apparatus, 400 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60611; Telephone (312) 321-9440; Fax (312) 321-1288; or email eamagazine@barks.com .

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus.
  In this issue: The Electroindustry stock index ... voice activated speech recognition systems ... wireless communications ... facial piercing .. inconsistencies in veterans benefits ... jobs in North Dakota ...

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

• EMBR update  - changes to the Electromechanical Bench Reference 2005, the annual buyers' guide that readers received with their December 2004 Electrical Apparatus.  Following publication of the directory, corrections and additions appear in subsequent issues of the magazine. 

• Cy's Super Service, Motorhead and Generatorhead Comic strips featuring characters from our favorite cartoonists. 
  In this issue - Cy doesn't like phone workers to demand his personal data  ... Motor and Generatorhead head to Torque Peak ...

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature.  ...  Edited by the EA staff    In this issue, offerings from Bridgeport Fittings, Kingsbury, Inc., Tyco Electrnoics, Brady Corp., Magid Glove & Safety Mfg. Co., B&K Precision Corp., Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures and Clare Instruments ...

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 ...Edited by the EA Staff.  In this issue, switching devices, tools, circuit interrupters, controls, enclosures, interconnections, measuring equipment, motors and gearmotors, power quality and safety products...

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.

• Certification briefs  Updates on certification Edited by Kevin Jones

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

• Utility Briefs  News of the utility industry .. Edited by Kevin Jones

• 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

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