Labeling is a big deal in the electrical industry: from wire labels to panels and push-buttons.

Back in the old days, we had one type of label maker. It had a round knob on top of it with all the letters and symbols.

You would feed a hard plastic tape into it, turn the knob to the letter you wanted, pull the trigger and the letter would be punched into the tape.

Then peel off the back and stick it on whatever you were labeling.

And we labeled EVERYTHING!! Our lunch boxes, folders, lockers and each other.

Now a days labeling is more sophisticated and the label makers can get very pricey.

Brady has an awesome labeler at the right price!!

The BMP 21-PLUS

TOUGH on the outside, SMART on the inside. The super rugged, ultra intelligent BMP®21-PLUS is an affordable label and wire printer designed for the tool box.

• This handheld label printer creates multi-line labels for clear identification of wires, panels, circuit boards and other industrial items
• On-board keyboard contains letters A to Z and numbers 0 to 9, and backlit LCD graphics display for easier labeling even in low-lit areas
• Prints in 6 different text sizes ranging from 6 point to 40 point in a single color
• Compatible with Brady BMP21 Series printer continuous tape cartridges to enable printing of various styles and widths
• Drop-tested and reinforced with molded-rubber impact bumpers for durability in the most demanding work environments

~ Woody

It’s that fun time of year when we get to play Clark Griswold and decorate our houses for the holidays!!

What a great time, freezing, running extension cord connected to extension cord all over the yard and roof!!

If you’re like me, you have a vast collection of blow molds, lights and even a moving Santa. (I always have to nail his feet to the roof so he won’t fall off.)

The biggest pain is always trying to remember to run outside and turn them off.

Thanks to Intermatic, this is now easy!!

The TN311 Heavy Duty indoor timer will do the trick. You set it and forget it!!

Features

• 3 ON/3 OFF settings per day with removable trippers, more ON/OFF events with addition of extra trippers
• Minimum 30-min ON/OFF time
• Grounded receptacle and 3-prong plug
• Plugs directly into wall outlet

~Woody

Emergency lights have come a long way!! Back in the old days, they were huge steel boxes containing a large heavy battery with two big lights on top. These boat anchors could weigh a ton, not to mention they looked like a robot and took up a lot of room.

In the last few years they have all become LED. This means smaller batteries and smaller housings. One of the smallest is the Lithonia EU2LM12.

The Lithonia Lighting® EU2L LED Emergency Light is suitable for emergency lighting applications such as stairways and hallways.

Its low profile design with small, unobtrusive dual lamp heads makes the EU2L ideal for safely illuminating the path of egress in small spaces at lower mounting heights.

It can be wall or ceiling mounted and will provide 90 minutes of emergency power in the case of power loss.

FEATURES:

 Test switch and status indicator

UL indoor damp location 50°F to 104°F (10°C to 40°C) listed standard

For use with dual voltage 120/277VAC

~Woody

Let’s say you belong to an “Organization”. You get up every morning, have your coffee, and send your driver out to pull the car around. Then suddenly, BAM!! Not only do you have to hire ANOTHER driver, but you need a new car too!

If only he could have looked under the car. You should have sent in the Ferret!

Or, you’re crawling on your belly under your house when suddenly, out of nowhere, the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!

You should have sent in the Ferret!

Who is the Ferret you ask?? The Ferret is not a who, The Ferret Camera Tool Kits are a revolutionary way to carry out inspections. Wireless and rechargeable, this inspection cameras and its accessories allow you to see clearly in dark and confined spaces. It can help you see in ceilings, under flooring, behind objects, in building risers, chimneys and more, ultimately saving you valuable time and money.

~Woody

It’s always the same problem, you’re up on a ladder, trying to hang a light or a ceiling fan and the screws they provide are always so small, that if you don’t use a magnetic tipped screw driver it is impossible to keep from dropping the screw. This can cause a lot of trips up and down a ladder, and if you lose the screw, forget it. You will of course find it, a week later when you are walking through your living room barefoot and it goes right into the bottom of your tootsie! This could cause an infection, gangrene and death!

To avoid all of this, wouldn’t be cool if you could magnetize all your screwdrivers?

Well now you can the Klein MAG2!

• Magnetizes and demagnetizes screwdriver tips and bits using powerful rare-earth magnets
• Single swipe operation provides immediate magnetization and demagnetization
• Fits most screwdrivers including precision screwdrivers, 1/4 Slotted, #2 Phillips and #3 Phillips
• Attaches to tool bags or backpacks with the included stainless-steel key ring
• No batteries required
• Made in USA with global components

To magnetize: insert screwdriver fully into magnetizing slot; avoid rotating the shaft while drawing out slowly.

To demagnetize: insert screwdriver fully into demagnetizing slot; avoid rotating the shaft while drawing out slowly.

~Woody

Unless all the breakers are marked correctly, it can be a real pain to find out what breaker is connected to an outlet. If you own an expensive circuit tracer, then the job is easy. But if you don’t, there are only a few options.

First, you can plug a light fixture in, run to the panel, shut off the breaker and run back to see if the light is off.  This will give you a great workout, but isn’t exactly efficient. Or, you can plug in a radio, tune it to your favorite station and turn off breakers until the music stops. The problem is, if the outlet is too far away from the panel then you will have to crank up the volume and if it’s a good song, who wants to shut it off?

Well I found this cool device from Reliance that can take care of this problem!

The THP109 Circuit Scout – Circuit Analyzer and Breaker Locator.

Simply plug in the device, move switch to ON and device will sound (adjustable) siren up to 105 dB until circuit breaker is turned off and outlet is no longer live, identifying the outlet that is fed by a specific breaker. Analyzer: color-Coded LED’s identify specific problems with outlet wiring and it has a GFCI test button.

