Electricity 100

[brian john]

If these are green horns then I think basic electrical theory is a must, (could be a prerequisite)
resistance (series/parallel)
capacitance
inductance
basic circuit theory
basic Transformer theory
difference between impedance/resistance
AC theory
DC theory

To have this understanding gives us a better understanding of why/how's of code requirements. when we don't understand then we are more likely to not follow the code when nobody is watching when don't understand why it's require in the first place.
not every one is disciplined enough to just do what it says.

The other problem is if we learn to wire by color, then when someone else uses a different color we are at a lost when things go wrong. (very big problem in 3-way/4-way switching)
So understanding how and why a circuit works goes much farther in understanding the out come

These electricians should have finished a full apprenticeship course and my thought is practical hands on stuff. Common misconceptions, regular mistakes.

 

[GeorgeB]

(one plus one can equal one)

And one times one can equal zero. I'm thinking here of a (pure) capacitive or inductive load.

 

[brian john]

INFERIORTY complex

 

[ptrip]

I can talk about just about anything anytime and where but when I have given presentations to engineers I get cold feet and feel uncomfortable losing my confidence, little bit of an inferior complex.

INFERIORTY complex

Inferiorority?

Even Word couldn't find that correct spelling ... and I have no clue!

Does that make you feel any better?

I've learned everything I know on the job. My five year piece of paper was in a different industry and I feel I have a lot that I don't know. Hence why I hang out and read a lot here.

I've been trying to catch myself up on some of the basics ... if you don't mind, could you PM me with some of the best references? Thanks!

Pam

 

[brian john]

An inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. It is often subconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or extreme schizotypal behavior, or both. Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority, which can act as an incentive for achievement, an inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement, often resulting in a retreat from difficulties.

I have tons of literature most I have gathered over the years. More recently (last 10 years) I have been compiling loose leaf binders with stuff I find on the net. I will look over some of the stuff and be glad to IM you regarding this.

 

[Mvillines]

Brian, if you are going to incorporate some code in you electrical classes, for a foundation I?ve always found that definitions are a good place to start. Knowing the difference in service, feeders, taps, and branch circuit?s conductors seems to be very beneficial in understanding the NEC.

Good luck, I sure you?ll enjoy you time instructing and the good part about instructing, is that you will learn 100 times more that your students.

 

[JohnJ0906]

My primary target area will be commercial service electricians (my primary customers in my business)





The first go around would be a one day 6-8 hours, I have given this type of seminar before and thought it worked out. If it seems realistic and I get questions regarding other material I would consider a longer time frame.



I am a hands on guy and all discussions would be accompanied with some hands on demonstration. I prefer a white board and drawings.



I prefer a Saturday.


I may try the union to see if there is interest other wise I have a few connections that have class rooms for rent and they may also sponsor the class.



I have a draw full of C O C's, IMO not worth the paper they are printed on.



No test



There is the issue, there are few publications covering PRACTICAL service work that I want to cover.



These would be anyone that wanted to attend, but geared for service electricians. AND I STATE THIS CAREFULLY, MOST service guys I run into are very limited in the subjects I want to cover. Things I feel they should know.



I have 90% of the above figured out I was/am looking into other BASIC things that electricians should know but few have a clue about.

Will it be open to anyone? I might like to attend, if it is on a weekend.

 

[Ken9876]

I've found some great math teachers for your class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprXHbn19I

 

[mivey]

I can talk about just about anything anytime and where but when I have given presentations to engineers I get cold feet and feel uncomfortable losing my confidence, little bit of an inferior complex.

Well you probably have feelings of inferiority because it is true: you are inferior.

























Settle down guys, it is true that we all are inferior in some aspect or another. The engineer you are talking to probably has something that he knows better than you. The other side of that coin is that the engineer is inferior to you on something else.

Just remember, these engineers are there because they want to hear what you have to say. If they know some parts of your presentation better than you, so what? If they knew it all better, then they probably would not be there. They want to learn new things as much as you do.

Most audiences are rooting for the presenter. Even if you make mistakes, most are not there to throw things at you, they are there to learn and can often help the discussion. Sometimes we can learn a lot from those in the audience.

Just think how many times you went to a presentation and knew 95% of the material, maybe some better than the presenter, but were plumb proud of the 5% that you learned.

An engineer has been to school and was awarded a certificate from another engineer that says he learned some particular material. We don't always earn a piece of paper for everything we learn, but it doesn't make it any less valuable.

So go ahead and feel inferior, because we all are in one way or another. Just don't let it become a complex.

Kind of reminds me of the phrase: "If I look scared, it's only because I am".

 

[brian john]

Well you probably have feelings of inferiority because it is true: you are inferior.

Just think how many times you went to a presentation and knew 95% of the material, maybe some better than the presenter, but were plumb proud of the 5% that you learned.

D

I have taken several seminars more than once, when questioned why I would take the same presentation more that once, I always respoond that I may have missed a few things and other items have not sunk in fully.

 

[mivey]

I have taken several seminars more than once, when questioned why I would take the same presentation more that once, I always respoond that I may have missed a few things and other items have not sunk in fully.

