Latest Electrical Power Control Technical Articles

Turbine ratcheting helps prevent damage by regulating a turbine's uniform warm-up and cool-down. In this article, we will…

Turbine ratcheting helps prevent damage by regulating a turbine's uniform warm-up and cool-down. In this article, we will discuss the principles and challenges behind this process.

Power quality is an increasing concern for manufacturers all over the world as electrical equipment becomes more advanced…

Power quality is an increasing concern for manufacturers all over the world as electrical equipment becomes more advanced and therefore sensitive to discrepancies in the supplied power.

We are taught that parallel circuits maintain equal voltage across all branch resistors, equally sharing the source…

We are taught that parallel circuits maintain equal voltage across all branch resistors, equally sharing the source voltage. But reality is often far from ideal, and individual devices certainly impact the rest of the circuit.

Actuators are used to control the motion of manufacturing devices and raw materials. This article will compare electric…

Actuators are used to control the motion of manufacturing devices and raw materials. This article will compare electric actuators and several types of fluid-power actuators.

Closed-loop motor control is a control system used to regulate the output of a motor. Learn about the four common types…

Closed-loop motor control is a control system used to regulate the output of a motor. Learn about the four common types of closed-loop motor control systems to understand each one’s inner-workings and applications.

Data stored in a historian server is useful for analysis and troubleshooting. Learn about data archiving techniques for…

Data stored in a historian server is useful for analysis and troubleshooting. Learn about data archiving techniques for control systems, as well as what type of data is stored and the tools to make it happen.

Linear and switch-mode power supplies provide direct current to power control components and electrical devices. Learn…

Linear and switch-mode power supplies provide direct current to power control components and electrical devices. Learn about the differences between the two power supplies and which one is best for your control system.

Coil, field winding, rotor, stator, eddy current… When it comes to motors, there are numerous terms that describe the…

Coil, field winding, rotor, stator, eddy current… When it comes to motors, there are numerous terms that describe the theory of operation, but what is inside a 3-phase motor? Take a look, and learn how they work.

Learn about proportional gain and proportional band, two key proportional control concepts, to better understand the most…

Learn about proportional gain and proportional band, two key proportional control concepts, to better understand the most popular control system method in industrial automation.

Relay and other coil devices pose a few confusing questions: How can the relay still work if you connect a DC supply in…

Relay and other coil devices pose a few confusing questions: How can the relay still work if you connect a DC supply in reverse? How can an alternating voltage attract and hold the load consistently?

The PCU400 can handle all known industrial protocols and forward them to the master station to get an effective…

The PCU400 can handle all known industrial protocols and forward them to the master station to get an effective connection between the SCADA system and the data from the manufacturing or system process.

The control and visualization of power plant processes through SCADA improves the supervision, coordination, and security…

The control and visualization of power plant processes through SCADA improves the supervision, coordination, and security of the power system operations.

The diverse power terms in electrical generation systems include active, reactive, and apparent power, all of which lead…

The diverse power terms in electrical generation systems include active, reactive, and apparent power, all of which lead to the introduction of ‘power factor’ effectiveness in an AC circuit.

Grounding transformer connections presents its own set of challenges. This article addresses these challenges and several…

Grounding transformer connections presents its own set of challenges. This article addresses these challenges and several common configurations for control transformer grounding.

Today’s digital multimeters (DMMs) are inexpensive, accurate, and easy to use, but sometimes a problem with the circuit…

Today’s digital multimeters (DMMs) are inexpensive, accurate, and easy to use, but sometimes a problem with the circuit or the measurement can cause incorrect readings. Learn to interpret and fix these problems.

Learn about power side and ground side switching and how designing these circuits to have predictable failures from the…

Learn about power side and ground side switching and how designing these circuits to have predictable failures from the beginning helps in system maintenance and troubleshooting.

The CTRL F3 series reviews field studies and failures in the field focused on control fails, fixes, and facts. This…

The CTRL F3 series reviews field studies and failures in the field focused on control fails, fixes, and facts. This article covers an explosion at an industrial sawmill.

DC voltage systems exist to provide controllers and field devices with stable power, but it is not always clear when…

DC voltage systems exist to provide controllers and field devices with stable power, but it is not always clear when these systems should be bonded with the earth ground of the AC line voltage supply.

Power supplies tend to get a reputation as one of the most important power considerations of a DC control circuit - but…

Power supplies tend to get a reputation as one of the most important power considerations of a DC control circuit - but we can’t ignore other key players: power filters, converters, and backup power modules.