~Woody

USB-C is the emerging standard for charging and transferring data. Right now, it’s included in devices like the newest laptops, phones, and tablets. Given time, it’ll spread to pretty much everything that currently uses the older, larger USB connector.

USB Type-C has a new, tiny physical connector—roughly the size of a micro USB connector. The USB-C connector itself can support various exciting new USB standard like USB 3.1 and USB power delivery (USB PD).

Just think of it, now we will need an adapter to plug into a receptacle for the normal USB, and an adapter to go from the new USB to the old USB, or just an adapter to plug the USB-C in. Either way, it’s going to be a mess!

Well Pass & Seymour is here to save the day. They have come out with a new receptacle with two USB charging ports for mobile devices – one Type-A port and one Type-C port for newer products.

The PTTR15ACUSBW with The PlugTail® termination provides a more productive, secure, and safer installation and allows you to connect with the future of wiring device innovations.

~Woody

Or just listening to music while taking a relaxing bath? Everyone does!

The problem has always been getting the music into the bathroom. I remember as a kid my parents had a toilet paper holder that had an AM radio built into it. The reception wasn’t great and the sound was bad, but we could rock out to the AM top 40. Today there are all kinds of portable Bluetooth speakers, but, you get what you pay for. Lithonia has come out with an awesome LED wireless speaker downlight!

The LED Wireless Speaker Downlight provides an easy and efficient way to light up a room and enjoy music for the entire family. Wirelessly stream audio from Bluetooth™ enabled devices and pair up to 8 units together for an enhanced sound experience.

Retrofits into most standard 6″ recessed housings or new construction and remodel applications.

So, don’t forget your microphone soap on a rope (sold separately) and rock in the shower to your favorite tunes!

CONSTRUCTION — Aluminum die cast trim with poly-carbonate housing. Round fixture with integral LED’s. PATENT PENDING

OPTICS — Diffused lens surrounding speaker provides even light distribution for general illumination. The LED module maintains at least 70% light output for 35,000 hours. Wide flood beam angle at >45?.

ELECTRICAL — High-efficiency driver mounted on the module. 1 x 1 4?, 5W loudspeaker. Primary power disconnect provided for simple connection to a dedicated LED connector in the housing or E26 adapter provided. Accommodates 120 volts DC at 60Hz. Dimming down to 10% with most standard incandescent, magnetic low voltage and electronic low voltage dimmers. For compatible dimmers, see page 4 for recommended triac dimmers. Rechargeable lithium ion battery that lasts up to 6 hours when the light is off. The battery charges when light is turned on and takes approximately 4 hours to fully charge.

INSTALLATION — Suitable for installation in standard rough-in sections.

E26 socket adapter ships standard. Twin torsion springs ensure easy installation for 6″ recessed housings. Tested to fit in a minimum enclosure of 6” diameter by 6” height, with a maximum flange diameter of 7.5” For examples of compatible housings No third party application required to operate speaker downlight.

LISTINGS — ETL certified to US and Canadian safety standards. Wet location listed. WSEC ASTM E283 for Air-Tight (with IC housings).

WARRANTY — 3-year limited warranty for LED’s and Driver. 1-year limited warranty for Speaker.

~Woody

Splicing large wire has been a challenge since it was invented.

First there was the split bolt. This device requires you to strip the wire, scratch brush it, put anti oxide on it, tighten it with 2 wrenches, and wrap it with 2 rolls of rubber tape then 3 rolls of electrical tape. It looks awesome (NOT), and takes a lot of time and space in a box.

Then came the compression splice. Strip the wire, stick it in both ends of the splice, crimp it down and then heat shrink. Problem is, a lot of folks don’t own a crimper so they go old school with a hammer or a rock to smash it!

Now there is a quick and easy way to splice. The Burndy Unitap!

This is so cool!!! Strip the wire, insert into the Unitap and tighten down the set screws and you’re done. No tape, no heat shrink and it is a nice looking splice.

BURNDY BIBS-2/0-3

Features & Benefits

• 600 Volt Rated
• Fully Insulated Aluminum 6061-T6 connector body saves time and lowers installation costs by eliminating the need for taping
• Listed to UL486A-B (File E9498)
• CSA Certified to C22.2, No. 65 (File 042860_c_00)
• Rated for use with flex conductor (No Ferrules Required!)
• AL9CU dual rated for use with copper and aluminum conductors
• Range taking designs will accommodate wire sizes from #14-750 kcmil Class B & C, and #14- 535 DLO Flex
• Configurations include Taps, In-Line Splice Reducers, Single-Sided Entry, and Double-Sided Entry with the number of ports from 2 to 14
• Clear Plastisol Insulation allows visual confirmation that conductor is properly inserted into port
• Operating temperature from -40°C to 135°C
• Conductor ports are pre-filled with oxide inhibitor
• Screw Port and Conductor Port caps provided to protect against contamination and accidental contact of energized parts
• Caps are color coordinated to quickly identify maximum conductor size accommodated
• Screw Port caps contain recommended installation torque values for quick and easy reference
• • Conductor Port caps contain the accommodated wire range and allowable conductor classes

~Woody

One thing I have learned about working with electricity over the years is that there are a ton of formulas and calculations to consider.

From figuring out an amp load to bending the perfect offset.

Most electricians will use The National Electrical Code, but trying to read that thing can be like figuring out instructions from Ikea! Not to mention that before the internet, lugging that NEC binder around was a like being back in high school carrying books from class to class.

For more than 35 years, customers have turned to Ugly’s for all the information they need, where they need it most: in the field. Updated regularly to meet the latest Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and the National Electrical Code® (NEC), these convenient pocket-size guides deliver quick, accurate answers in a unique, one-volume “tool-box library” format to ensure electrical and plumbing jobs are completed safely and correctly every time.

~Woody