EC&M Magazine

1 week ago | ecmweb.com | Ellen Parson

During the PowerTest 25 conference hosted by NETA, the InterNational Electrical Testing Association, in Orlando, Fla., from March 11-15, 2025, EC&M Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson got the chance to interview subject matter experts on a variety of topics. In this video, filmed on March 11, Ellen talked with Meggers Volney Naranjo, Renewables Business Development Manager, and Abel Gonzalez, Senior Applications Engineer, about the latest advancements in renewable energy.

1 week ago | ecmweb.com | Ellen Parson

Episode 71 of EC&M On Air features another interview with a past Under 30 All-Star! This time, Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson interviews Khalid Hachil, an electrical engineer with Stantec. They discuss why Khalid decided to enter the electrical industry, insights from an electrical engineering perspective, and tips for other electrical engineers looking to advance in their career and better understand technological trends.

1 week ago | ecmweb.com | Mark Lamendola

Article 110 provides general requirements for all installations. Circuit protective devices need to clear a fault without extensive damage to the electrical equipment of the circuit. The NEC wants designers and installers to permit this, so Sec. 110.10 requires you to select and coordinate the following:Overcurrent devices. Total impedance. Equipment short-circuit ratings. Other characteristics of the circuit to be protected. This last item on the list seems vague, and the NEC gives no examples.

1 week ago | ecmweb.com | Mark Lamendola

The production department of any manufacturing plant exists to get product out the door, on time, within budget, and made to spec. The maintenance department of any manufacturing plant exists to support the production department in this goal. Maintenance does this by such things as preventing unscheduled downtime and optimizing machine performance. And maintenance does this within its budget. The funding for that budget comes out of the revenue generated by the production department.

1 week ago | ecmweb.com | Mark Lamendola

In this scenario, the plant is divided into four parts. Motor failures in three of them are fairly rare and the rates are similar. Once a motor is replaced, that is pretty much the last time. You work as a maintenance electrician in one of those areas. In the fourth area, motor failures occur at a much higher rate and a few of those motors have been replaced four times in the past three years. Until recently, nobody was aware of this difference because there are de facto four maintenance departments.