Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Low Voltage System Wiring

Low voltage systems include but are not limited to: access control, security, CCTV, burglary, fire, PA, intercom, nurse call, network, phone, data, and other local and remote notification systems. While progress has been made in wireless technologies, the primary, and most secure, and reliable installations, if not the most economical, are hard wired systems.

For commercial and industrial low voltage installations, the field wiring, device mounting, and panel installations are a major portion of the installation. While these tasks are required to be completed in accordance with customer specifications, local building, fire, electrical, and other codes, they are typically pretty standard and require little technical knowledge of the specific system terminations, power, testing and operation.

Most commercial and industrial low voltage system dealers, vendors and integrators have invested substantially in training their technicians on the technical aspects of installing, maintaining and operating the systems they promote. Depending on the work schedule, including service calls and maintenance contracts, using technicians for the basic wiring tasks may not be the best scheduling, financial and customer relations option. Unless business is in a slow period, and technicians need to be gainfully employed rather than not working, keep them scheduled on tasks that require their technical abilities and challenges their abilities.

The options for completing the routine wire and field device installation and mounting include hiring skilled but non-technical employees, using electrical contractors, hiring from a temp agency or finding a sub-contractor that knows and understands low voltage systems that can be trusted to install the systems when and the way you want them installed.

As low voltage system technician, project manager, project engineer and finally area manager, I know the importance of the installation of the basics and how it can and will have an impact on the system operation. While hiring general skilled labor for the basic is a good option because it affords the opportunity to control the entire installation, this option drives up the overall cost of labor that can't be recovered when business is slow and these employees have limited project tasks.

Temporary agencies can provide the help required when business is brisk, but this is a crap shoot. You can provide the required abilities you are looking for, but what you get may or may not be able or willing to provide the services you need to accomplish the installation.

Electrical contractors have the knowledge, experience; know the codes, and wiring methods. They can provide the services you need but they may or may not be reasonably priced, provide their best people for your projects, or be able to meet your schedule.

The last and best alternative is to sub-contract with a company that has experience with low voltage systems, knows the requirements of customer satisfaction, building codes, installation methods, understands the relationship you have with your customers and the only cost is for actual services performed and has no additional costs when business is slow. This solution provides the best options of the electrical contractor, temporary agency, and non-technical employees.

While these companies are hard to find, very few exist, one that should be looked at for measuring your local companies is CCW Services. This company provides low voltage services in and around Ohio, and can be reached at:

http://ccwservices.com 20 years experience with low voltage system design, integration, installation and subcontracting prior to starting a new wire and cable venture

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Monday, December 3, 2007

Electrical Jobs: Electrical Engineer

 

Electricity is ubiquitous from your personal cellular to large transportation systems such as the subway or planes. Since its invention, electricity has made our life much easier and convenient. But electricity would be only an energy source without people creating and maintaining equipments or applications using it. Electrical engineers are the people who create, improve and maintain electronic devices and equipments. Because of the ubiquity of electricity, electrical engineers can be found in any industrial branches of the economy and may work on as many different products as cars, robots, cell phone systems, or lighting and wiring systems in buildings. Indeed, whether you take a look at the personal electronic, plane or automotive industry electrical engineers play a core role designing the circuits and electronics parts, testing designs and improving them.

As the field of work for electrical engineers is wide, there is a common distinction made between an electrical engineer and an electronic engineer. Electrical engineers typically deal with large-scale electrical systems such as power transmission and motor control, whereas electronic engineers typically deal with the study of small-scale electronic systems such as computers and integrated circuits

How to become an electrical engineer? If you want to embrace a career as an electrical engineer, you are generally required to graduate from college in engineering. Just like any other engineering career, you will need to have excellent grade in mathematics and science to study in an engineering schools. Being a science-oriented student is not enough, you will be required to have good skills in English, social studies, and computers. Most recruiters also expect their engineers to be creative, curious, logical, detail-oriented and good team-workers.

In the U.S., there were about 299,000 electrical engineers and electronics engineers in 2004. Most of them worked for companies manufacturing medical device, communications equipment, or electronics. Despite varying greatly from one sector to another, electrical engineers earn in average $67,340. Besides prospects for electrical engineers are very good since jobs are expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

Electric Job can help you find electrical jobs, engineering jobs, and utility jobs and all jobs in the electrical jobs and engineering jobs industry. Electrical jobs, engineering jobs, electrician jobs, lineman jobs, power jobs, energy jobs, utility jobs, careers, and employment search.

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