Technology

Ledvance: from lamp manufacturer to all-round LED company

Ledvance has evolved from a manufacturer of traditional lamps to a dynamic and globally active lighting company with one of the most comprehensive LED portfolios for general lighting. Since presenting itself to the market at Light + Building 2016 with a limited range of 62 product lines, the company has come a long way. At last year’s LuxLive, for example, Ledvance could talk about more than 1,000 luminaires in its…

What are the different types of circuit?

The key thing to remember when selecting the type of circuit for an electrical installation is the requirements stated in the IET Wiring Regulations. These are that: The number and type of circuits required for lighting, heating, power, control, signalling, communication and information technology, etc, shall be determined from knowledge of: Location of points of power demand. Loads to be expected on the various circuits. Daily and yearly variations in…

Identifying electrical accessories

In this video, GSH Electrical and Tresham College introduce basic electrical accessories. This video has been made as a student aid for identifying basic electrical accessories. We look at 1-way, 2-way and intermediate switches, lighting points and socket outlets. It’s important in the early stages of training to be able to recognise and name these items. All products are donated by Scolmore

How do I determine an extraneous conductive part?

This article provides some simple guidance on how to identify extraneous conductive parts to help you avoid the unnecessary installation of protective bonding conductors. It should be appreciated that exposed metallic parts not forming part of the electrical installation are not always extraneous conductive parts as defined in Part 2 of BS 7671. Therefore, as explained in this article, to avoid the unnecessary installation of protective bonding conductors, it is important…

An introduction to earthing and bonding

Earthing and bonding are two very different, but often confused, methods of preventing electric shock. The principal of earthing is to limit the duration of touch voltages if you were to make contact with an exposed conductive part. The earth creates a safe route for the current to flow instead of causing electric shock. The purpose of bonding is to reduce the risk of electric shock if you find yourself…

An overview of cable management systems

There are a wide variety of containment systems available to organise and store cables within an installation. They tend not to be used exclusively for a particular type of wiring system, and the containment system chosen is often as much decided by the budget and practical considerations of the building it is being installed in as the cabling type itself. Fixings in cable management With such a range of cable…

How does an MCB work?

This excerpt from ABB introduces the technology inside and miniature circuit breaker (MCB). What does an MCB do? The short answer: it protects wires from overloads and short-circuits. When we look on the inside of an MCB we can see how that actually works. For overload protection the temperature of a bimetal, through which the current passes (yellow area), is decisive. If the nominal current—the current the circuit breaker is…