am2 motor overload

[Bobster]

In a nutshell the practical has become a joke.

3way lighting.
ring final.
smoke alarm in fp200.
s-plan heating circuit.
a run of cat 5
SWA to a 3ph socket
A motor circuit, all DOL control pre wired.



All the containment is pre installed. Wiring diagrams are provided. All MCB sizes and positions in the board are pre defined.

So long as you follow written instruction, it's an easy pass. There are even pre built rigs candidates can look at.

 

[Knobhead]

Ye Gods!

That's it!

 

[davesparks]

I did the previous version of the AM2 and I found it to be an easy and enjoyable few days! Working in perfect working conditions with decent materials and a plan that actually made sense!
And we had a real motor which went round and round when we turned it on!

 

[Knobhead]

The power lab at the engineering collage I went to was shut down by the HSE.
60HP DOL? No problem. But far too dangerous for today’s little darlings.

My son went to the same collage and was quite looking forward to getting to play in the lab. He was to be disappointed.

FFS you went to work the next day, all of a sudden you have to deal with it.

 

[Knobhead]

maddad2001

Please let us know how you go on.

 

[DanSwift1988]

It's interesting how a lot of people on here 'play down' the new AM2. I've recently passed it and feel quite proud of my achievement. Remember this test is aimed at those who are nearing the end of their 4th year as an apprentice, not fully fledged sparks who have been in the game for years.

Would be interesting to see how many of the old timers would get through it first time, bad habits and all that :smilewinkgrin:

 

[davesparks]

You should be damn well near fully fledged at 4 years in, and certainly able to do your own jobs with minimal supervision.

And there's no room left for bad habits on the new AM2, it's all wire by numbers isn't it? There was precious little you could do wrong on the old one really if you knew what you were doing and could read!

 

[Darkwood]

It's interesting how a lot of people on here 'play down' the new AM2. I've recently passed it and feel quite proud of my achievement. Remember this test is aimed at those who are nearing the end of their 4th year as an apprentice, not fully fledged sparks who have been in the game for years.

Would be interesting to see how many of the old timers would get through it first time, bad habits and all that :smilewinkgrin:

I played it down because I read the requirements and TBH its been made a lot easier ... as I said the key points that most failed in my day have been dropped, you had to make a steel dogs leg bend and the conduit you were given was probably 10mm longer than required so very little room for error ... it really does explain why half my apprentices over the yrs passed the AM2 but couldn't bend conduit... its a skill required to be a competent Electrician unless you want to basically hold the title of domestic installer who would not really ever need it.

When you simplify things the level of skill entering the Electrical world also drops in line too this is not a dig at those taking the exams your a victim of a dumbed down education system which started collapsing when physical punishments were banned in state schools in 86 if I recall, we now have an unhealthy schooling environment where disruption is destroying education and leaving the UK at the bottom of the education standards in the world with regards to sciences and maths... Noted 2 key areas to becoming an Electrician.

Yes be proud of your pass Im not trying to take that away but you were educated in a very disruptive environment and sometimes had to revise harder to achieve less so the knock on effect was all further educations systems had to be dumbed down too or no-one could pass them, this isn't my opinion this has been shown to be the case and education levels have dropped year in year out but pass rates increased which sound counter-intuitive but government after government had to hide the reality to avoid the blame its only recently that changes are now been made in schools and in some ares reverting back to the old ways. Ill stand by what I posted then but understand its not an attack on anyone taking these exams and after teaching apprentices for 20yrs and helping and guiding them do you really think I'd struggle with the AM2 as it is now, Im not one to get bad habits as it puts either your or the public at risk.

 

[davesparks]

I have plenty of bad habits, but I reckon I could pass an AM2 with minimal fuss.

 

[Knobhead]

Our apprentices came to us after a year of full time collage.

If after 6 months on the works they couldn’t rattle that lot off I’d want to what they were doing.

I’m sorry but as a test of any form of competence it is a total farce.

 

[Knobhead]

It's interesting how a lot of people on here 'play down' the new AM2. I've recently passed it and feel quite proud of my achievement. Remember this test is aimed at those who are nearing the end of their 4th year as an apprentice, not fully fledged sparks who have been in the game for years.

Would be interesting to see how many of the old timers would get through it first time, bad habits and all that :smilewinkgrin:

BTW they’re not bad habits.

Because we don’t need a crib sheet to work to they equate to “knowing your job” or “how to get results with the minimum of downtime”.

Believe it or not ultimately your wages depends on what goes out the door.

 

[Dcf]

why no actual motor to connect to in the am2?
would it not give the guys taking it a better idea of what they are trying to achieve?
off the top of my head my am2 consisted of
steel trunking to the top of already fitted db first.
20mm be conduit with a double 90 bend and a set into trunking.
25mm be conduit with a bubble ( could have fitted your head through mine but it fitted somehow!)
4l1.5 micc
2h6.00 micc
wiring the lighting circuit and a fwd rev starter
a bit of cable tray also.
very few passed it first time.
the lads with the big teams flew through the conduit , trunking and tray but came unstuck on the wiring and testing.
the lads with the smaller contractors were the opposite from the above.
my lasting memory was a lad from bk drilling his thumb and having to go to hospital!
and we are being told its not dumbed down.....

 

[maddad2001]

maddad2001

Please let us know how you go on.

Well I passed the exam, seeing as most of you think the exam is a doddle. Guess I shouldn't be too proud of myself.

Just remember most of my apprenticeship has been in the recession. Finding jobs is hard to come by for new starters in some regions. I havent had exposure to much proper testing and the exam is quite thorough testing wise. Also I dont recieve any where near the amount of installation practise and variety I would like. Im am older apprentice in my 20s and unfortunately jumping from firm to firm is not a safe solution for me. Because I wouldn't gamble on my kids livelihoods. But lots of companies are employing young guys with no intention of correctly training them mainly using them as cheap labourers.

 

[Darkwood]

Its a generation thing don't be offended, its also harder to learn in the disruptive environment in schools nowadays hence half the reason they had to simplify it... it doesn't mean it was easier for you to sit the exam so congratulations on your Pass ... a proud moment for any student/Electrician

 

[LeeH]

No pyro and steel conduit?!

Cat 5? WTF had happened to it?

 

[Baker1988]

Pyro and Cat 5 are easy any way so it makes no difference if it is in the exam.

 

[davesparks]

Yes it does make a difference, cat5 is easy yes but pyro is not easy until you have a bit of experience with it

 

[Jason Smith]

Wattage/693=amps

 

[Darkwood]

Wattage/693=amps

Old thread but still relevant even today, could you please expand on your equation, where do you get the value 693 from and what exactly is this formula relating to, as we are discussing standard 3ph induction motors can I assume you are referring to these to apply the calculation?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

400*sqrt(3) = 693. Or, if you prefer, 3*230 with a rounding error! Watts per amp of line current into a 3-phase resistive load.