Technical articles from the field
From switchgear selection to panel heat load, drive savings to machine safety — we collect the answers to the questions we meet while quoting and commissioning.
Power infrastructure30 September 20268 min read
Compact kiosk transformer and generator: the decisions before you invest
The transformer is sized for total connected load, the generator for the critical load that must run during an outage. They are not the same, and ATS settings and earthing matter as much as the purchase.
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Switchgear29 September 2026 · 7 min read
Why did the whole plant go dark for one machine? Discrimination
A fault should open the nearest device and leave everything upstream closed. When it does not, the reason is almost always that discrimination was never calculated.
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Machine vision22 September 2026 · 8 min read
In machine vision it is the lighting, not the camera, that decides
Vision projects almost never fail because of the camera. What makes a defect visible is the angle and type of light; five lighting techniques and which defect each one suits.
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Drives and motor control15 September 2026 · 7 min read
Sizing a drive from the motor nameplate: look at current, not kW
The most common mistake in drive selection is matching the motor's kW rating. The right criterion is current, and load type and ambient temperature change the choice too.
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Enclosures8 September 2026 · 6 min read
IP ratings: the difference between IP54, IP65 and IP66
Each of the two digits means something different. A higher IP is not always better — a sealed enclosure traps heat inside. Which rating suits which environment?
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Drives and motor control1 September 2026 · 9 min read
VFD fault codes: eight common trips and their causes
OC, OV, LV, OH, OL… The code on the drive tells you the symptom, not the problem. The real causes behind eight common trips and how to tell them apart on site.
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Cable and connection25 August 2026 · 7 min read
NYY, NYA and NYAF: what is the difference and where is each used?
All three have copper conductors and PVC insulation. The difference is in the conductor structure and the outer sheath; the wrong choice leads to breakage inside panels or damage underground.
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Enclosures21 August 2026 · 8 min read
Distribution panel bill of materials: what goes inside?
When quoting a panel, the items most often forgotten are not the body but the details: terminals, markers, trunking, earth bar, heater. A checklist from start to finish.
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Energy efficiency18 August 2026 · 6 min read
I have a correction panel but still pay a reactive penalty
Fitting capacitors is not enough on its own. Four common reasons the penalty persists, and how to tell them apart.
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Finding a part14 August 2026 · 7 min read
What to check when choosing an equivalent
Two devices carrying the same amps are not necessarily equivalents. Breaking capacity, trip curve, mounting dimensions and certification — all four must match before a swap.
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Enclosures11 August 2026 · 5 min read
Choosing an enclosure: IP rating, size and layout
Enclosure size is not the sum of the devices. Protection class, mounting depth, cable entry and room to grow are decided together.
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Cable management8 August 2026 · 6 min read
Trunking fill ratio and wire marking
Trunking packed full heats the cables and makes every later change impossible. Fill ratio and marking decide a panel's maintenance cost ten years from now.
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Drives and automation4 August 2026 · 6 min read
Star-delta, soft starter or drive?
Three starting methods with different costs, footprints and mechanical effects. Which one fits which application?
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Switchgear28 July 2026 · 6 min read
Motor protection switch or contactor plus thermal relay?
Both protect the motor, but they behave differently in cost, space and maintenance. Which one fits which case, with examples from the field.
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Energy efficiency21 July 2026 · 7 min read
Power meters: you cannot cut consumption you do not measure
A bill from a single meter does not say which line spent what. Measuring by section is the first step of any savings work — and usually the cheapest.
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Switchgear14 July 2026 · 5 min read
Choosing an RCD: 30 mA or 300 mA?
Threshold, type letter and discrimination. The wrong choice either weakens personal safety or trips the line constantly.
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SCADA and visualisation7 July 2026 · 7 min read
SCADA or HMI? They are not the same thing
An HMI runs one machine; SCADA monitors and reports on a plant. The decision rests on how many machines, how many users and how far back the data must be kept.
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Finding a part2 July 2026 · 6 min read
What does the part number on your device tell you?
The fastest way to replace a failed device is reading its part number correctly. Which digit means what in Schneider, Siemens and Omron codes?
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Enclosures30 June 2026 · 6 min read
Panel heat load: fan, cooling unit, or neither?
Most drives that trip in summer are not faulty — the heat load was never calculated. A simple calculation points to the right solution.
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Industrial automation23 June 2026 · 7 min read
Sensor selection: when to use inductive, capacitive or photoelectric
The wrong sensor is the most common cause of a line stopping at random. Catalogue sensing distances are for ideal conditions; the real distance falls with the material.
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Drives and automation16 June 2026 · 7 min read
Energy savings with drives: how much, and where?
The cubic law produces dramatic results on pumps and fans, but not on conveyors. Knowing the difference sends the investment to the right place.
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Cable and connection9 June 2026 · 6 min read
Terminal block selection: screw, spring and push-in compared
Screw terminals are cheap but need periodic re-torquing. Spring and push-in speed up assembly and do not loosen under vibration. Which is economical in which panel?
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Switchgear2 June 2026 · 7 min read
Switchgear selection by motor power: kW, current, protection, cable
Which contactor, which protection setting and which cable for a 5.5 kW motor? A practical starting table for 400 V three-phase, and the three cases that break it.
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Cable and connection29 May 2026 · 6 min read
Cable sizing: current alone is not enough — three criteria matter
Current capacity, voltage drop and short-circuit withstand. Skip one and the calculation is right on paper but wrong on site.
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Switchgear19 May 2026 · 8 min read
Earthing systems: the difference between TN-S, TN-C-S and TT
The letters are not arbitrary: the first describes the transformer's relation to earth, the second the installation's. The system chosen directly determines the protective device type and whether an RCD is required.
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Machine safety12 May 2026 · 6 min read
Emergency stop architecture: safety relay or safety PLC?
Safety is not a product but a chain. The right component follows from the required performance level and the number of functions.
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Industrial automation5 May 2026 · 8 min read
Selecting a PLC and HMI: I/O, protocol and spare capacity
What decides a PLC is not the brand but the I/O count, the protocol and the spare capacity for later. Miscount the I/O and six months on you are building a second panel.
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Switchgear24 April 2026 · 5 min read
Contactor selection: AC-1 or AC-3, and which coil voltage?
The two different current ratings in the catalogue cause confusion. Get the utilisation category, switching frequency and coil voltage wrong and the contactor dies early.
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