ELECTRICAL TROUBLESHOOTING

Electrical Troubleshooting is a two-week course with formal lectures and student labs. The focus of the course is on the efficient maintenance and repair of electric motor starters, commercial lighting equipment, industrial controls, and sound-powered telephones. IEC & NEMA electrical symbols, one-line drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and ladder-logic drawings are used throughout the course. Safe-work procedures, PPE, proper test equipment use, and circuit protection concepts are integrated throughout the course labs and lectures. Motor starting techniques are discussed in detail and range from across-the-line starters to thyristor-based soft-starters. Incandescent, flourescent, and gas-discharged lighting equipment and circuits are studied, as are electromechanical and solid-state industrial control devices. Troubleshooting principles and three-phase power systems are included. Practical lab exercises include wire tracing and construction of field schematics, component identification, component testing, motor and transformer phasing, and troubleshooting of fluorexcent & HID industrial lighting. Significant course time is allocated to hands-on practice using seven different motor-starter/controller configurations. Students will also layout, wire, and troubleshoot a six-station sound-powered telephone system.

Course Capacity: 12 students

Prerequisites: Knowledge of basic electricity

Special Requirements: None

USCG Approval:

Any applicant who has successfully completed the 2-week Electrical Troubleshooting course will satisfy the training and assessment requirements of the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code, Section A-III/2, Table A-III/2, Function: Electrical, electronic and control engineering at the management level, for the competency of Operating electrical and electronic control equipment, testing and maintenance of electrical equipment, including fault diagnosis, provided they have also successfully completed our 4-week Electricity, 4-week Analog Electronics, and 4-week Instrumentation courses.

An unlimited horsepower licensed engineer successfully completing the four-week Electricity, two-week Electrical Troubleshooting, four-week Analog Electronics, and four-week Instrumentation courses and presenting each of the four certificates of training at a Regional Exam Center, will satisfy the training and assessment requirements of the STCW Code, Section A-III/2, Table A-III/2, Function: electrical, electronic and control engineering at the management level, and may be examined to upgrade their unlimited Second Assistant Engineer license and Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch certificate to First Assistant Engineer and Second Engineer Officer certificate for steam and/or motor vessels by testing on the examination modules 541XX, Engineering Management Part I, 542XX, Engineering Management Part II, 543XX, Engineering Management Part III (Motor), and/or 544XX, Engineering Management Part III (Steam).