Toronto Electricians and Electrical Contractors

Let’s start with the first question… how much power can my IT space support? Often times, the available power feeds (the input voltage and breaker size) are constraints within the IT space of a data center. These power feeds determine the maximum power capacity provided to each IT pod (a pod is generally defined as 2 rows of racks being fed from a common distribution point). For instance, if I have 208/120V 3-phase power coming into my IT space, and my input breaker is rated at 225A, I can get 65 kW of power out of that breaker. Here’s the math:  Power (kW) = [3-ph voltage x 1.732 x the breaker rating in amps x the derating of the breaker] / 1,000; so [208 x 1.732 x 225 x 0.8] / 1,000 = 65 kW On the other hand, if my input voltage was 415/240V, with the same input breaker size, I can get 130 kW of power.  (415/240V distribution allows you to get twice the power.)     The amount of power you can get from a particular breaker is one of the key outputs of our IT ...

Like metal and water, the human body is a great electrical conductor. Each year in France, 4000 people get serious electric shocks and 100 die, according to the Ministry of Ecology. In the UK someone dies every week in an electrical accident at home, says the Electrical Safety Council. In all, 70 million homes in Europe are electrically unsafe. Fortunately, accidental electrocution is preventable if you know how to identify and minimize your risk. Common causes of electrocution Electrocution occurs when your body comes in contact — directly or indirectly —with an electrical current and becomes an unintended path between the current’s source and the ground. This path is called a “ground fault,” which means current is “leaking” —going somewhere (your body) other than where it was meant to (like a toaster). Every home contains potential electrocution sources. The most common are: Outlets : Damaged power outlets pose a danger to anybody. Just brushing against an exposed pin or wire can...

EFF Files Brief in Support of Ability to Challenge Bad Patents at the Patent Office The Patent Office doesn’t always do the best job. That’s how Personal Audio managed to get a patent on podcasting, even though other people were podcasting years before Personal Audio first applied for a patent. As we’ve detailed on many occasions , patents are often granted on things that are known and obvious, giving rights to patent owners that actually belong to the public. As a result, it’s important for the public to have the ability to challenge bad patents. Unfortunately, challenging bad patents in court can be hard and very expensive. In court, challenges are often decided by a judge or jury with little technical knowledge. Courts also require a high level of proof (“clear and convincing”) that can be hard to come by, especially after the passage of time . In order to help alleviate that problem, in 2011 Congress passed the America Invents Act , which created new procedures at the Patent...