Same here.

I have been to conferences before and have heard the same short presentation more than once in one day. Often you find that you hear some things in the second speech that were not in the first.

Audience participation will drive the speaker to elaborate more on certain topics, or perhaps go into different topics.

 

[brian john]

Same here.

I have been to conferences before and have heard the same short presentation more than once in one day. Often you find that you hear some things in the second speech that were not in the first.

Audience participation will drive the speaker to elaborate more on certain topics, or perhaps go into different topics.

One issue I have with many presentations is the presenters like to minimize questions, they have a set amount of time and material and want to do it and run. I prefer to answer questions and delve into more that the basic material.

 

[K8MHZ]

How about stuff we didn't learn in the apprenticeship?

Like....

A customer will always figure that it will be cheaper to connect a used hot tub than an new one.

Look behind the refrigerators. I have found more than one panel hidden behind refrigerators.

Look outside for GFCIs even if the customer SWEARS there is none.

Be careful in crawl spaces. Besides the usual plethora of living creatures, crawl spaces are usually good places to find sharp, rusty metal, broken glass, rusty nails on both the floor and in the wood above you and an area considered to be a luxurious rest room for wayward cats.

In an industrial setting, be advised that ANY metal can be energized. I have heard about more than one instance of an electrician getting hung up due to energized metal in factories. One local hand died because of it.

Don't grab metal 480 plugs with your bare hands. We had an engineer pass on because of a hot case on a 480 welder plug. Welders are notorious for wiring up their own plugs and have a rather high incidence of failure in that respect.

There IS such a thing as a wire stretcher. Fence installers use them. Home Depot now has light bulb grease.

How to deal with inspectors. This is important and probably could take up a class in itself. Start with 'don't cop an attitude'. Don't be afraid to buy a code book and...dare I say....use it. Realize that the 'rules' you need to follow will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction depending on the AHJ and how well you do at establishing a professional relationship with him or her. And don't EVER assume that if the AHJ is a woman she will be inept. My experiences have shown quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.

Don't be a afraid to refuse to do work that is unsafe or illegal.

And last, but not least....

Treat your apprentices well. They may be your boss someday.

 

[LarryFine]

Treat your apprentices well. They may be your boss someday.

Or your inspector.

 

[brian john]

Proper routing of conductors in switchboards to aviod inductive heating, to include two section panels and no neutral through the bottom hole and the phase conductors through the top hole.

 

[mivey]

1000 words

1000 words

Proper routing of conductors in switchboards to aviod inductive heating, to include two section panels and no neutral through the bottom hole and the phase conductors through the top hole.

That's a neat picture.

 

[SegDog]

fail to plan, plan to fail

fail to plan, plan to fail

Bj,

Sounds like you have good ideas and a plan.

Anyone who does lots of lectures knows that no two are alike. You must have a box of practical stuff to keep you on message. I've had some that I never got to all the information that I planned. Others that went near perfect. (how many times do the laptops and other techie stuff not work?)

Once I showed up at a school and the head academic handed me a syllabus to follow for their required material. I didn't understand one single thing on the paper that they handed out to the students. I had my own and it worked out well. They did have me back...

Best of luck!

 

[Minuteman]

How about stuff we didn't learn in the apprenticeship?

Like....

All good points Mark, please allow me to add:

1. Customers will ALWAYS want to add something after the contract is signed and the work has began.
   
2. Customers who provide material, never have the right stuff.
   
3. Counter sales can fool ya. One minute they are have no clue about the parts they sell, the next minute they will save your bacon.
   
4. Inspectors may not always be right, but they are never wrong. Getting them to resend a failure is a whole lot easier than getting them to admit a mistake.
   
5. Engineers are never wrong. It's just that sometimes they are less right.
   
6. Most importantly. If we don't take care of our customers, someone else will.

Michael

 

[Strahan]

I am seriously considering teaching a class “Electricity for electricians”

Very little theory, very little code. PRACTICAL ELECTRICITY. I am basing this on my experience and some of the most common topics posted here. Now I know that some code must be covered but I feel most electricians doing service and trouble shooting seem baffled by the NEC I would try to get basics that I see and hear all the time into their heads while stressing the importance of them following up with a NEC course.

I am open to suggestions for topics. I WANT ALL INPUT.

1. How and why circuit breakers and fuses operate, such as a 20 amp circuit
breaker does not trip at 21 amps like many electricians think. What to do when
OCP’s open (safe method of restoring power)
2. Grounding trying to demystify the MAGIC. What happens with an open neutral,
downstream grounds and PROBER use of green screws at a main service and
subpanels.
3. Operation of GFP systems and how to safely investigate.
4. Transformers operation and grounding, to include buck boost.

I didn't read all the posts due to so many but what about common sense? Even if you have the knowledge sometimes I witness trained professionals doing some stupid stuff. Not to mention good troubleshooting techniques I agree troublshooting can't be taught but the techniques can.

 

[iwire]

what about common sense? Even if you have the knowledge sometimes I witness trained professionals doing some stupid stuff.

You just can't fix 'stupid'.