How I Learned that Camlocks Do Matter

I was hired at a local company to perform general maintenance and ensure that everything was running properly. The company had been having some trouble with their electrical system. They would occasionally lose power or the lights would fade out and force their machinery to recalibrate each time. I was baffled at first, but then I realized that their camlocks were outdated. I knew very little about camlocks, but even I could tell that they were in... Read More

Camlocks – The Basics

Camlocks are an integral part of any emergency power generation as they serve to help move currents to where they are needed. The use and implementation of cams varies from country to country and are used more in some places than others. With a large array of colors, extra care should be taken when looking at your own system. Not having the adequate connections in place generally causes more problems than the generator was intended to solve. For these... Read More

Tips from a Power Supply Manufacturer: How to Develop an Electrical Maintenance Program

Electrical control and distribution systems are not only complicated but very expensive assets that require effective maintenance in order to ensure peak performance over their operative life. It is not unusual to find businesses spend significant effort to manage mechanical assets, with very little focus spent on electrical equipment. The rationale for this concentration (or lack) of resources is plentiful, but does not, as per leading power supply... Read More

Anniversary of Sandy at East Coast Power

The one-year anniversary of “Superstorm Sandy” on October 29, 2013, was cause for many New York and New Jersey residents, businesses, and other organizations to reflect on this historic Storm and its aftermath. All of these individuals, families, and businesses have shown a remarkable amount of strength and resiliency throughout the duration of the past year. Most are taking a moment to step back and remember the traumatic events that occurred... Read More

Understanding Motor Control Centers

Every electric motor will have a controller. The motor controller will have various options that will depend on the task that the motor will performing. A motor controller is a device that serves to oversee the performance of an electric motor. The purpose of a motor control center is very straightforward. It is a large enclosure specifically used to house standard motor control equipment. The motor controls are contained in plug-in units. A manual... Read More

AC Power, DC Power and Switchgear Power Systems

From residences to large industrial facilities, electrical systems, regardless of size, can be incredibly complex. switchgear power systems are no exception and can use either AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current) power. switchgear power systems Switchgear power systems can be manufactured for AC power and DC power. The type of system in use and its application will determine which of the two switchgear power systems will be used. switchgear... Read More

The Importance of UL Standards in Power Distribution Products

The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit testing laboratory. The Underwriters Laboratories is based in Illinois and conducts safety and quality tests on a variety of products, including power distribution products, and works to strengthen safety systems. Underwriter Laboratories is one of several different companies and organizations approved for testing by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA... Read More

Bolted Pressure Switch

Almost every medium or large facility has electricity supplied through a large main switch. This switch is the main on/off point in the building and carries all the electric current used by the building. A failure at this point can be devastating to an entire operation. The bolted pressure switch (also known as the bolted pressure contact switch) was developed in the 1950′s to reliably control the massive current loads encountered in these... Read More

Breakers for Data Centers: Power and Design

The correct set up for a server room or data center isn’t always in the forefront of a small business owner’s mind. However, when you consider all the systems and mission-critical tasks that take place within the equipment housed within a data center or server room, it certainly should be near the top of the list. There are a number of points every small business owner should consider when designing a server room; especially for power... Read More

The Effect of a Data Center Layout on Power Services for Data Centers

The layout or design of a data center and the power services for data centers may not seem that important at first glance however it can have a significant effect on the efficiency of the facility. Unfortunately the layouts of many data centers are somewhat incidental, resulting from incremental deployment rather than a fixed plan. The problem with this is the fact that after a plan is established, it is almost impossible to change, thus resulting... Read More

Ten Classifications of Switchgear Power Systems

Switchgear is the combination of electrical devices (such as circuit breakers, fuses and switches) that are used to protect, isolate and control electrical equipment. Switchgear has two functions, to clear out electrical faults and de-energize electrical equipment. switchgear power systems protect the short circuits and overloads fault currents while at the same time providing services to unaffected areas of the circuit. Switchgear power systems... Read More

Switchboards Explained

  Switchboards are basically a distribution board (DB) that receives a large amount of power and dispatches it in small measures to various electrical equipment located within the power distribution system. In addition, switchboards have power-controlling devices such as breakers, switches, and protection devices such as fuses. switchboards are generally divided into the following four classes: Direct-control panel-type Remote mechanical-control... Read More

Switchboard Architecture

A switchboard is an important part of any electrical installation. It incorporates various devices designed to distribute electrical power, protect circuits and protect those charged with maintaining the switchboard as well as the facility?s electrical system. The lasting capabilities of the electrical use and efficiency of the facility will depend greatly on the switchboard’s ability to accommodate the facility’s future needs. Therefore,... Read More

Solutions for Power Services for Data Centers

Providing the proper solutions for power services for data centers is becoming an ever-increasingly difficult issue for IT professionals and business owners alike. Blade servers have the ability to house more and more data critical to a business’ success. Employees now require Internet access throughout the entire workday. File sizes are ever increasing as what were once complex processes can now be completed simply on a typical business desktop... Read More

Power Supply Manufacturers Making Advances Towards Current Linear and Switch-Mode Devices

Power Supply Manufacturing Crucial Components As power supplies are the crucial component in the power management systems of most modern direct current (DC) electrical devices, power supply manufacturers are considered big business. The annual revenue from sales of both internal and external power supplies in 2002 was believed to be in the vicinity of 5 billion dollars, and was said to be growing at a rate of 10 percent per annum. As over 200 million... Read More

Power Supply Manufacturers: What is the Impact of the Energy and Security Act of 2007?

Power Supply Manufacturers Legal Use of Power The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) was signed into Public Law 110-140 on December 19, 2007. The potential impact of this legislative order was projected to have profound influences on the United States use of energy for the coming decades. Now in 2011, the one extremely important impact of of this law (lighting) is about to be fully enforced and as a result, power supply manufacturers... Read More

Every Manufacturing Process Depends on Utility Cabinets

Utility cabinets are the furniture of industry. They can be found as small push-button boxes all the way up to room-sized control cabinets for machinery or process controls. Every manufacturing process depends on at least one cabinet (and often several) to house the control components, switches, relays, fuses, and breakers that make the process operate. NEMA Standards for Utility Cabinets NEMA standards determine the environment in which the utility... Read More