How about this: Under IEEE Standard 803.2af, power can be run via datacomm cable. It's called “Power over Ethernet” (PoE). For many electrical contractors, PoE could turn out to be the greatest development in world history. But wait: Maybe it's not all that remarkable. After all, power has been run to tens of millions of homes over plain old telephone lines for decades. READ MORE
Joe Salimando
Freelance Writer
Joe Salimando is a Vienna, Va.-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. He can be reached at jsali@cris.com.
Articles by Joe Salimando
November 2004
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The construction industry won a major battle in late July, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) issued its verdict on reverse auctions. As hoped, the Corps sees no advantages to the idea. Basically, the verdict is that it is neither smart nor advantageous for the federal government to use RAs to buy construction services. READ MORE
October 2004
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Brainy Building Automation Systems are Coming Isaac Newton didn’t need an apple to fall on him to come up with his first law of motion: Unless acted on by an outside force, a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Today’s building automation systems (BAS) are in motion, thanks to technological advances, but outside forces acting on them seek to accelerate their evolution. READ MORE
July 2004
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As your “Online” correspondent, I try to track trends in electronic business, Web sites and more. In February, I journeyed to Orlando for the A/E/C Systems show, the only conference geared to construction computing. Here’s a quick look at what I saw and heard. Design software/BIM BIM stands for building information modeling. READ MORE
May 2004
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As much as 8.5 million miles of abandoned cable will, sooner or later, be removed. Who pays? How will it be done? What will go up in its place? Such questions emanate from new requirements in the 2002 National Electrical Code. Answers will come in time. “Easy” is not the right word to describe network cabling since 2000. READ MORE
May 2004
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Improving the information flow Real-time data is a hot commodity in technology-for-business circles right now. The interest is mostly coming from big companies, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for you. Real-time data is useful to even the smallest contractor with employees. Information on your company’s activities increases in value with the data’s freshness. READ MORE
January 2004
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As you may know, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has agreed that Level III-qualified testers are to be used when certifying or verifying Category 6 cabling systems (Category 6 cable is a 100-Ohm cable with transmission characteristics specified up to 250 MHz). Here are some guidelines to handle the contractor’s testing responsibilities. READ MORE
January 2004
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This year should stay even with 2003, with a dip in housing and an upward blip in nonresidential. However, 2005 may be a big year all around. Bureau of Labor Statistics data claims 781,400 field workers were employed in electrical construction, on average, from July through September of 2000. That average fell to 772,533 for the summer of 2001. What’s your guess for the 2003 figure? READ MORE
January 2004
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Reverse auctions and construction shouldn’t mix. Almost everyone involved in the business agrees—with the exception of some large clients. Unfortunately, subcontractors (and even general contractors) live under an updated version of the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” When the customer wants to procure its project via an RA, that is the way it is going to be done. READ MORE