Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Today’s homes, no matter the date of construction, have one thing in common. Scads of electronic devices populate our personal domiciles, even those of us “old folks.”

When you think about it, there aren’t too many appliances and pieces of equipment that aren’t controlled by some sort of circuit board, or even computer-style mother board.

Winter will some day be over (it snowed here today… in Arkansas!) And undoubtedly some of us will be slathering on the SPF-whatever to protect us from the sun’s rays. Did you know that Old Sol is about 5,000 degrees on the surface?

I’m old enough to remember days when cash registers weren’t computerized – they used electricity but were otherwise pretty analog devices. But a lot has changed since the first computerized cash register – or, as retailers say, point-of-sale (POS) devices – was introduced in 1973.

In the constantly changing view of industrial electrical systems, the surge of innovation isn’t just changing the game; it's rewriting the rulebook. From the factory floor to the remote control room, the integration of intelligent automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming how industries operate, maintain, and innovate their machine control systems.

Bonding and grounding are simple concepts, but, unfortunately, they’re also easily confused with each other. Definitions of one term often get wrapped up in the definitions of the other, and, before long, one can begin thinking the words are interchangeable.

“Grounding” refers to the creation of a path from electrical equipment to the earth. It is intended to protect equipment and help prevent fires that might occur due to high voltages resulting from lightning strikes, line surges or unintended contact with higher-voltage lines.