Electrical Apparatus
The Magazine of Electrical &
Electronic Application & Maintenance

January 2008 Columns and Departments

Back issues
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• Editor's Comment In this issue - Our annual Index of Articles ... Getting kicks on Route 66 ... More from memory lane: Reader Richard Reece of C.A. Reece Industrial Publicity in Cleveland remembers his company's ad for Superior Carbon Products in the old NISA News, later running it in Volt-Age ... 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 - Inertia goes by different names? ... Are extra dips and bakes really needed? ... Insulated versus isolated conductors ... Are eccentric slip rings a problem? ... Problems when reading IR on a hot winding ... Are unused leads a special hazard? ... Surge comparison test:  Is it destructive? ... How to set overloads to suit phase unbalance ... 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.

• Electrical Manager ...A potpourri of news and features, selected and edited for maintenance and service managers. In this issue - The real costs of being stressed ... Why good workers choose to go elsewhere ... Money advice for Yanks abroad ... Putting an end to collection calls   ... Edited by Kevin Jones

  "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. 

• Trade associations,  professional societies and government activities  News of non-profit  government, and other organizations serving the electrical mechanical industries. In this issue - Apparatus recyclers at the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League take on counterfeiters ... Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) hires Fred Spaid for its technical support staff ... National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) boasts of advocacy successes ... Power Transmission Distributors Association names James Moorer II, former president of Detroit Ball Bearing, recipient of its Warren Pike Award for lifetime achievement ... RSES: The HVACR Training Authority, schedules an HVACR & Plumbing Instructor Workshop for March 2008  ... ASTM International makes its database of declarable substances accessible to the public - long in @ www.astm.org to find a link to the Enhensa database. Edited by the EA staff

  Note:  the 2008 EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... Update or add your listing to the 2008 EMBR.

• Utility Briefs  News of the utility industry. In this issue - Million-dollar raise for Tennessee Valley Authority President and CEO Tom Kilgore ... Rate cuts ordered for Duke Energy Corp ... Warren Buffet scoops up utility debt ... Edison Electric Institute pours money into lobbying ... Commission sides with PPL Electric Utilities Corp, not residents ... Wisconsin dairymen win stray voltage case against Xcel Energy ... Edited by Kevin Jones

• Business and financial briefs  News of expansions, relocations, annual reports, and more, about companies serving the electrical mechanical industries. In this issue - National Electrical Carbon is part of a consolidation ... Turbocare Canada Ltd. enters agreement with Siemens Automation & Drives ... Inpro/Seal Co logs record sales ... New office for Power & Generation Testing, Inc., of Nashville ... Klein Tools makes scholarship commitment to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association ...  Emerson Network Power signs global distribution agreement with Avnet Electronics Marketing ... The National Electrical Manufacturers Association announces winners of its 2007 Kite * Key Award ... Harrington Hoists, Inc., observes 140 years in business ...Edited by Kevin Jones

• Standards briefs  Updates of standards and related information. In this issue - Is your NFPA standard really current? ... National Electrical Manufacturers Association revises motor standards ... Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers solicits comments ... Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff. 

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

• Training Briefs Announcements of workshops, seminars and instructional materials.  In this issue - Motors and generators from EPRI Power Generation and TECO-Westinghouse Motor Co., Managed by Jarsco Engineering Corp ... Servomotor training from Quality Solutions Co ... Corrosion testing from ASTM International ...  UPS's and batteries from Ametek Solidstate Controls ...   Power quality from PowerCET Corp ... Motor & drive application from Baldor Electric ...Drives and Controls from Bosch-Rexroth Corp ... High-voltage maintenance from Ox Creek Energy ....  Professional certification, from the Association for Facilities Engineering ...Infrared Thermography from the Electrical Apparatus Service Association ..Also - Online seminar for "green" contracting - go to www.bluevolt.com  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 - Understanding the three-phase delta - A look at the various types of connections, and their advantages and drawbacks.   (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 - Safety doesn't have to cost a lot - Taking daily precautions can prevent illness and injury ...   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor

• Accounting for management  Business financial planning, tips, information and best accounting practices.  In this issue - Conquering the inventory problem - Do away with inventory bloat without sacrificing timely delivery ...By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor and author of the recently published book, Steps to a Successful Service Shop.

• Deaths  - Obituaries of industry people.   In this issue - Lloyd B. Smith, former ECO of electrical manufacturer A.O. Smith ....Edited by the EA Staff

• EA reader at ease  ... Stories featuring unusual or interesting avocational interests of our readers.

  In this issue - The featured Reader at Ease in the January 2008 Electrical Apparatus is Fred Sitkins (pictured second from right in the photo at left), professor of manufacturing engineering at Western Michigan University. Fred enjoys restoring antique cars, noting that each automobile embodies the possibilities of the wide open road, and serves as a creative outlet. "You get that relief and sense of the satisfaction that comes with accomplishment," he says.

  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 .

• 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 - the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering explores ways to address the spike in demand forecasted by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) ... Recommendations for federally funded scientific research brought forward by the Semiconductor Industry Association (President George Scalise pictured, at right)...

  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

• Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products. In this issue - Tools from Bondhus Corp, Wright Tool Co., Wiha Tools, Energy Management Corp., Ridgid, and Hilti North America ... Test instruments from Palmer Wahl Instrumentation Group, High Voltage, Inc., and B+K Precision Corp ... Adhesives and sealants from Epoxies, Inc. and John C. Dolph Co ... Enclosures from EAO ... Interconnections from Coleman Cable, Inc., and 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.

• 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.  In this issue - Sales of controls edge up in third quarter ... 59th consecutive month of export growth ... OSH to report to the European Union? ... Falling US dollar hurts Canadian exports ... Small business loans for military veterans .. from The Editors of Electrical Apparatus.