Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

When dimming technology first came to the mass market in the early 1960s, ambience-setting was a major motivator. With a simple turn of a dial, a brightly lit restaurant or home dining room could take on the appearance of a candlelit retreat. Then in the 1970s and 1980s, energy savings became a big sales driver, as lower light levels helped to drive down rising utility costs.

I was helping a friend troubleshoot a wiring problem in his hunting "cabin." It was actually an old house on about 200 acres of land.

Out in the boonies. Away from civilization. And any electrical supplier or home improvement store. For miles …

Surge protective devices (SPDs) are critical components of any commercial or industrial electrical system. SPDs guard equipment from the over-voltages that can result from lighting strikes or equipment operation. Without this protection, these short-term events can cause long-term – and expensive – damage. Choosing the right SPD requires knowing where the device will be applied, along with the appropriate size to meet application needs.

The need for surge protection isn’t a new issue for industrial facility managers. Transient high voltages have likely been damaging plant equipment since electricity was first introduced. But today’s digital equipment can be more sensitive to surge events than earlier analog versions. This is why it’s important to consider whether existing protection is adequate when upgrading connected motors and controls.

Have you ever caught yourself wondering why someone hasn’t invented a GPS that works indoors? Maybe it’s been during a rush through an airport or while wandering a hospital’s hallways trying to find a loved one’s room – or, maybe, just last week, trying to find where the mayonnaise was moved to in your local supermarket’s latest reorganization. We’ve got smartphone apps that can tell us the fastest way to drive across the country, so why isn’t there an app for navigating big box stores and conference centers?

One of the biggest advantages of LED lighting, beyond its exceptional efficiency, is the fact that, as many electrical engineers have said, it’s infinitely controllable. It is, after all, based on solid-state technology similar to computer chips.