American Electrician's Handbook
15th Edition

THE "ELECTRICIAN's BIBLE" SINCE 1913 !

A Completely Updated Edition of the “Electricians' Bible”

The most popular electricians' handbook for the past 95 years has been completely updated to the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) and NESC rules and standards, and new references to solar power, photovoltaics, induction lighting, and more.

Providing all the information you'll need to design, maintain, and operate systems and equipment, the Fifteenth Edition of the American Electricians' Handbook is the key to tackling even the most complex jobs with complete confidence.

This one-stop resource focuses on systems and equipment rather than codes and calculations, making it the most practical, hands-on guide available.

No matter what kind of electrical project you plan to take on, the American Electricians' Handbook is the only guide you'll need.

American Electrician's Handbook covers:

• Solar power and Photovoltaics
• Variable- and adjustable-speed drives
• Variable-speed-drive programming
• Continuous load calculations
• Induction lighting
• New NEC and NESC rules
• NEMA motor and generator standards
• Voltage drops in circuits with non-unity power factors

FUNDAMENTALS

Useful Tables
Conversion Factors
Graphical Electrical Symbols
Principles of Electricity and Magnetism: Units
Measuring, Testing, and Instruments
Harmonics

PROPERTIES AND SPLICING OF CONDUCTORS

Electrical Conducting Wires and Cables
Cable Joints and Terminal Connections
Aluminum-Building-Wire Installation Practices
Termination and Splice Kits

CIRCUITS AND CIRCUIT CALCULATIONS

Types of Circuits
Electrical Systems
Circuit Calculations
NEC Ampacity Rules for Conductors

GENERAL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND BATTERIES

Introduction
Switches
Installation of Switches
Protective Devices
Switchboards and Switchgear
Panelboards
General Wiring Materials and Devices
Power Capacitors
Batteries: General
Primary Batteries
Storage Batteries: General
Lead-Acid Storage Batteries
Nickel-Iron-Alkaline Batteries
Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
Installation of Storage Batteries
General Construction Materials

TRANSFORMERS

Construction, Types, and Characteristics
Connections: Polarity
Single-Phase Connections
Two-Phase Connections
Three-Phase Connections
Connections for Three-Phase Transformers
Parallel Operation
Connections and Applications of Autotransformers
Installation, Care, and Operation
Provisions for Different Types of Transformers
Provisions for Transformer Vaults
The Noise Problem
Pole and Platform Mounting
Saturable-Core Reactor

SOLID-STATE DEVICES AND CIRCUITS

Fundamentals of Electronics
Discrete Solid-State Components
Integrated Circuits
Integrated-Circuit Logic Functions
Microcomputers
Electronic Memories
Product Reliability

GENERATORS AND MOTORS

Principles, Characteristics and Management of DC Generators (Dynamos)
Principles, Characteristics, and Management of AC Generators (Alternators)
Principles, Characteristics, and Management of Electric Motors
Direct-Current Motors
Alternating-Current Motors
Conversion Equipment
Troubles of AC Motors and Generators: Their Localization and Correction
Care of Motors
Control Equipment for Motors
Motor Drives and Application
Motor Circuits
Control Circuits
Industrial Control Panels
Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Equipment
Engine- and Gas-Turbine Generators

OUTSIDE DISTRIBUTION

Pole Lines: General, Construction, and Equipment
Pole-Line Construction
Pole-Line Guying
Underground Wiring
Grounding of Systems

INTERIOR WIRING

General
Open Wiring On Insulators
Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wiring
Rigid-Metal-Conduit and Intermediate-Metal-Conduit Wiring
Cable Pulling Calculations for raceways
Interior or Aboveground Wiring with Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit
Flexible-Metal-Conduit Wiring
Liquidtight Flexible-Metal-Conduit Wiring
Metal-Clad–Cable Wiring: Types AC and MC
Surface-Raceway Wiring
Electrical-Metallic-Tubing Wiring
Nonmetallic-Sheathed–Cable Wiring
Mineral-Insulated Metal-Sheathed–Cable Wiring
Medium-Voltage–Cable Wiring
Underground-Feeder and Branch-Circuit–Cable Wiring
Interior Wiring with Service-Entrance Cable
Underfloor-Raceway Wiring
Wireway Wiring
Busway Wiring
Cellular-Metal-Floor–Raceway Wiring
Cellular-Concrete-Floor–Raceway Wiring
Wiring with Multioutlet Assemblies
Cablebus Wiring
Cable Trays
General Requirements for Wiring Installations
Crane Wiring
Wiring for Circuits of Over 600 Volts
Wiring for Circuits of Less Than 50 Volts
Wiring for Hazardous Locations
Installation of Appliances
Electric Comfort Conditioning
Wiring for Electric Signs and Outline Lighting
Remote-Control, Signaling, and Power-Limited Circuits
Wiring for Special Occupancies
Design of Interior-Wiring Installations
Wiring for Residential Outdoor Lighting
Wiring for Commercial and Industrial Occupancies
Farm Wiring
Solar Photovoltaic Systems

ELECTRIC LIGHTING

Principles and Units
Electric-Light Sources
Incandescent (Filament) Lamps
Fluorescent Lamps
High-Intensity-Discharge Lamps
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Neon Lamps
Ultraviolet-Light Sources
Infrared Heating Lamps
Luminaires
Principles of Lighting-Installation Design
Tables for Interior Illumination Design
Interior-Lighting Suggestions
Heat with Light for Building Spaces
Street Lighting
Floodlighting

OPTICAL FIBER

The Advantages of Fiber Optics
Applications
The Nature of Light
Invisible Light
Transmitting Light through Fibers

WIRING AND DESIGN TABLES

Standard Sizes of Lamps for General Illumination, in Watts
Demand Factors and Data for Determining Minimum Loads
Full-Load Currents of Motors
Capacitor Ratings for Use with Three-Phase 60-Hz Motors
Ampacities of Conductors
Ampacity of Flexible Cords and Cables
Ampacity of Fixture Wires
Ampacity of Aluminum Cable, Steel-Reinforced
Ampacity of Parkway Cables Buried Directly in Ground
Number of Conductors in Conduit and Dimensions
Switches-Termination Space
Switch-Gutter and Termination Space
Enclosed Switch Wiring Space
Elevation of Unguarded Parts above Working Space
Ordinary Ratings of Overload Protective Devices, in Amperes
Nonrenewable Cartridge Fuses
Ratings and Number of Overload Protective Devices
Motor Code Letters and Locked-Rotor Kilovolt-Amperes
Maximum Ratings for Motor Branch-Circuit Protection
Conversion Table of Single-Phase Locked Rotor Currents
Conversion Table of Polyphase Design B, C, D, and E Maximum Locked Rotor Currents
Horsepower Ratings of Fused Switches
Minimum Branch-Circuit Sizes for Motors
Maximum Allowable Voltage Drop
Graph for Computing Copper-Conductor Sizes According to Voltage Drop
Data for Computing Voltage Drop
Metric Practice

About the Authors:

Wilford Summers (Colorado Springs, CO) is an electrical consultant and former Executive Director of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors.

Frederic P. Hartwell is president of Hartwell Electrical Services, Inc., and serves as inspector of wires in his hometown.

He has more than 25 years' experience in the field of electronics, including as senior editor of Electrical Construction and Maintenance (EC&M) magazine and as principal member of the NEC's Code Making Panel.

Copyright 2009
Hardcover
1856 Pages - 6-1/4 x 9-1/4 in.