Electrical Apparatus December 2008
Featured articles  

  • Tips for evaluating motor performance - from the December 2008 Electrical Apparatus Motor Performance   - Some tips for evaluating motor operating cost: Examining the many factors that come into play in determining what it costs to run a motor  By Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor (Read an online summary)
     
  • Coil Winding, Insulation and Electrical Manufacturing Exhibition - from the December 2008 issue of Electrical Apparatus magazine Trade Shows  - Chicago coil and insulation show lives up to its promise: Photos from the recent Coil Winding, Insulation and Electrical Manufacturing Exhibition in Chicago  By Elizabeth Van Ness
     
     
     
     
  • insulation resistance - from the December 2008 Electrical Apparatus Insulation  - Another look at insulation resistance: Understand what the insulation test can and cannot do  By Richard L. Nailen, P.E., EA Engineering Editor
     
     
     
  • Safety and Health  -   Looking back at the year in workplace safety Federal safety and environmental agencies receive poor ratings   By Richard B. Elsberry, EA Contributing Editor
  • Accounting  -  Simply breaking even Tools for measuring profitability in challenging times  By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor

Departments and Columns (for additional information or to submit material, see the Departments and Columns page.)

  • Editor's Comment Perspective on current and upcoming issues. In this issue - Looking back at 2008 .. Repair or replace, another matter of economics .... Did EA scoop 60 minutes re: toxic e-waste? ... by Horace B. Barks, Executive Editor
  • 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 - Metric vs. English terms for inertia ... What IR test limit for a rotor winding?... Does induction generator need any special winding? ... Cooling air: one size fits all ... Must surge protection be connected at the motor?... Effect of overvoltage on motor insulation life Edited by the EA staff
    You are invited to send questions to this department. See the Contact page for contact details. 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.
  • Business and financial briefs News of expansions, relocations, annual reports, and more, about companies serving the electrical mechanical industries. In this issue -Regal Beloit buys Dutch distributor Dutchi Motors BV of Arnhem, the Netherlands ... Leviton opens distribution center in Lebanon, Tenn. ... Ferraz Shawmut buys Canadian supplier R-Theta Thermal Solutions, Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario ... Von Roll settles lawsuit against Craig Wire Products ... Wood Group opens new facility in Bogota, Colombia ... GE wins London distribution contract from EDF Energy Networks of London, England ... Rockwell Automation, Inc. closes its Allen-Bradley manufacturing plant in Manchester, N.H. ... Quarterly financial reports from Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, Ark.... Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. ... A.O. Smith... W.W. Grainger ... Littelfuse, Inc. ... ABB ...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 - Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League releases new reconditioning standards ...New crane standards from The American Society of Safety Engineers ... Electric Motor Education & Research Foundation of South Dartmouth, Mass., initiates a Motorized Ability Design Awards competition for undergraduates ...‘State of the Industry’ session available online for members of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association ...HVAC educators are recognized at Indianapolis September conference ...Call for papers on wire technology by Expo Productions, Inc., of Hartland, Wis., producer of the Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo ... The Association for Facilities Engineering of Reston, Va offers Certified Plant Maintenance Manager course onlineEdited by the EA staff
    Note: the EMBR lists contact information for more than 140 associations ... Update or add your listing to the EMBR now.
  • Jeanne Jobe, President of Houston Motor and Control (HMC) - p. 9 of the December 2008 Electrical ApparatusEA reader profile Stories featuring Electrical Apparatus readers on the job. In this issue - Jeanne Jobe, President of Houston Motor and Control (HMC)  By Joseph Hoff.
    Do you know someone whose experiences in the industry would be interesting for an EA Reader Profile? Tell us who they are, what they do, and how we can contact them to learn more about their work. Send your suggestions to Electrical Apparatus - see Contact page for details
  • Web briefs Selected websites for the electromechanical specialist, annotated with details of especially valuable content. In this issue - Michael Bluejay www.michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html  ...Suntech Power Co. Ltd. www.suntech-power.com  ...PLCS.NET, LLC www.plctalk.net/qanda  ... Vestas Wind Systems A/S www.vestas.com  ...Tri-State Generation & Transmission Associates, Inc. http://tristate.apogee.net  ... Industrial Wind Action Group www.windaction.org  ... Cerro Wire www.cerrowire.com  ... Physics Forum www.physicsforum.com  ... Encore Wire Corp. www.encorewire.com  ... Association for Maintenance Professionals http://maintenanceforums.com  ... Power Solutions www.power-solutions.com  ... Maintenance Tips http://maintenancetalk.com  ...Power Systems & Controls www.pscpower.com  Edited by the Electrical Apparatus staff.
  • 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 - iLabs elevate science education ... Making engineering relevant to women ... Scientists await particle collider data ... Bison Gear hosts guidance counselors  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
  • Calendar In every issue and updated on the web. See our Calendar page for current offerings.
  • International Trade Shows Information and calendar for upcoming shows around the globe. In this issue - the Syrian International Power & Electricity Exhibition ... Elektro Brno ... China E-Power ... 8th China International Electric Power & Electric Engineering Technology Exhibition ... Wire Russia ... Power Industry & Electrical Engineering ... Equipville ... FIIEE Minas Gerais 2009 .. .. Edited by the EA Staff

