Electrical Maintenance Technician Course

Lesson 1 • Electrical Safety Regulations Overview

Introduces regulatory frameworks governing electrical work, including workplace safety standards and electrical codes. Provides compliance context applied throughout the entire course.

Lesson 2 • Electrical Hazards and Risk Awareness

Covers shock, arc flash, and fire hazards present in industrial and commercial environments. Builds the hazard-recognition foundation required for all subsequent hands-on chapters.

Lesson 3 • Lockout/Tagout Procedures

Explains energy isolation steps for electrical equipment before maintenance begins. Mastery here is a prerequisite for every practical lab activity in the course.

Lesson 1 • AC Fundamentals and Waveforms

Introduces alternating current concepts including frequency, amplitude, and phase relationships. AC theory is essential for understanding motors, transformers, and power distribution covered ahead.

Lesson 2 • Atomic Structure and Electron Flow

Explains how atomic structure drives electron movement and establishes the concept of electrical current. This foundational knowledge underpins all circuit analysis taught later.

Lesson 3 • Three-Phase Power Systems

Explains wye and delta configurations, line vs. phase voltages, and balanced load calculations. Three-phase knowledge is required for motor and distribution work in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Ohm's Law and Power Calculations

Applies Ohm's Law and Watt's Law to calculate voltage, current, resistance, and power in circuits. These calculations are used in every diagnostic and design task in the course.

Lesson 1 • Digital Multimeter Operation

Covers safe setup, range selection, and measurement of voltage, current, and resistance with a DMM. Accurate DMM use is the baseline skill for all diagnostic work in the course.

Lesson 2 • Power Quality Analyzers and Oscilloscopes

Introduces power quality measurement for harmonics, voltage sags, and transients using analyzers and oscilloscopes. These tools support advanced troubleshooting introduced in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Thermal Imaging for Electrical Inspection

Covers infrared camera operation and interpretation of thermal patterns on electrical equipment. Thermal imaging is integrated into the predictive maintenance strategies taught later.

Lesson 4 • Insulation Resistance Testing

Explains megohmmeter operation and interpretation of insulation resistance values for cables and motors. This test is a primary tool for predictive and preventive maintenance programs.

Lesson 1 • Panelboard and Switchgear Maintenance

Explains inspection, torque verification, and cleaning procedures for panelboards and switchgear. These maintenance tasks are directly applied in the hands-on lab sessions.

Lesson 2 • Grounding and Bonding Systems

Covers equipment grounding, system grounding, and bonding requirements for safety and fault clearing. Proper grounding knowledge is applied in all installation and maintenance tasks ahead.

Lesson 3 • Overcurrent Protection Devices

Covers fuses, circuit breakers, and their coordination roles in protecting conductors and equipment. Understanding protection devices is required for panel maintenance and fault analysis.

Lesson 4 • Conductor Types and Sizing

Explains wire gauge systems, ampacity ratings, and insulation types for various applications. Correct conductor selection is foundational to safe panel and circuit work covered throughout.

Lesson 1 • Single-Phase and DC Motor Types

Covers split-phase, capacitor-start, shaded-pole, and DC motor designs and their starting methods. Knowledge of motor types enables correct selection and maintenance across diverse applications.

Lesson 2 • Motor Preventive Maintenance Program

Establishes a structured PM schedule integrating visual inspection, testing, and lubrication tasks. This section synthesizes all motor maintenance skills into a repeatable maintenance routine.

Lesson 3 • Bearing Inspection and Lubrication

Teaches bearing types, failure modes, inspection techniques, and correct lubrication practices for motors. Bearing maintenance directly reduces unplanned downtime addressed in the reliability chapter.

Lesson 4 • Motor Insulation and Winding Testing

Applies megohmmeter and winding resistance tests to evaluate motor insulation and winding integrity. These tests are the primary diagnostic tools used in motor maintenance programs.

Lesson 1 • Reversing, Sequencing, and Interlocking

Explains forward-reverse starters, mechanical and electrical interlocks, and timed sequence circuits. These advanced control configurations are common in industrial conveyor and pump systems.

Lesson 2 • Two-Wire and Three-Wire Control Circuits

Covers maintained-contact and momentary-contact control circuits including seal-in and memory functions. These circuit configurations are wired and tested in the hands-on lab sessions.

Lesson 3 • Reading and Interpreting Control Schematics

Teaches ladder diagram symbols, line numbering, and tracing control logic from schematic drawings. Schematic reading is a prerequisite for every wiring and troubleshooting task in this chapter.

Lesson 4 • Control Circuit Troubleshooting Methods

Applies voltage and resistance testing methods to isolate faults in motor control circuits systematically. Mastery of these methods prepares technicians for the advanced fault diagnosis chapter.

Lesson 1 • VFD Operating Principles

Explains rectifier, DC bus, and inverter stages that convert fixed AC to variable frequency output. Understanding internal VFD operation is required for correct installation and fault diagnosis.

Lesson 2 • Drive Parameter Programming

Teaches essential parameter groups including acceleration, deceleration, frequency limits, and protection settings. Proper parameter configuration ensures safe motor operation across all load conditions.

Lesson 3 • VFD Installation and Wiring

Covers input/output wiring, grounding, shielded cable requirements, and bypass circuit installation. Correct installation practices prevent EMI issues and premature drive failures.

Lesson 4 • Soft Starter Operation and Maintenance

Covers SCR-based soft starter operation, parameter setup, and maintenance procedures as an alternative to VFDs. Technicians learn to select between soft starters and VFDs for specific applications.

Lesson 1 • Control Circuit Intermittent Fault Strategies

Addresses the unique challenges of diagnosing faults that appear and disappear under varying conditions. Intermittent fault techniques extend the control circuit troubleshooting skills from Chapter 6.

Lesson 2 • Distribution System Fault Analysis

Applies voltage, current, and insulation tests to locate faults in feeders, branch circuits, and panels. Distribution fault skills build directly on wiring and panel knowledge from earlier chapters.

Lesson 3 • Structured Troubleshooting Methodology

Establishes a repeatable diagnostic process from symptom identification through root cause verification. This methodology is applied to every fault scenario presented in this chapter.

Lesson 4 • Motor and Drive System Fault Diagnosis

Combines motor winding tests, bearing analysis, and VFD fault data to diagnose complete drive system failures. Integrates motor and drive knowledge from Chapters 5 and 7 into unified diagnostics.