Panel Builder Checklist
Issue 40 - 2018Notebook Issue

Panel Builder Checklist

Building the Electrical Control Panel There are many things to consider when building an automation control system. Some control systems are extremely simple, like a pump control system that consists of a pump, level controller, and a contactor, or they can be complicated and control a full production line with a series of sub control…
Automation Control System Specification, Design and Installation
Issue 40 - 2018Notebook Issue

Automation Control System Specification, Design and Installation

Electrical control systems are used on everything from simple pump controls to car washes, to complex chemical processing plants. Automation of industrial machinery, tools and more has increased productivity and reliability in all areas of manufacturing, utilities and material processing. When an operation or process used to produce an end product is very laborious, time…
Avoid Wiring Errors
Issue 40 - 2018Notebook IssueProductTerminal Blocks & Wiring

Avoid Wiring Errors

In a Control Design September 2018 Automation Basics column titled “Terminate the Rat’s Nest”, author Dave Perkon gets right to the point when he writes, “For those who think it’s okay to open a control enclosure and see a monochromatic rat’s nest of wires without any wire labels, you should be aware, that’s worst-case practice.”…
How to Select and Size Enclosure Thermal Management Systems
Issue 40 - 2018Notebook Issue

How to Select and Size Enclosure Thermal Management Systems

Housing electrical components inside an enclosure in industrial applications facilitates the protection of controllers, power distribution components, power supplies and other electronics from harsh factory floor environments. Factories, plants and facilities often experience considerably warm ambient temperatures, and many of the electrical components housed in the control enclosure generate heat, so many enclosures require cooling….
Brainteasers - Issue 40, 2018
Issue 40 - 2018Notebook Issue

Brainteasers - Issue 40, 2018

1.) Loopy Lapel To setup this puzzle: drill a hole in a pencil and tie a loop of string through the hole (as shown in the picture).  Make sure that the loop of string is short enough that it will NOT pass over the long end of the pencil (the pointy end).  Now, the trick:…