Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

Current Issue Table of Contents

About Electrical Apparatus

Subscription Information

Advertising Information

Staff

January 2006 Columns and Departments

Items in columns and departments from the January 2006 issue, Vol. 59, no. 1, © 2006 Barks Publications, Inc. See also  January 2006 Table of Contents and Previous issues 

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: We start off the year with a look at the past ... Katrina won't be over for a long time ... Updating your EMBR listings (update online @ http://barks.com/embr.html)

• 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: How transformer banks can cause voltage unbalance .. What is maximum contact temperature? ... Arc flash publicity proves confusing ... Why two bearing sizes in a standard motor? ... Are removable motor feet a service problem?  ... Why the variety in sight gauge connections? ... How is belt pull location determined? ... Can equalizers add heat to an a-c motor winding? ... What is the cause of erratic vibration readings? ... Neutral conductor sizing can be important ... What grounding connection is suitable for larger motors?

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  Comments and questions from readers of Electrical Apparatus
  In this issue:  About soft starting, from James R. Johnson, PacifiCorp-Pacific Power, Albany, Oregon ... Dry ice blasting, from Everton Nunes dos Santos, Sincon Manutencao Industrial, Brazil ... Kind words from Edward M. Hurley, G.E. Service Shop, Saltsburg, Pennsylvania  ...

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. In this issue:  Malcolm O'Hagan retires as president of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association ... Electronic Resellers Association International  and White Horse Strategic Solutions will inspect Chinese parts ...  Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) to hold conference in February ... New agreement for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers ... Fluke Corp pledges $250,000 to National Association of Electrical Distributors education foundation ... Refrigeration Service Engineers Society has added catalog requests to its website @ www.rses.org ... Power Transmission Distributors Association reports gains in year to date sales of power transmission products ... National Education & Research Foundation launches its annual fund campaign ...  Edited by the EA staff

  Note:  the 2006 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  In this issue - Phelps Dodge sells magnet wire business to Rea Magnet Wire Co., Inc. ... ETL Semko Division of Intertek Group plc acquires International Approvals Laboratories ... Bosch Rexroth acquires motion control firm Nyquist BV ... New Shanghai plant for Method Network Bus Products ...Edited by Kevin Jones

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.
  In this issue - Kevin Toor, President of Birclar Electric & Electronics in Romulus, Michigan, coaches a travel hockey team.
  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

• Standards briefs  updates of standards and related information  In this issue - British Department of Trade and Industry and the British Standards Institution say standards boost the economy ... States begin adoption of latest National Electrical Code ... The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers revises IEEE 336 ...National Electrical Manufacturers Association revises transformer test standard ... Revised fuse standards adopted by ANSI ...  ... 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:  Corrosion testing, from ASTM International, www.astm.org  ... Maintenance Management, from New Standard Institute ...  Power Quality, from PowerCET Corp., www.powercet.com/download/courscat.pdf  ...  Motor & drive application, from Baldor Electric ...  Motor service and repair, from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, www.easa.org ... High voltage maintenance, from Ox Creek Energy, www.corona-technology-course.com ...Professional certification, from the Association for Facilities Engineering, www.afe.org ... Infrared thermography, from the Infrared Training Center  ... Edited by the EA staff

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

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. In this issue - "'Achieving (and maintaining) electrical connection tightness" (read an online English summary)

• Electronics (Automation briefs)  - the latest in products for electronics and systems applications... In this issue - To PC or not to PC?  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 .

• Accounting for management  In this issue - Doing business in China ...
  By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Safety and health in the workplace   In this issue - How to prevent a common cold ...
  By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

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

• Names and Faces ... News and photos of industry people on the move and in the news.  In this issue - Jerry Black (pictured) of Air Products and Controls ... Brett Brenner of the Electrical Safety Foundation International ... Richard DePaulis of the Eraser Co., Inc.  ... Jon Elmendorf and Bob Esker of Wood Group Light Industrial Turbines, Inc. ... Rick Thompson (pictured) of Interconnect Devices, Inc. ...Edited by the EA Staff

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people. In this issue:  Peter 'Pete' Walker, association staff engineer for the Electrical Apparatus Service Association of St. Louis

• Literature Announcements of guides, catalogs, brochures, product specifications and other literature. In this issue - catalog of meter mix dispense systems for adhesives, sealants and lubricants, from Sealant Equipment & Engineering, Inc. ... a transportation products catalog from Cooper Bussmann ... Fiber-optic cables from Alpha Wire Co. ... Arc Flash Study Performance Specifications from ESA ... welding end prep tools and abrasive saws from ESCO Tool ... the 2005 NEC Code Change Book ... power systems disruptions solutions brochure from Bryant Electric (Hubbell) ... energy-savings brochure from Baldor Electric Co ... Power quality catalog from Sola/Hevi Duty Products ... end to end hardware communications devices selection guide from Hubbell Wiring Device-Kellems ... 
  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 - Circuit interrupters from System Pro M ... Insulation tape from Mocap Inc.... Measuring Equipment from  Brooks Utility Products Group, AEMC Instruments, and Extech Instruments ... Power factor improvement capacitors from Staco ... Self-contained shock/vibration data logger from Hoyt Electrical Instrument Works, Inc. ...  Motors & Gearmotors from Leeson ... Safety itesm from EGS Electrical Group and Magid Glove and Safety ... Switching devices from Electroswitch, Automation Systems Interconnect, Inc., Leviton Mfg. Co., Tyco Electronics and Intermatic ... Test instruments from Ideal Industries, Schaffner EMC and Megger ... 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.

• 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 - Social Security payments ... Electrical Distributors sales ... Industrial controls and service sales ... Stamp tax ... Unpaid student loans ... U.S. Life expectancy and health ...
  By the Editors

• 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.  
  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

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

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

• 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. 

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

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

• International Briefs -Edited by the EA Staff

• EMBR update  - changes to the Electromechanical Bench Reference 2006, the annual buyers' guide that readers received with their December 2005 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

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