Many AC current sensors work well on sine wave signals but cannot accurately determine the magnitude of distorted waveforms. Variable speed drives, electronic ballasts, LED bulbs, power converters, uninterruptible power supplies, and light dimmers are common sources of distorted current waveforms. Monitoring current in these devices requires careful equipment selection. (more...)

A tachometer is an instrument that measures the rate of rotation on a gasoline engine, electric motor, disk drive, or other spinning mechanism. The reading is usually displayed as revolutions per minute (RPM) in either analog or digital format. (more...)

For two AC power systems to be interconnected (paralleled), they must be synchronized. This means they must be operating at the same voltage, the same frequency, and the same phase angle. Only when all three parameters match is it safe to connect the two systems. Paralleling two unsynchronized AC systems will cause a sudden current surge and mechanical stress on rotating equipment. (more...)

Frequency is an important parameter for an ac waveform. The frequency, in Hertz, is defined as the number of cycles per second. It can also be expressed as 1/T, where T is the time for one cycle. One period is the duration of one complete cycle, in seconds. (more...)

Most of us are familiar with Bluetooth as the connection from a cell phone to wireless earbuds or a remote speaker. This low-power communication protocol is simple to set up and use. It operates in the globally unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band from 2.40-2.48 GHz. (more...)