In regard to electric power systems, an electrical switchgear is a collection of electrical disconnect switches, fuses, circuit breakers, and other equipment that are charged with managing, protecting, and isolating electrical equipment. As a staple of electrical chains, the switchgear ensures that the supply provided to various appliances and machinery is at a safe value. Due to the fact that electrical switchgear may handle voltage values upwards of 1,100 KV, it is important that personnel handle such equipment with extreme caution to ensure safety. In this blog, we will discuss the most common dangers associated with electric switchgear so that you may enact proper protection and practices for workers and equipment.

Fiber optics and fiber optic connectors have been revolutionizing communications since their debut, allowing for signals to be transferred over extreme distances at much higher speeds as compared to traditional copper wiring. While fiber optics have already seen major implementation for internet communication and medical appliances, such technology also poses a major benefit for avionics. With the use of fiber optics for next generation system design, size, weight, and power challenges can all be met alongside ensuring further protection from Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).

Seacocks are valves that are placed on the hull of a boat or ship which in order to allow water to flow in or out of the vessel. They can be used for varying applications, including the cooling of engines with sea water to the removal of water from a sink drain. While many individuals may want to use a through-hull fitting, such additions can be risky as they can sink ships if not formed correctly. While a tee connector on an existing inlet is most preferred, there are times in which a new through-hull fitting is either needed or more advantageous. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of how seacocks are safely installed or replaced on marine vessels.

Turbochargers are among the most advanced engine components of an onboard ship. The impeller blades of a medium sized turbocharger commonly rotate at speeds up to 400 revolutions per second, and the outer edges of the rotor blades therefore move at more than one and a half times the speed of sound. As turbochargers are critical components, it is important that proper procedures for safety and cleaning are always adhered to. In this blog, we will discuss the best practices for safety and turbocharger overhaul & cleaning.

When automobiles began making the shift from manual transmission to those that are automatic, a number of parts and assemblies had to be adjusted to accommodate such changes. In manual transmission vehicles, a component known as the clutch is what connects the transmission to the engine. Without it, the vehicle would face an engine kill every time it came to a stop. With automatic transmissions, the clutch is no longer needed as it is replaced with a component known as a torque converter.

When flying at night, pilots need a reliable means of illuminating their aircraft’s instrument panel. Although most new aircraft feature pre-lit instruments, many pilots are in need of a lighting system for their existing instruments. This blog will offer a few suggestions of how to keep your instruments lit and visible.

Turbonormalizing and turbocharging engines share many characteristics. They both compress outside ambient air to create engine power, they both use an exhaust driven turbine to power a centrifugal compressor at high speeds, and they can both use the same turbo components. When designing a turbonormalizing system, the manufacturer usually starts with a normally aspirated engine and begs the question: while making the fewest changes, how can I take this normally aspirated engine and make it operate at sea level power at altitudes greater than 18,000 feet? In reality, the turbocharging system was designed based on the same question. The answer, for both, is a list of eight additions to be made:

To simplify what a photodetector is, it can be a wide range of modern devices and gadgets, They are among the most universal kinds of innovation being used today. They consist of  simple gadgets on televisions to photodiodes in a fiber optic association, to camcorders and even to gigantic clusters utilized by space experts to identify radiation from the opposite side of the universe. Photodetectors are available in a colossal assortment of gadgets utilized in business, industry, diversion and exploration. Indeed, the field of photodetector plan and use has developed to the point that a couple of experts have a total diagram. Generally, photodetectors incorporate any gadget for enlisting photons with frequencies over that of radio waves—from far infrared on up to gamma beams. In this article we will discuss the fundamental basic uses of photodetectors.

For an aircraft engine to function efficiently, smooth operation of the aircraft fuel system is required. To ensure that fuel supplied to the engine is free from debris and contaminants, a number of aircraft fuel system strainers and filters are implemented throughout the tank. In this blog, we will discuss the various methods and components that are implemented within aircraft fuel systems in order to ensure clean fuel for combustion.

The horizontal and vertical stabilizers are two examples of flight control surfaces. A flight control surface is an aerodynamic device that enables a pilot to adjust and control an aircraft’s flight attitude. Stabilizers, as their name would suggest, help stabilize the aircraft and prevent unwanted movement. Whether its a massive commercial jet or a private propeller aircraft, nearly all aircraft are designed with a vertical and horizontal stabilizer. This blog will explain both types of stabilizers, how they work, and what makes them different from each other.

