Electricity students at Bluegrass Community and Technical College built 12 new motor control trainers using a Perkins grant. The trainers have enhanced features like variable frequency drives, programmable logic controllers with analog control, and CAT 4 safety relays. These updated trainers will provide hands-on labs for students and better prepare them for careers in industrial electricity, maintenance, or engineering. The electricity program also added a new PLC II class covering advanced technologies used in modern manufacturing plants. The new equipment and classes will attract more students and help the local industry hire graduates and retrain current employees.

1. Electricity Class builds New Motor Control Trainers
By Dave Salyers, Electricity Instructor
The students from left to right: Mauricette Allen, Terry Kellogg, David O’nan,
Ashley Sparks, Freddy Campbell, Nicholas Stewart and David Fine.
What can a handful of students do when given the parts and a plan? The answer is
simple, a lot. This semester the fall 2006 AM and PM EET272/273 motor controls
electricity class using a Perkins grant built twelve new motor control trainers that will
enable Instructors teaching Motor Controls II to develop labs that will teach students
current topics in the maintenance field. The new trainers are enhanced with Variable
Frequency Drives, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) with analog control, and the
CAT 4 safety relays.
What is a PLC? A PLC is an industrial computer used in high speed or repetitive
manufacturing applications during the assembly of a product. A variable frequency drive
unit is used to move motors in such applications as a conveyor or maybe your local
luggage carousel at the airport. The new motor control trainers will give the student
physical hands on lab applications that will enhance their opportunity for a challenging
career in the Industrial electricity, Industrial maintenance or Engineering fields.
Other improvements to the M138 room at Leestown campus include the addition
of an EET286/287 Programmable Logic Controllers II class. The new PLCII class covers
an introduction to ControlLogix with Ethernet and DeviceNet networks, GuardLogix
safety PLC’s and an introduction to Human Machine interfacing (HMI). These
technologies, ControlLogix, GuardLogix and DeviceNet network is the very latest in
automatic machine control with new safety requirements used in modern automotive
production plants.

2. The new Perkins grant equipment should entice new students to the Electricity
program and encourage our local industrial community to participate with BCTCS in the
new class offerings. The local industrial community as it becomes aware of the new
changes to the Electricity program to better hire our students and also consider the
Bluegrass Community and Technical College for future job retraining of their Industrial
Electricity, Industrial Engineering and Industrial Maintenance personnel.
What changes are on the wish for M138 lab room list? One simple word would be
“robotics”. With an automotive company as close as the Toyota Motor Manufacturing
company it would be beneficial to have a robotics program as a recruiting tool. A special
thank you to those involved Mr. Paul turner, Electronics Professor & Dept Chair, and
Mrs. Joannel Robinson for ordering all the parts, Mike Binzer, Associate Professor and
his PM class for assisting with the build and of course the complete AM EET272/273
class for all the extra hard work. Any questions or if you want a tour of M138 please feel
free to call.