Thomas Edison
American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847. He was the youngest of seven children and received little formal schooling...
The dc resistance of conductors
This is the first of two posts on the resistance of conductors. In the next post I will look at the ac resistance, including skin effect and we deal with...
Standard Cable & Wire Sizes
IEC 60228 is the International Electrotechnical Commission's international standard on conductors of insulated cables. Among other things, it defines a...
Railway Electrification Voltages
This post is quick introduction and overview to different railway electrification voltages used in answer to a question sent in via email. While there...
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...
Understanding Circuit Breaker Markings
IEC 60947 is the circuit breaker standard and covers the marking of breakers in detail. Any manufacturer following this standard should comply with the...
Bows and Arrows
It starts with me reading one of the Horrible History books with my son (Groovy Greeks). Arrows were mentioned which lead to the discussion of the bodkin...
Software Usage Guidelines
Using software in our work is essential for most of us and we are becoming even more dependant on it's use. While software is a great asset, many times...
Photovoltaic (PV) Panel - Performance Modelling
In an earlier note on the site [Photovoltaic (PV) - Electrical Calculations], the theory of solar (PV) cell calculations was introduced. In particular...
Low Voltage Switchroom Design Guide
Low voltage (LV) switchrooms are common across all industries and one of the more common spatial requirements which need to be designed into a project...