Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

June 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:  As the economy improves, our opportunities increase ... Sign of the times: Engineering Education ... Coming in July: traction, temperature, dryout  ...

• 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: Maintaining minimum force on thrust bearings ... What's causing belts to become mismatched? ... Relation of vibration to RPM may not be simple ... What's wrong with bearing oil bath heating? ... Are dowels really needed when installing motors?... What's causing bearing damage? ... Can converting motor from delta to wye save energy? ... Which drop test for field poles?  ...  

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.

• 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 - Young minds get a charge in a program sponsored by the IBEW and the Quad Cities (Iowa) Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, partnering with the Minority Teacher Incentive Program of the Rock Island/Milan Public Schools ... National Association of Manufacturing warns that some policy making action is better than none ... Slow going for the 2005 National Electrical Code ... The National Association of Electrical Distributors expands with an Associates membership category for manufacturers, service providers, technology organizations and resellers... National Electrical Contractors Association adds building systems to its New Orleans convention and trade show ... American Society of Safety Engieneers awards scholarships for 28 engineering students ... Corrosion profesionals set attendance record at the NACE International convention ... ARI certified equipment performance ratings are offered free online @ www.ari.org/cert ... Safety engineers offer job applicant testing recommendations ... Adhesive and Sealant Council calls for speakers ...

  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: B.C. Global Sales is North American agent for OEMER Motors of Milan ... Lincoln Electric purchases J.W. Harris ... Abby Manufacturing Company acquires motor base and power transmission mounting product line from Steelcraft Corp ...Volland Electric Equipment is named Ingersoll Rand servicer ... ABB buys plant and gear maintenance firms HSB Reliability Technologies, and HSB Reliability Systems ... New distributors and sales reps for Bison, KorKap, and Staco Energy Products ...

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

• International Briefs -Edited by the EA Staff
  In this issue - Hannover Fair 2005 sets attendance record ... Lighting show this month in Guangzhou, China ...

• Engineering Education    By Josh Hoff
  A glimpse into today's engineering classroom in a quarterly feature which reports on college and university courses relevant to expanding electromechanical activities, as well as pre-college programs. In this issue - Career strategies for engineers, from Percy "Butch" Shadwell ... Nanotechnology speech by Dr. Wolfgang Porod ... Proactive Learning and IEEE Fellow Low Tech Song ... Awards ... Academic research into energy ...

  Engineers in the US number more than two million, and job openings for electrical engineers are expected to increase 21%-35% by 2006.  This trend is inspiring new and diverse engineering education programs across the country, from pre-engineering to nanotechnology. Send information about engineering education programs and events to Electrical Apparatus, 400 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, III. 60611; (312) 321-9440; Fax (312) 321-1288; e-mail eamagazine@barks.com

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.
  In this issue - The crucible   Wrestler James Lundy, applications engineer with Ludeca, can use his formidable pectoral muscles to wriggle a pencil from his shirt pocket. 
  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

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. In this issue - "The importance of 'slot combination' in a-c motor design" (read an online English summary)

• Safety and health in the workplace   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor
  In this issue - Repairing a hernia is now faster, easier - Emphasis on safe lifting and better health practices have alleviated much of the danger, but the risk remains. Untreated hernias often get larger and can result in serious medical complications.

• 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 - The importance of accounting controls - They must be clearly spelled out and assigned. Perhaps the most important element of success is the ability to plan and change plans with conditions.

• Names and Faces ... News and photos of industry people on the move and in the news...Edited by Sarah E. Wittliff
  In this issue - Brenda W. Cole of Cole Electric Co., Inc. ... Pentadyne Power Corporation's Frank DeLattre ... Carl Henning of Profibus Trade Organization ... Frank Higbie of The John C. Dolph Co. ...  Ralph Tallant Jr. of Wera Tools, Inc. ... L&S Electrics's Paul Gullickson, Todd Esala and Wayne Michlig ... Robert Pidgeon of Cooper Wiring Devices....

• Say It Right ... The popular column about language in the workplace  ...  by Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor   In this issue - Condenser vs. Capacitor - the latter refers only to a non-rotating device...

• Letters  Comments and questions from readers of Electrical Apparatus

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 June edit your letter for clarity and space.— Editor

• 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:  Additives short course, from the Adhesive and Sealant Council and the Adhesives and Sealants Manufacturers Association of Canada - www.ascouncil.org ... Electrical grounding, from Lyncole XIT Grounding  - www.lyncole.com ...  Motor/generator rewinding, from EPRI Power Generation and Teco-Westinghouse Motor Co - joliver003@aol.com  ..  Maintenance management, from The New Standard Institute - www.newstandardinstitute.com ... Industrial truck safety, from Vast Consulting and Marketing, vast@wi.rr.com ... Servomotor training, from Quality Solutions Co., www.motor-solutions.com ... Ongoing seminars on safety, infrared testing, from Flir Systems and Associated Research, Inc.  - seminar@flir.com and www.asresearch.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.

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus.
  In this issue: Energy costs blamed for manufacturing dip ... Blogs are growing  ... telemarketing is the most disliked form of advertising ... spyware and adware are more than annoyance ... cell phone viruses ... flu shots for everyone ...

• Standards briefs  updates of standards and related information... Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• New Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors. 

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

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature.  ...  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.

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people. 

• 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. 

• Electronics (Automation briefs)  - the latest in products for electronics and systems applications  Edited by David P. Tryling 

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 .

• 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. 

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products ...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.

• 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.