Electricity Final
the capacitance value
- the higher the capacitance, the lower the capacitive reactance = more change is stored & released - the lower the capacitance, the higher the capacitive reactance
autotransformer
- used only one coil for primary & secondary - uses taps to produce different ratios & voltages
RC timing circuit
- uses a resistor & capacitor connected in series in DC circuit to create an electronic timer
DC capacitor characteristics
1. a capacitor charges to a voltage that's equal to the source voltage 2. a charged capacitor acts like an open & will not allow current to flow in the circuit
an ohmmeter can be used to:
1. check for opens in coils - if a coil shows infinity, the winding is open & the transformer is bad 2. check for shorts between primary & secondary coils 3. check for coils shorted to the core
3 types of voltage divider networks
1. firm voltage divider 2. still voltage divider 3. loaded voltage divider
4 steps to troubleshoot a circuit to find a short
1. look for visible signs of damage 2. disconnect power supply 3. connect an ohmmeter across main line 4. disconnect each branch one at a time
5 factors determine the amount of inductive reactance
1. number of turns in a coil - more turns = greater inductance reactance 2. diameter of the coil - larger diameter = greater inductance reactance 3. length of coil - longer coil = greater inductance reactance 4. type of core - iron core produces greater inductance reactance than air core 5. frequency of alternating current - higher frequency = greater inductance reactance
3 components of transformers
1. primary coil 2. secondary coil 3. core
types of variable resistors
1. rheoslat - resistor used in high-power circuits 2. potentiometer - resistor used in low-power circuits
multimeter
a multi-purpose device that can measure voltage, current and resistance
a common input device
a switch
Underwriter's Laboratories (UL)
- independent product safety testing & certification organization
International Electrotechnical commission (IEC)
- standards for many types of electrical equipment
circuit breaker
a switch that automatically stops the flow of electricity through a circuit to prevent damage if current becomes too strong
center tap
a tap that splits a secondary in half
a short circuit occurs when...
there is a direct path with little or no resistance created between pos/neg ends of the power supply
power supply
used to modify the power supplied from the power company a constant CURRENT supply provides the same current level regardless of the load. a constant VOLTAGE power supplies a constant voltage output, regardless of the load.
control transformer
used to reduce voltage from main power line to a lower voltage that operates a machine's electrical control system
analog multimeters
used when there are very fast changes in a reading cuz the needle responds faster than digital
filler
using a capacitor to smooth out the changes in voltage
capacitive reactance in AC circuits
voltage & current are continually changing (alternating), therefore, capacitor is constantly charging & discharging
principle of mutual inductance
when 2 electrical coils are placed near each other, AC electrical current flowing in one coil induces an AC voltage in the other
selector switch
you rotate a knob
isolation trasnformer
- has primary & secondary windings that are physically & electrically isolated - magnetically coupled - transformer is a filler between primary & secondary
Advantages of a transformer
- improves efficiency of the transfer of energy from one coil to another - a primary coil creates a magnetic field that's concentrated by the core - voltage induced in secondary coil can be used to drive a load
The Wye-Configured system
- has one end of each of the phase windings connected together
National Electrical Code (NEC)
- contains many codes that deal with electrical systems & equipment - the accepted guide in USA for safety installing & maintaining electrical systems & equipment
primary coil
-an electrical wire wrapped around the core -transformer INPUT
secondary coil
-an electrical wire wrapped around the core -transformer OUTPUT
inductor
-created by winding an electrical wire into a coil -purpose is to resist changes in current flow -referred to as chokes
Polarized or Electrolytic capacitors
-markings for polarity of leads - neg marks with minus -pos will always be longer -provide the most capacitance in smallest space & least cost
Non-polarized capacitors
-not polarity sensitive -doesnt matter what they're connected to -wide variety of tolerances
fuses
-used in applications where a problem rarely occurs -a low cost device that must be replaced each time a short circuit occurs
Variable capacitors
-values can be adjusted by turning a knob -trimmer capacitors are small - adjust by screwdriver
Types of Disconnect Devices
1. Fusible Disconnect - has a fuse for each phase & a manually operated switch that'll disconnect all phases at once 2. Circuit breaker - must be able to open all phases when it trips 3. in-rush current - a motor draws more current at startup than when it is operating at its rated full-load speed 4. Time-delay current - a thermal element that'll melt & open after an excessive current is present past its time-delay.
