Troubleshooting & Repairing Commercial Electrical Equipment
RF Cafe Quiz #65

This quiz is based on the information presented in Troubleshooting & Repairing Commercial Electrical Equipment, by David Herres. The book provides a wealth of information on commonly encountered electrical gear and identifies the kinds of problems most likely to be seen. Mr. Herres recommends ways to help prevent the situations from occurring in the first place as well as typical approaches for troubleshooting and repair used by seasoned professionals. I have to admit that I had completely forgotten about the nickname of "Wiggy" which has been bestowed upon one of my favorite electrical test instruments.

Note: Some of these books are available as prizes in the monthly RF Cafe Giveaway.

1. What is an autotransformer"

a)  A transformer used in a car or truck

b)  A transformer with no primary winding

c)  A transformer with no secondary winding

d)  A transformer whose secondary winding is part of the primary winding

2. What is the circuit to the right called?

a)  Quarter-wave rectifier

b)  Half-wave rectifier

c)  Full-wave rectifier

d)  Fractional-wave rectifier

3. What is a Wiggy?

a)  A voltmeter that uses a solenoid meter rather than a d'Arsonval meter movement

b)  A voltmeter that measures "wiggly" voltages; i.e., not DC

c)  A mathematical voltage transfer function

d)  That thing you give guys in the high school locker room

4. What are the two basic components of all electric motors?

a)  Winding and commutator

b)  Winding and brushes

c)  Brushes and commutator

d)  Stator and rotor

5. What does this schematic symbol represent, and what is a common use for it in residential electrical wiring?

a)  A 2-way switch, used to control the refrigerator light

b)  An oven burner switch

c)  A thermostat

d)  A 3-way (SPDT) switch, used for controlling lights from two different locations

6. How does a ground fault interrupter circuit (GFIC) device work?

a)  It cuts off the circuit if current is detected in the ground wire

b)  It cuts off the circuit if current is detected in the neutral (return) wire

c)  It cuts off the circuit if current is detected in the feed (hot) wire

d)  It cuts off the circuit  if the current through the neutral (return) is not the same as the current through the feed (hot) wire

77. What does SCADA stand for?

a)  Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

b)  Software and Circuit Data Acquisition

c)  Simple Control and Determination of Action

d)  Single-point Control and Determination of Action

8. What is the difference between a heterodyne (het) and a superheterodyne (superhet) receiver?

a)  Het is lower power than superhet

b)  Superhet is higher power than het

c)  Het uses direct conversion while superhet uses an IF

d)  They are the same thing

9. What does the 'RJ' part of communications jacks stand for (e.g., RJ11, RJ45)?

a)  Registered Jack

b)  Recessed Jack

c)  Reciprocal Jack

d)  Reciprocal Junction

10. What is 'by far' the most common cause of elevator malfunction?

a)  Circuit breaker tripping

b)  The door did not close completely

c)  Cable breakage

d)  Operator error

Need some help? Click here for the answers and explanations.