Overview
This package has been specially designed by PDHengineer.com to provide 10 PDH at a highly discounted price. And, if you Refer a PE, you can get a FREE 1 PDH Ethics course as well. You could save up to 38% on PDH credits guaranteed to be accepted by your state board.
The package consists of three of our most popular Electrical Engineering courses in one easy-to-complete package that will earn 10 PDH.
Course 1 - Fuses and Circuit Breakers (4 PDH)
There are two basic methods of circuit protection. They are fuses and circuit breakers. There are many variations of fuses and circuit breakers. This course attempts to explain how and why fuses and circuit breakers work. There is some basic theory upon which these devices are designed. There is an explanation of some of the terms that are applied to fuses and circuit breakers and why they are important to engineers who, by the very nature of their work, are exposed to the problems encountered in the use of electrical energy.
Fuse ratings include current (which is, after all, what causes fuses to open), voltage, amps, interrupting capacity, and other items. There are places where fuse protection is superior to circuit breaker protection.
Circuit breaker ratings include all of the items mentioned above for fuses. Unlike fuses, they are resettable after a trip incident. There are places where circuit breaker protection is superior to fuse protection.
When a complex circuit, such as a large building or industrial facility, is designed and built the circuits should be selectively coordinated. This means that when (not if) a fault develops; only the part of the circuit involved in the fault should be disconnected allowing power to remain available for the rest of the facility. A protection device (fuse or circuit breaker) should only operate if it is directly involved with the fault. Upstream devices should be sized to not trip or open when the device directly downstream opens.
In order to earn PDH credit for this course, a multiple-choice quiz of twenty (20) questions must be passed.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- How fuses are made
- How fuses work
- How fuses are applied
- The advantages and disadvantages of fuses
- How circuit breakers are made
- How circuit breakers work
- How circuit breakers are applied
- The advantages and disadvantages of circuit breakers
- Selective coordination for fuses and circuit breakers
Course 2 - Variable Frequency Drives (3 PDH)
This course shows how the various parts of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) work and how they are integrated to make an operating system. It starts with a review of AC and DC theory that is applicable to the way that an Inverter (another name given to VFD’s) works. An explanation is given of how the various solid state electronic components work. This course then shows how a three phase constant frequency (60 hertz in the USA) input voltage is turned into a DC voltage, and then the DC voltage is turned into a three phase, variable frequency, variable voltage output. There are many pictures that give a real feeling of how these devices really operate. A historical overview is also presented to show the development of the technology of VFD’s.
The course was designed for electrical engineers as well as engineers of other disciplines. Electrical engineers will have a deeper understanding of how basic principles and basic devices are put together to make this versatile machine work. This will help them as they apply it to various projects. Engineers in other disciplines will also find it useful to have an understanding of how variable frequency drives work, as they work with mechanical, chemical, and building systems. The more that we, as engineers, understand how things in other disciplines work, the better that we can do our specific jobs.
There is very little math involved in this course, although it always helps to understand basic algebra. This course is built on understanding the parts of an inverter, and how they work together to make an operating system.
The student must take a multiple choice quiz consisting of twenty questions at the end of the course to obtain PDH credit.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Some history of VFD’s.
- Definitions of applicable electrical terms.
- Learn the operation of the solid state devices that are used in inverters.
- Learn how the various parts of an Inverter work together to generate a variable frequency, variable voltage signal from a 60 Hertz input voltage.
- Learn how the controls work to make an inverter work.
- Learn how to handle a few of the problems encountered when VFD’s are applied in the work world.
Course 3 - Electrical Components - What They Are, How They Work and What They Look Like on Drawings (3 PDH)
I wrote this course with the intention of showing engineers in all disciplines how to recognize drawings of a variety of common electrical components. This is, by no means, a complete list. A task of that magnitude would be almost impossible. I have selected, however, those components that I have used the most in my career. I did start with a review of the three basic elements from which most electrical and electronic components are made. These are resistance, capacitance, and inductance. If there is some understanding of these basic elements, determining how electrical components function is somewhat easier. There are many drawings of the various components; and voltage, current, and power curves of resistors, capacitors, and inductors.
This course was designed mostly for non-electrical engineers. This course would also be a good review for electrical engineers who have gotten away from electrical engineering, and young PE’s, just entering the profession. It really helps, when reading electrical prints, to have a basic feeling for what components look like on drawings.
There is very little math involved in doing this course. Some vector algebra understanding is helpful when looking at how resistors, capacitors, and inductors react to alternating current voltages. Other than some representation of AC voltages with vectors, there is no math involved in this course. And even then, it’s just pictures, not working with numbers.
The student must take a twenty (20) question multiple choice quiz at the end of the course to obtain PDH credits. It is my intention that the material presented in this course will help engineers understand drawings that have common electrical components as part of the drawings. I also intend that the students of this course will be better able to do their job after taking this course.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- How resistors work.
- How capacitors work.
- How inductors work.
- How switches work.
- How relays, contactors, and starters work.
- How solenoids work.
- How transformers work.
- How transfer switches work.
Course
Once you have purchased this course, you will find links to the individual course material and to the quizzes using the My Account Menu. Here are step-by-step directions:
- Click the My Account tab at the top right of any page to log in to your account.
- From the My Account Menu, select Courses Purchased But Not Completed.
- Locate the appropriate course title in the list and click the
View Course link.
- Please note that you must click the View Course link on the line for the actual course you wish to view (either Direct Current Fundamentals or Basic Direct Current (DC) Theory) and not the link located on the line indicating the entire package.
- To access the quiz, please follow the same procedure, except click Take Quiz instead of View Course.
*Savings percentage is based on normal price of 1 PDH course and includes the free Ethics course. Additional discounts cannot be applied to this special package price. Normal terms and conditions of the Refer a PE program apply. You may earn credit for the free course one time only. No substitutions are permitted.
To receive PDH credit for this course, you must pass a multiple-choice quiz. Click the button below to Purchase Course and Take Quiz. To take the quiz, your computer must be set to accept cookies. See how to check your cookie settings.
