Mark Hobbs wrote on Tue, 26 June 2007 11:06 |
What do most PA gurus do to learn all about the electrical part of the game? You don't all go through an apprenticeship program do you?
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(I am not a guru) - In a sense it's one big (usually self-directed) apprenticeship program. I was in the IBEW (but mainly did telecom and low-voltage).
- Local libraries always have decent books on power to get the basics. NEC code handbooks are also a great read.
- Ask everyone you meet about how they do power. Hire an electrician at a venue and see what they do. (But don't just trust - verify!)
- The makers of power distribution stuff are great resources. Most will show you exactly how everything is wired. Great place to learn how BIG feeds, become increasingly smaller distribution points - and the hierarchy of loads from feeder to outlet.
- You county/city building inspector. If you are doing commercial re-work and mounting anything permanent - many places require an electrical inspection and permit.
- Some of the stuff may be counter intuitive to grasp at first - like single phase versus 3 phase and why you don't have 3 separate neutrals - but makes sense if you understand how power is derived at the transformer, and where neutral and ground really come from.
My first foray into power was 100KW Par rigs - and (do not do this!!) welding clips for tie-ins. (It was the 70's). Wonder why no one was ever killed.