Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

August 2007 Columns and Departments

Back issues
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• Editor's Comment In this issue - Pictures from an exhibition - floor photos and Q&A from the EASA convention  ... Business at the EASA show ... Back to business back home with a motor purchasing checklist ... Small programmable logic controllers vs large, and Beating the big guys  ... by Horace B. Barks, Editor and Publisher

• 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.  In this issue - How to disconnect motor starting capacitors ... Time-current curve of transformer is questioned ... How does air gap affect locked-rotor current? ... Connecting d-c power to dry out a winding ... How are capacitor contactors rated?  ...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  Comments and questions from readers of Electrical Apparatus. In this issue - Condensation in ODP motors from Cam Weale, Standard Electric, Mississauga, Ontario ... Home for visiting student is sought, from Lisa Lineal, Lineal Recruiting Services, Trumbull, Conn. ... Looking for literature online from Richard Nabuda, Chief Electrician, USS Hornet Museum, Alameda, CA ...

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 - The featured Reader at Ease in the August 2007 Electrical Apparatus is Tom Frederick, of Electric Motor, Angola, Indiana. Tom and his wife Angie send gifts and donations to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of each of the four branches of the service, plus the National Guard, benefit from the Fredericks' generosity.

  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. In this issue - Fasco operations being sold to Regal Beloit ... A.O. Smith in China boiler venture ... Tyco Electronics gains formal independence ... Canadian substation contract for ABB ... Figures show a rebound in manufacturing ... Franklin Electric buys African pump maker .. Emerson wins China chemical plant contract ... VaporLok Products teams up with Wal-Mart to place kiosks for safe disposal of compact fluorescent lamps and tubes (above, left)... Magid Glove and Safety Manufacturing Co holds an open house (above, right) ...Edited by Kevin Jones

• Trade associations,  professional societies and government activities  News of non-profit  government, and other organizations serving the electrical mechanical industries.  In this issue - the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League of Aurora Colorado plans a safety conference ... Used transformers deemed 'useful products' by Missouri court ... Peter McIlroy, CEO  and chairman of Robroy Industries, is photographed (second from right) with Medal of Honor recipients Bruce Crandall (Vietnam), Ronald Rosser (Korea),  and Hershel Williams (WW II) ... Electrical Insulation Conference names award winner .. Manufacturers from NEMA lecture on counterfeiting ... Increase is seen in demand for safety pros according to the American Society of Safety Engineers ... Four sessions added to HVAC conference...  Edited by the EA staff

  Note:  the 2007 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... Update or add your listing to the 2009 EMBR.

• Calendar Briefs - Upcoming trade shows, symposia, and events. In this issue - events from August 2007 through June 2008 ... Edited by the EA Staff

• Utility Briefs  News of the utility industry. In this issue - Rates increase despite market deregulation ... New wind farm opens in Pennsylvania ... Vermont utility offers hybrid vehicle incentive ... Energy Department research and development grants total $52 million ... Edited by Kevin Jones

• 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 - Motor diagnostics from All-Test Pro  ... Welding from the Lincoln Electric Co ... Servomotor training from Quality Solutions Co ... Arc-flash protection from American Trainco ... UPS's and batteries from Ametek Solidstate Controls ... Pumping Systems from Pumping Machinery LLC ... Embedded networks from CAN in Automation ... Power quality from PowerCET Corp ... Motor & drive application from Baldor Electric ... Drives and controls from Bosch Rexroth Corp .. Professional certification from the Association for Facilities Engineering ... Infrared thermography from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association and from Flir Systems...  ... 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.

• Standards Briefs  Updates of standards and related information. In this issue - China to speed electrical product standards ... Motor efficiency requirements to be expanded ... Safety practices given a second look ... Arc flash sparks new testing standards ... IEC modifying bilingual text format ... Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

• Trilingual summary For our international readers, each month one featured topic is presented in French, Spanish and German. In this issue - Before you buy - A motor purchasing checklist  (read an online English summary)

• Safety and health in the workplace How companies and their employees can guard and enhance their health and safety.  In this issue - Indoor air pollution can sicken office workers ...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  Business financial planning, tips, information and best accounting practices.  In this issue - Beating the big guys - Learn where you have the edge over larger companies and then use that knowledge to your advantage ...By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• New Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors. In this issue - Elements of Tidal-Electric Engineering, by Robert H. Clark.  See our Book Review webpage, and 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 - Frank S. Caglia (above, left) - owner of Electric Motor and Supply, Fresno, California ... T.R. 'Ted' Paul, founder and operator of Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation (above, right.)

• Product Briefs  Photos and announcements of new products. In this issue - Drives and Inverters from Leeson Electric and Baldor Electric ...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. 

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

• Direct and Current Breaking news of interest to the industry.  ... from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus.