Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

September 2005 Columns and Departments

Back issues
Save postage and handling fees: Order back issues direct from our online webstore.  Current and back issues are $5.00 each. To purchase copies by mail or telephone, using credit card or check, contact Barks Publications, 400 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60611-4104  (312) 321-9440 tel, (312) 321-1288 fax. Non-credit card orders add postage and handling:  $1.25 for first copy, plus $.50 for each additional copy. (No postage and handling is charged for orders placed on the web.)

We welcome your comments and inquiries re: subscriptions and advertising. Please include your name and contact information.  

• Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues... by Horace B. Barks, Executive Editor 
  In this issue:  A storybook kind of story about the Zielonkas of Precision Electric Motor Works ... The industry's guide: The 2006 EMBR ... Publisher's Market Memo describes upcoming issues .. Lots coming in Electrical Apparatus in October, November and December ....

• 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: Old switchgear: How long will it last? ... Can batteries rest on a concrete floor? ... Is motor slowdown time related to acceleration? ... Are capacitors worthwhile for starting large motors? .. What's the limit for oil ring lubrication? ...What is frame voltage for a wound-rotor motor> ... Can motor laminations be rotated during restacking? ... How to perform a flash test on a stator ...

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 - The National Association of Electrical Distributors introduces an inside sales training program ...  SMMA - The Motor & Motion Association offers four "Motor and Motion College" courses during the EIC/EME  ..   The European Power Transmission Distributors Association meets Sept. 28-30 in Prague .. EASA honors Roland S. Boreham Jr. ...
  Edited by the EA Staff

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

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.
  In this issue - Dominion over the Earth   Mike Crabtree (applications specialist at the Mart Corp. in Maryland Heights, Mo) is a fisher and hunter.
  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

• 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: General Electric Co. plans to expand manufacturing in India ... New U S. energy law boosts orders for ABB ... Pentadyne Power in South Korea venture with Ehway Technologies Information ... Knight Electronics chooses Canadian rep CanaREP ... Guarantee Electrical opens office in Benicia, California ... Financial Briefs:   Littlefuse, inc / Heinrich Industrie AG ... Regal-Beloit Corp ...

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events... Edited by the EA staff
  In this issue - conferences, meetings, conventions and more, from September 2005 through August 2006 ...

• Engineering Education   
  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:  "Professor promoting pragmatism" Kevin Kornegay wins Janice Lumpkin Educator of the Year Award from the National Society of Black Engineers  ...  Engineering students and faculty develop a solution for anesthesiologists at the Ohio State Medical Center .. Bio Molecular modeling lab nears 7th anniversary... International Electrotechnical Commission develops lectures for familiarizing electrical engineering students with the subject of internal standards ... Funds available for pre-college engineering education ... Denice Denton pushes student diversity at the University of California at Santa Cruz ... Alan Cramb appointed Dean of the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ..  By Josh Hoff

  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

• Standards briefs  updates of standards and related information... In this issue:  EPACT-I is joined by EPACT-II ... Wire and cable standards conform to National Electrical Manufacturers Association .. Underwriters Laboratories announces outlet box and control guidelines ... International Electrotechnical Commission announces publication of standards for power transmission  ... Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers.   In this issue - The psychological effects of color ... Watch hotel bills for extra charges ... Cross-training employees to learn various jobs can reduce product lead times ...

  "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. 

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. In this issue - "A necessary evil - the air gap in rotating machines" (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 Steps to a Successful Service Shop.
  In this issue - Saving taxes with research - Some of the costs of designing new equipment may be deductible.

• Safety and health in the workplace   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor
  In this issue - New help for the hard of hearing - listen to the problems hearing loss can create in the workplace.
• ALSO IN THIS ISSUE - Arc flash! Minimizing the risk.  By Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering 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 the EA staff
  In this issue:  Electrical safety, from the Thomas A. Edison Institute, www.TAEdisonInstitute.com  ... Power Quality, from PowerCET Corp., www.powercet.com/download/courscat.pdf ... Motor service and repair, from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, www.easa.org ... Electrical grounding, from Luncole XIT Grounding, www.lyncole.com ... Maintenance management, from the New Standard Institute,  www.newstandardinstitute.com ... Drives and controls, from Bosch Rexroth Corp, www.boschrexroth-us.com  ... Servomotor training, from Quality Solutions Company, www.motor-solutions.com  ... High voltage maintenance, from Ox Creek Energy,  www.corona-technology-course.com  ... Professional certification, from The Association for Facilities Engineering, www.afe.org ... Testing for corrosion, from ASTM International, www.astm.org ...

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

Names and Faces ... News and photos of industry people on the move and in the news...Edited by the EA Staff
In this issue - Thomas Crum of Hibbs ElectroMechanical, Inc. (pictured) ... Charles Lin of Magtrol ... Rob Bendetti of Wood Group Power Operations, Inc. ... Tony Keane of NACE International ... Karl Williams of Rexel, Inc  ...Jack McNamara of Bosch Security Systems ... Narayn Vishwanathan of Ametek Solidastate Controls ... EASA's oficers and executive board (pictured - Vice Chairman Art Anderson, Chairman Brian Gibbon and Secretary/Treasurer George Stratton) ... 
Edited by the EA Staff

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. In this issue - Warehouse Pros workbook for electrical industry arehouse personnel ... a guide to the Drive One universal configurable gear drive ... EGS Electrical Group's catalog ... guide to thermal cutoff's for electrical equipment and applicanes from Chatham Components .. integrated servo products catalog fro Animatics Corp ... Baldor's CD-ROM electronic catalog ... Megger's test and measuring equipment for professional use catalor .. NKK Switches 860-page guide to electric switches  ...  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.

• New Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors. In this issue - Emergency and Backup Power Sources: Preparing for Blackouts and Brownouts - by M. F. Hordeski, The Fairmont Press Reviewed by RLN.

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products. In this issue - Drives and Inverters ... Controls ... Interconnections .. Lubrication .. grounding resistors ... wireless running time hourmeter ... industrial battery charger ... fuel cell humidifier ... storage battery integrity monitor .... Power Quality .. Power Transmission ... Safety... Software ... ...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.

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

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

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry, from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus.
  In this issue: Compliance with a new European Union directive ... Sales of industrial control products and systems ... 30 year bonds ... Mail volume ... Internet access on airlines ... Electrical distributors expect rising sales ... Customer satisfaction with computers ...

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people..

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

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

• International Briefs -Edited by the EA Staff

• 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. 

• Certification briefs  Updates on certification Edited by Kevin Jones

• 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

• 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 September edit your letter for clarity and space.— Editor

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