August 2008

Cover Story

Diagnostic Trends

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer

For the last 20 years, Randy Barnett, director of curriculum development, American Trainco, Englewood, Colo., has been keeping his clients up-to-date on innovations in plant maintenance. ...

Industry Viewpoint

Enhancing Your Online Experience

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief

There's no doubt many of you are using the EC&M Web site (www.ecmweb.com) on a regular basis. The latest report I read (July 2008) revealed a 34% increase in traffic compared to the same month last year — and an 11.2% increase over last month....

Other Features

Secrets to Creating a Profit Machine

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Herbert M. Cannon, AEC Management Solutions, Inc.

By reinvesting profits in the company, you can provide the best working environment, equipment, training, compensation, and support for employees....

Advice Worth Taking

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Bradley Dawson, LTV Dynamics

As the owner of an electrical contracting firm, from whom do you obtain your advice?...

Credit Crunch

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer

Cash flow — managing the collection of contract revenues and payments of the costs of contracted work — is a leading indicator of bankruptcy for construction contractors....

The 10 Worst Grounding Mistakes You'll Ever Make

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By David Herres, Master Electrician

Proper grounding and bonding prevent unwanted voltage on non-current-carrying metal objects, such as tool and appliance casings, raceways, and enclosures, as well as facilitate the correct operation of overcurrent devices....

National Electrical Code

Conductor Size Matters

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

The NEC provides minimum size requirements for conductors to prevent overheating and fire....

Illustrated Catastrophes

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

Alan Christofk, a superintendent with Gephart Electrical Construction in Stillwater, Minn., found this unique installation at a gas station...

What's Wrong Here?

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

A new form of sleep disorder...

Code Quandaries

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

Q. When adjusting the ampacity of a conductor due to conductor bundling, do we use the 90°C column ampacity or the 75°C column ampacity as listed in Table 310.16 for THHN?...

Market Watch

From the Forensic Files of NIOSH

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Few would argue that electrocution is a serious threat to electrical workers. However, it's only one of the dangers faced by this group of individuals, as evidenced by a tragedy that occurred at a Michigan vehicle transmission plant....

High-Benefit Lighting Awards Call for Entries

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

The National Lighting Bureau (NLB), Silver Spring, Md., encourages you to enter the 29th Annual High-Benefit Lighting Awards Program....

$15 Billion in Capital Project Starts Forecasted for Northeast

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

An expected $15 billion in capital projects will begin construction in the Northeast region during the second half of 2008...

Product of the Month

LEDs Pave the Way

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor

It's not often that a chance encounter between two strangers from opposite sides of the world results in the development of a novel new product, but that's exactly what happened when Jon Jorgensen and Markus Bechstein met two years ago....

Safety & Security

Intelligent Infrastructure: Security and Surveillance

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By James Carlini, Certified Infrastructure Consultant

The need to understand how to maximize the network or electronic layer of infrastructure is imperative to maximizing economic viability of any enterprise as well as providing security and surveillance capabilities to it....

Inside PQ

Verifying Ground-Fault Coordination for MV Power Cable Shielding

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By John DeDad, Senior Director, Editorial and EC&M Development

According to the IEEE Buff Book, "A power cable must be protected from overheating due to excessive short-circuit current flowing in its conductor," which may damage or destroy the insulation....

PQ Corner

The How's and Why's of IG Wiring

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Thomas M. Gruzs, Emerson Network Power

It's hard to buy a new electrical device these days that doesn't contain electronics....

Construction Watch

Starts Down 11%

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

New York-based McGraw-Hill Construction recently released its annual Construction Outlook Midyear Update...

Budgets Hit Hard with Rising Material Costs

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Surging prices for diesel fuel, asphalt, steel, and other materials are clobbering construction budgets, said Ken Simonson...

Pharmaceutical-Biotech Construction Activity Remains Steady

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

During the first six months of this year, the pharmaceutical-biotech industry completed construction on a total of 31 new plants and research centers across North America...

Project Spotlight

High-Tech Aviation Training Centers Let Trainees Soar

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor

FlightSafety International, headquartered in New York, trains approximately 75,000 pilots, technicians, and other aviation professionals each year...

Back to Basics

The Basics of Vector Analysis Part 1

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

What is a vector, and how can we use it in electrical design?...

Product Spotlight

Focus on Motors & Motor Controllers

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM

The Tiastar Smart motor control center (MCC) product line has been expanded to include a series of gateway solutions that transition the Profibus-DP network inside the Smart MCC to the customer-desired control network....