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Author Topic: 3-phase power demonstration  (Read 25003 times)

Mike Sokol

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #60 on: December 17, 2018, 12:01:48 AM »

My concern over trying to instill too much info is that the trainee's brains shut down and they absorb nothing, rather than taking away the parts about preventing electrical fires and not killing people through rejection of non-conforming outlets.

It's tricky to find the sweet spot between presenting too little info, and information overload. But reading between the lines it feels like something weird must have happened involving 3-phase power. In addition to a list of typical wiring situations they find themselves in, I'm also going to suggest doing a pre-seminar phone conference with a few of the trainees to try and determine just how much they already know. Could be a little... Could be a lot...

I suspect there's a certain stratification of technical levels, with some newbies needing to know the basics of how to test a stage for back-line stray voltages using a NCVT, and some veterans needing to understand power factor and how triplen harmonic currents can overload neutrals. Of course, there probably will be many techs in between these levels. They've also asked for a possible advanced training class in a few months, so I just don't know enough details yet to create a syllabus, but this sure is interesting. Once I get more info on their current technical level and the type of gigs they typically do, I'll be better able to focus on actual training content.   

Of course, I'm sharing this information with you so you can all mentally play along with the process of developing a training seminar. Personally, I've found that the process of preparing to teach a topic has made me a much better engineer over the years. And you guys are great at helping me come up with training ideas, so your input is very much appreciated. Stay tuned as I learn more.     

Chris Hindle

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #61 on: December 17, 2018, 08:42:21 AM »

Mike, I'm leaning towards a 3-step program.

Step 1, assume they know nothing - or what they do know is hearsay.
An introductory to get them comfortable with AC in general, and on-site testing and verification for human and equipment safety in mind.

Step 2, go into WHY they see what they may face in measuring.
To many of them, this will be an abstract. Plasticized "memory cards" will be worth their weight in gold, down the road.

Step 3, yearly "refresher" courses ?

In my humble opinion, schooling is fairly useless if you don't run into the scenarios yourself. Hopefully, these guys will never see some of the situations you will describe, but they NEED to understand completely what the multimeters are telling them.

Pretty sure a rig got torched, and that's why you were contacted.

Just my 2 cents, of course.
Chris.
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Ya, Whatever. Just throw a '57 on it, and get off my stage.

Mike Sokol

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #62 on: December 20, 2018, 12:35:59 PM »

I have confirmation on the training gig, and have a month to put it all together. As suspected, there are seasoned tech guys with many years in the touring business, down to brand new greenhorns, and lots of crew in between. And their normal gigs include large tours, hotel ballroom events, outdoor festivals on generator power, and small one-off local and political gigs. Nobody wants to admit to setting a rig on fire, but we all know how that one goes.  ;)

Per my conversation with their tech director, the touring gigs are usually pretty straightforward since these are mostly union houses and everyone knows how to play together. But their touring guys would like a better understanding of what's under the hood when it comes to 3-phase power. He likes the idea of a connector chart showing acceptable voltages and such. Plus he said specifically that they need to know how to identify an undersized neutral under load. Triplen currents and power factor would be an advanced course out in the future. Fair enough.

The hotel ballroom gigs are a veritable plethora of crazy power situations, and their intermediate tech guys need to know how various receptacles and house distro power should measure, and what to stay away from.

The outside festivals generally supply their own generators, which can be hit or miss. So I need to include basic generator connections and measurements, along with best practices for generator grounding and stage bonding. Got it.

And the one-off political gigs might be outside and need a small inverter generator, or happen in a school cafeteria or the town console office. So they need to know how to use a small Honda generator or to properly measure and qualify a plain old Edison outlet in a gymnasium.

I can do this in two training seminars, with the first class next month covering all the measurement basics including how to use a DMM, clamp-ampmeter, Ground impedance tester, etc.  A few months later I could follow up with an advanced class, and after that do a yearly refresher course for the new crew members, etc...

So at least I have the basics and they've approved the syllabus I've already sent them. As usual, the knowledge of how this all works is pretty straightforward for many of you on this forum. The real trick is how to package it into bite-sized pieces that nobody chokes on. Lots of work to do on this one. 

Tim McCulloch

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #63 on: December 20, 2018, 12:46:36 PM »

Mike, did you look over the ETCP electrician and portable power certifications?

Edit ps: in the "Last Post" column on the index page the topic shows up as "3-phase power demons..."
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Chris Hindle

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #64 on: December 20, 2018, 01:18:00 PM »

Edit ps: in the "Last Post" column on the index page the topic shows up as "3-phase power demons..."
Well, do it wrong, and the "description" is not far off.....
You can get bit pretty hard...
Chris.
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Mike Sokol

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #65 on: December 20, 2018, 02:09:48 PM »

Mike, did you look over the ETCP electrician and portable power certifications?

Edit ps: in the "Last Post" column on the index page the topic shows up as "3-phase power demons..."

Yes, I did. And that could be a great resource for their advanced techs.

Mike Sokol

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #66 on: December 21, 2018, 07:43:06 AM »

Figured I'd risk $23 (shipping included) on a 4-channel "400-watt" car amplifier to power this rig. Looks simple enough without any crossovers or fancy connectors. Just RCA inputs and Screw Terminal outputs.

I think the output voltage swing will match up nicely with the 6.3/12.6-volt filament transformers from Hammond. I ordered the transformers through Allied a few days ago, and their Columbia, MD field office called me wondering what I was doing with them. When I explained they thought it was really cool. I should bring this rig to AES sometime for a show & tell. 

Everything should be here in time for Christmas, so I know what I'll be doing in the afternoon after all the relatives have gone. Or sometimes I retreat to my lab in the morning while family and visitors are still here. None of you guys ever do that, do you??? ;)

 

Curt Sorensen

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #67 on: December 21, 2018, 01:30:17 PM »

Hi,

If there's any chance of such a presentation to be recorded, streamed, or shared somehow, that would be quite valuable to me and I'm sure many  others. Understood there may be reasons it can't happen.

Thanks for all y'all contribute,
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Curt Sorensen
Madison, Wisconsin

Mike Sokol

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #68 on: December 21, 2018, 01:50:50 PM »

Hi,

If there's any chance of such a presentation to be recorded, streamed, or shared somehow, that would be quite valuable to me and I'm sure many  others. Understood there may be reasons it can't happen.

Thanks for all y'all contribute

I won’t be able to stream this particular seminar due to privacy and copyright issues, but I’m working on a way to publish this content in 10-minute videos. Stay tuned.

Dave Garoutte

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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #69 on: December 21, 2018, 03:53:24 PM »

I won’t be able to stream this particular seminar due to privacy and copyright issues, but I’m working on a way to publish this content in 10-minute videos. Stay tuned.
Very interested.
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Re: 3-phase power demonstration
« Reply #69 on: December 21, 2018, 03:53:24 PM »


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