Gears and sprockets are both used every day in a broad range of important applications. As they look somewhat similar, and share a basic principle of operation, gears and sprockets are often mistaken for one another. Despite this, they really do not share many characteristics. This blog will explain both the few similarities and many differences between gears and sprockets, as well as the uses for each part.

Printed circuit boards, also known as PCBs, are a very crucial component in modern technology as they can be located in nearly every sector and in every setting. Television sets, mobile cell phones, calculators, and even home appliances like washing machines and dishwashers, are just a few of the items and devices in which you can find a PCB board. To describe it briefly, a printed circuit board is a flat circuit board that can play out several commands for a device. Below you can find out more information on the types of circuit boards that are prevalent in the modern world.

Screws are a type of fastener that feature a helical external threading that wedges and digs into the component it is installed into as it is tightened. As torque is applied and the screw is driven in, materials are pulled in tightly to prevent easy removal of the screw. Materials that screws are used in can include wood, sheet metals, and plastics. The most common material that is used to manufacture screws is steel, though stainless steel, titanium, brass, bronze, and other screw types are also available. Screws are the most commonly used threaded fastener on aircraft, having many different applications. While many variations of screws exist, they are generally classified in three groups: structural, machine, and self-tapping.

A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that takes heat generated by an electronic or mechanical device and transfers it to a fluid substance such as air or a liquid coolant. From here, the air or liquid is dissipated away from the device to allow the device to operate at its intended temperatures. Despite the name, most heat sinks are actually more like heat exchangers, with the exception of one: the Phase Change Material (PCM) heat sink. In cases where there is nowhere for a device to dissipate heat, the PCM heat sink absorbs it.

Integrated circuits are an extremely important and useful electronic component for any advanced electronic system. Since the advent of the first integrated circuit in 1958 created by Jack Kilby, for which he later received a Nobel Prize for, integrated circuits can now be found in almost every electronic device and hardware component. With their cost and performance advantages over similar older counterparts, integrated circuits can be found in and benefit such devices as computers, mobile phones, appliances, and much more. In this blog, we will provide an overview of the design and function of integrated circuit technologies.

Most crystal oscillators and ceramic resonators are used for consumer devices such as wristwatches, clocks, radios, computers, children’s toys and even cellphones. In this article, we will review some main differences between the crystal oscillator and the ceramic resonator. In main functionality the two are not that different. Where they diverge is more in material and degree of ability than in actual function.

Threaded fasteners such as bolts are used throughout aircraft for a variety of reasons. They are manufactured from cadmium, a zinc-plated corrosion resistant steel, or anodized aluminum alloys. In general, there are three types of bolts used in aircraft structures. They are general purpose, close tolerance, or internal wrenching bolts. Additionally, bolts come in three head styles: hex, clevis, and eyebolt. This blog will provide a brief explanation of bolts and their many uses in the aviation sector.

If you’ve ever been sitting in the window-seat of a plane preparing to take off, you’ve surely noticed the vehicles and machinery hard at work around you. Those vehicles and machinery are called Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and are used to service aircraft between flights. The roles this equipment fulfills include ground power operations, aircraft mobility, and cargo/passenger loading operations. There is both powered and non-powered ground support equipment. Non-powered equipment includes dollies, chocks, aircraft tripod jacks, and service stairs. Powered equipment consists of refuelers, tugs and tractors, ground power units, belt loaders, de-icing vehicles, and more.

Automatic protective devices, better known as circuit breakers, are a critical part of an aircraft’s electrical system. Circuit breakers are provided to minimize distress to the electrical system in case of wiring faults or serious malfunction of a system or connected equipment, and are paired with alerting devices that provide a visual or aural alarm to alert the pilot to the situation.

With the rapid modernization of aircraft, more electronic components such as navigation systems, intercoms, and even flight amenities such as entertainment systems all need power. With the increased demands of power from the beginning of each flight, many current aircraft have turned to alternators over generators as their source of power generation. In this blog, we will explore how alternators produce power, as well as how they can prove beneficial to some aircraft as compared to standard generators.