Control Techniques has published the second edition of its Drives and Controls Handbook, which first appeared in 2001. The book, commissioned by the IET, runs to more than 750 pages and has been edited by CT’s former technical director, Professor Bill Drury, who is now a technical advisor to the company as well as being a visiting professor at the University of Bristol.

“Very little of the last edition has made it into the new one without at least some modification and there has also been a lot of entirely new subject material included,” says Drury. There are new sections covering basic electromagnetic and motor theory. Developments in areas such as power semiconductors, functional safety and control have also been covered.

Detailed consideration is given to the ambient conditions which influence the specification of drives and associated equipment. Guidance on EMC, harmonics, thermal management, cabling and fusing have all been updated significantly, including changes to international regulations. The applications section has also been expanded.

Although the handbook draws on CT’s engineering expertise, it is applicable to equipment from other suppliers, including AC and DC motors, servo control, communications and system design.

The handbook is priced at £80, but is available at a 20% discount via a dedicated Web site at www.driveshandbook.com.

♦  Professor Drury is also chairing the fifth IET conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD 2010), which takes place in Brighton, UK, from 19–21 April next year. The international event will focus on the latest developments in these technologies and will include workshops and networking events. The organisers are accepting abstracts for consideration until 18 September 2009.
www.theiet.org/pemd