Control panel real estate is always at a premium. These innovative solutions help designers save space, time, and money. Brent Purdy, Product Manager for Power & Circuit Protection at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the January/February 2020 issue of Industrial Equipment News titled Saving Time and Money with Control Panel 2-for-1 Components. Here’s a summary, ... Read More
Most of us have a basic idea of what power surge means. We know it is something that affects the electric power we receive and that it can cause serious damage to industrial equipment, computers, and sensitive electronics. To offer a simple definition, a power surge is a fluctuation of the voltage coming in through ... Read More
Not far from the corporate offices of Socomec lies one of Europe’s greatest treasures – the Strasbourg Cathedral. This beautiful gothic structure is known for its massive stone foundation, soaring spires, and stained glass windows. It’s a symbol of ancient beauty, inspiring architecture, and 250 years of labor by ordinary people to create something extraordinary. ... Read More
In 1911, automobile and truck use was starting to become widespread, and the world was on the brink of its First World War. A small company was started when patented gear-driven truck axle inventor Viggo Torbensen teamed up with Joseph Oriel (J.O.) Eaton, an aspiring young businessman, to found Torbensen Gear and Axle Company, the ... Read More
Circuit Protection is a big topic. With so many types of products available, coupled with the fact that I think I am getting old, I have found that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep it all straight. If you share in this frustration, no worries because conveniently located below is a chart that I think might ... Read More
For those who work in electrical design, a prominent concern is circuit protection. While a lot of circuit protection technologies exist, it is most common to guard against overcurrent situations. Overcurrent protection can be achieved by incorporating fuses or circuit breakers along the primary power feed. But which of these devices do you use for branch ... Read More
What is a Fuse? Fuses are sacrificial devices used to protect much more expensive electrical components from the damaging effects of overcurrent. Fuses consist of a low-resistance metal or wire that is used to close a circuit. When too much current flows through the low resistance element of the fuse, the element melts and breaks the ... Read More
Those of us who have worked with, or around, electrical equipment have witnessed electrical arcs. At the very least, we’ve seen the sparks produced when a relay or contactor switches off. This is easily observed by watching a motor starter with open contacts. When the motor turns on,
The country of Japan is known as the “land of the rising sun” or the “sun’s origin” as people on the mainland of Asia looked toward the sunrise and knew Japan was located where the sun first appeared. Today, the name is still an appropriate description of the country and its people where beautiful cherry ... Read More
Let’s face it – if you have ever worked around electricity you’ve probably got a few “shocking” stories to share resulting from an electrical mistake – at least that’s the case for our very own Product Managers and Product Engineers at AutomationDirect.com. Luckily, these electrical installation blunders didn’t result in any serious injury! We know making ... Read More
