 by Pierre Northard, SAFEHouse
Trade and Industry minister Rob Davies recently attended the destruction of non-compliant products to the value of R7,4-million but visible action is required to address this issue and some burning questions remain... (more)
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by Mark Botha, EE Publishers
New IESSA president Robert Henderson speaks about about his long association with the society, what the future holds for the lighting industry and about the changes in store for IESSA... ( more)
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Book review: Communication for Engineers by Peter Adams, EE Publishers
This book is aimed at the "detail hounds" among us. Originally written for technical people such as engineers, surveyors, programmers and scientists in India, it has been adapted for South African conditions by four highly qualified communication specialists... (more)
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Amendments to the OHS Act: registration as a registered person
Information from ECA(SA)
An outline of the new criteria for registration by the chief inspector as an electrical tester for single phase, installation electrician and master installation electrician as defined in the recently revised Electrical Installation Regulation, 2009... ( more) |
by Nicole Abbott and Muneer Asmal, Webber Wentzel
The United Kingdom (UK) Court of Appeal recently upheld a decision which confirmed that the "basis of contract" clause in a proposal form for insurance cover constitutes a warranty, even where the insurance policy makes no reference to the form... (more)
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How smart seals extend the service life of luminaires
by Gary Chan and Henning von Lepel, WL Gore & Associates
LED lamps offer very long service lives and are extremely reliable and environmentally friendly. To achieve this service life, however, housings must be sufficiently robust to protect the electronic components from damage such as ingress... (more)
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| Thermal measurement guidelines for LEDs
Information from Osram
One of the most critical design parameters in an LED illumination system is its ability to draw heat away from the LED package. High operating temperatures at the LED junction affect the performance of the LED adversely... ( more) |
Fundamentals of lighting design
by Thomas Bond, ACDC Dynamics
A basic guide to lighting and lighting design explaining variables such as working plane, mounting height; depreciation factors; coefficient of utilisation and reflectance factors... (more)
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Light pollution in South Africa: 2011 versus 2001
by Karsten Drescher, Terralogix Consulting
Light pollution or skyglow is defined as "any adverse effect of artificial light including glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility and energy waste". This article outlines how artificial skyglow, also known as light pollution, is modelled using Census 2001 and Census 2011 population data... ( more) |
Improving motor efficiency
Some 20% of the estimated 65% of industrial energy used by electric motors is lost by wasteful throttling mechanisms. Energy consumption by electric motors can be reduced in two main ways - efficient control of the speed at which they run, and making the motors themselves more efficient... (more)
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| The energy efficiency of over-current protective devices
Information from Eaton
A test programme to quantify energy losses in over-current protective devices (OCPDs) shows that switches and fuses are less energy-efficient compared with equivalent circuit breakers carrying the same load currents... (more)
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Some developments in winder brake control
From the ICMEESA archive
Methods of control for low and high pressure hydraulic braking systems which have been applied successfully to a number of hoists in South Africa... (more)
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| Bloodhound SSC: supersonic car ready to set world record
Compiled by Pierre Potgieter, EE Publishers
A hybrid jet-and-rocket powered vehicle will fire up its 135 000 hp engines to break the sound barrier and the world record alike in a 1600 km/h race at Hakskeen Pan, South Africa... ( more) |
The ABCs of multimeter safety
Information from Comtest
Often, users accidentally subject their multimeters to much higher voltage than they think they are measuring. This submits the units to momentary high-voltage spikes, causing them to fail... (more)
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How to size a generator set
Information from Cummins
Parameters that determine the required generator set size include minimum generator set load; maximum allowable step voltage dip and step frequency dip; altitude and temperature; duty cycle, fuel, phase, frequency and voltage... (more)
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