Back to basics - the Watt (or kW)
When thinking about watts (W) or kilowatt (kW = 1000 W) it can be useful too keep in mind the fundamental ideas behind the unit. Watt is not a pure electrical...
Why use catalogues
I'm a fan of using manufacturers catalogues. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, if your involved in the purchase of equipment, you will likely...
E-Ink
Before the technical, some general information. E-ink display are found in a lot of e-readers, some mobile phones and similar devices and the intent is...
Calculating Cable Fault Ratings
When selecting a cable, the performance of the cable under fault conditions is an important consideration. It is important that calculations be carried...
Motor Starting - Introduction
Motor starting and its associated problems are well-known to many people who have worked on large industrial processes. However, these things are, of course...
Magicians of Engineering
The other day I was reading 'Night of the New Magicians' by Mary Pope Osborn with my son. The story is about a young boy and girl who travel back in time...
Frame Leakage Protection
While not as popular as it once was, frame leakage protection does still have some use in some circumstances. In essence frame leakage is an earth fault...
Electromechanical Relays
Electromechanical relays have been the traditional backbone of electrical protection systems. While over recent years these have been replaced by microprocessor...
Why a Sine Wave?
I received this question by email a few weeks. First thoughts was that it is a product of the mathematics of rotating a straight conductor in a magnetic...
What is a rectifier transformer?
I've recently come across this question a couple times browsing the internet. Decided to give a quick answer here. A rectifier transformer is a transformer...