4 applications of ohm's law
1. troubleshooting circuits - used to diagnose problems by comparing the actual voltage and current to the theoretical values 2. calculating power dissipation - used to determine how much electrical power is needed to supply a circuit 3. size component - used to size components and wire in a circuit 4. create multi-voltage levels
indu tance
a characteristic of electromagnetic devices that oppose any changes in current flow
open circuit
a circuit that has a break in it, preventing electrons from flowing
closed circuit
a circuit with complete path for current to flow
distribution transformer
a common application of a center tap
neutral
a conductor that provides a common return path to the source for the conductors that carry current in a system
core
a ferromagnetic material that's capable of conducting a magnetic field.
common
a known reference point
a common output device
a load
voltage
a measure of the difference in electric potential between 2 points in space, a material, or an electric circuit
transformer
an electrical device that converts AC electricity from one voltage level to another
rectifiler
an electrical device that converts AC to DC
relay
an electrical switch operated by an electromagnet
tap
an extra lead attached to a secondary coil
magnetic field
an invisible force created around a wire that electrons flow through
Normally closed (NC)
are closed until acted upon by operator current is able to flow
Normally open (NO)
are open until acted upon by operator current flow is prevented
digital multimeters (DMM)
automatically detect polarity (pos/neg)
knife switch
consists of a lever (operator) that conducts current and one or more sets of contacts
series-parallel/combination circuit
contains elements of both series and parallel circuits - components that are connected in SERIES have the same CURRENT flowing through them -components that are connected in PARALLEL have the same VOLTAGE across them.
in-rush current
critical value to consider when picking a transformer for a machine with motors
rated full-load current
current that a motor draws when it's fully loaded & operating at its rated speed
when current is (increasing / decreasing), the induced voltage tries to keep current constant by using the energy stored in the electromagnetic field while it is collapsing.
decreasing
continuity
describes a situation in which there is a continuous or complete path for current to flow in a circuit - does not represent zero resistance
ammeter
device that measures electrical current
ohmmeter
device that measures the resistance between 2 points in a circuit - the rest leads are placed in parallel with the component to be measured
voltmeter
device that measures the voltage
electromagnets
devices that use this force to produce some type of output
two types of electrical currents
direct current alternating current
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
establishes & enforces all rules concerning the health & safety of workers
alternating current
flow alternately in one direction and then in the other
direct current
flow in only one direction
electricity
flow of electrons in a conductor
Delta-configured system
has each phase connected end-to-end to form a loop
parallel circuit
has more then one path for current to flow the same amount of voltage is available for each branches of the circuit
series circuit
has only one path for current to travel total voltage supply is divided among the loads
when current is (increasing / decreasing), the induced voltage slows the current change and the electromagnetic field builds.
increasing
info needed to SIZE a transformer
input voltage available output voltage available output current required, both in-rush & steady state
equipment grounding
involves connecting all metal parts of an electrical system that don't normally carry current to earth ground
Tagout
involves placing a tag on the power source that warns others not to restore power
voltage divider network
is a combination circuit causes the load is connected in parallel with one part of the circuit
5 output devices
lamps resistors buzzers solenoids motors
2 basic categories of switch operations
manually - activated by a person automatically - activated by a machine
ampacity
max current carrying capacity of a conductor
ways to determine if a transformer fails
measure input and output voltages check transformer with an ohmmeter
resistance
measure of a components ability to resist the flow of current in a circuit
power
measure of the energy consumed by a circuit
ground
negative side of power supply
bastard voltage
not a reliable source of voltage because the voltage drops drastically when a load is applied
ground fault
occurs when one of the phases becomes grounded - will cause power to shut down
2 components of a manual switch
operator - causes switch to activate contacts - will open/close the circuit when operator is activated
4 basic components of an electrical circuit
power supply output device input device conductor
Lockout
purpose of blocking the energy flow from a power sources to a piece of equipment & assuming that is remains blocked
pushbutton switch
pushing the operator causes the contacts to be opened or closed switches with a spring return are momentary swithes
electrical schematic diagram
represents the components in a circuit and how they're connected
National Electrical Manufacturer's Association (NEMA)
standards for a wide range of motor control equiptment
force
strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement
Kirchoff's Current Law (parallel)
the amount of current flowing from the power supply is equal to the current flowing back to the power supply.
electromagnetism
the creation of a magnetic field by the flow of electric current
Capacitor effect in DC circuits
the current in DC circuit is blocked cuz the capacitor charges to the level of source voltage and current can't flow through dielectric.
voltage drop
the difference in voltage referenced to ground between 2 terminals of the component.
frequency of the current
the higher the frequency, the lower the capacitive reactance = number of times per sec that charge is stored & released
capacitance
the measure of a device's ability to store electrical energy
inductance
the resistance to changes in current flow