  • Sylvia Wetzel of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. p 29 of the December 2008 Electrical Apparatus   John Morehead of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp.- p. 29 of the December 2008 Electrical Apparatus   The National Association of Electrical Distributors' President, Tom Naber - p. 29 of the December 2008 Electrical Apparatus magazine

  • Names and Faces News and photos of industry people on the move and in the news. In this issue - Garlock Sealing Technologies' Chris Hicks and Bruce Stratton ... William Bland of Hisco, Inc.... Sylvia Wetzel (pictured, left) and John Morehead (pictured, center) of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. ... from The National Association of Electrical Distributors, Tom Naber (pictured, right), Michael Martin and Misty Byers ...Edited by the EA Staff
  • Industrial Electronics: Devices & Systems. By D.R. Patrick & S.W. Fardo, reviewed in the December 2008 Electrical ApparatusNew Books Recently published books, reviewed by our editors. See our Book Review webpage, and also Books for the Plant and Shop from Barks Books, with titles from the editors of Electrical Apparatus, including our latest new book, Let's Solve Your Problem - Volume III.  In this issue - Automation for the neophyte: A review of Industrial Electronics: Devices & Systems. By D.R. Patrick & S.W. Fardo. Fairmont Press, Inc., 700 Indian Trail, Lilburn, Ga. 30047; (770) 925-9388. $125 (hardbound). 671 pages. Reviewed by Richard Nailen, who concludes that "This is a valuable reference for anyone involved in design, operation, troubleshooting, or servicing of industrial electronics."
  • Automation Briefs High-tech products of use to the industry. In this issue - Electronic hygrotherms from Omega Engineering ... Potentiometer sensors from Macro Sensors ... Fan trays from Orion Fans... new software capabilities for logging multimeters from Fluke Corporation
  • Product briefs Photos and announcements of new products. In this issue - TEST INSTRUMENTS from B&K Precision Corp., Extech Instruments, and QuadTech ... TOOLS from Klein Tools, Wright Tool, Makita , CS Unitec, Inc., Ridgid, Streamlight, Inc., and Seatek Co., Inc.. ...Edited by the EA Staff.
    Mail announcements of new products and literature to Editorial Department, Electrical Apparatus (see Contact Us page). 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.
  • Training Briefs Announcements of workshops, seminars and instructional materials, in every issue and updated on the web. See our Training page for current offerings. In this issue - Electrical safety, from Cooper Bussmann ... Arc flash, from American Trainco ... Fire systems, from Fire-Lite Alarms... Ultrasonics, from Branson Ultrasonics Corp, and from Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc. ... Relays and substations, from Megger ... Welding, from The Lincoln Electric Welding School ... UPS’s and batteries, from Ametek Solidstate Controls ... Corrosion prevention, from Corrosion College... Producers of workshops, seminars, and instructional materials are encouraged to send announcements to Training Briefs Editor, Electrical Apparatus. See Contact Us page. Certain restrictions apply - contact the editors for details.
  • 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.
  • Advertising Index An easy to use reference to the advertisements in Electrical Apparatus magazine.

Welcome to Barks Publications
Magazines and Books for Business and Industry

Electrical Apparatus - December 2008
Save postage and handling fees: Order back issues direct from our online webstore. 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.)
Read More
 
Order this issue

Advertising for the April Electrical Apparatus closes March 12 (Classified ads close March 15.)

 
Industry news...