M-2501 Reliability
by Bob Beckwith, CEO
Originally printed in September 1999.
 The
first experimental work on the M-2501 AutodaptiveŽ Capacitor
Control started on a drafting table in my office at home several years
ago. This followed simulation studies that I made using early Apple
computers. The first of these studies was in 1978 with a computer
that had a serial number around 1015!
With the kind cooperation of Florida Power Corp., an M-2501 was installed
to operate a capacitor bank on a pole along one side of our home property.
A squirrel got across two phases a few weeks ago, blowing two fuses and
taking the control out of operation. The control was replaced as
this was thought necessary.
I was with the linemen after they had made repairs which included replacing
the capacitor cans that were all defective. They said that there
were burn marks at the top of the pole indicating at least two lighting
strikes to the pole. In addition, a cable crew truck had backed
into the control, forcing the socket into its mounting box and requiring
a replacement socket.
When we got the old control back to our engineering lab, we examined
it thoroughly and found that it operated properly in every respect!
Can any other control withstand direct lighting strokes on the pole on
which the control is mounted? how about phase-to-phase faults at the pole?
And being bashed by a maintenance vehicle?
Keeping Current is an editorial column by Bob Beckwith,
CEO of Beckwith Electric Co, Inc. Reproduction of the whole
or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
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