Elevator/Escalator Study Guide

This study guide is intended to aid applicants who are experienced in the field of electricity /electronics

and/or mechanical/hydraulic principles in their preparation for entry-level examinations. By no means is

this study guide intended for individuals who have not completed some form of formal technical training

through a trade school, college or military training; nor should this guide be used as a sole preparation

guide for examination purposes. This guide is divided into three sections: electrical/electronics studies,

mechanical/hydraulic studies, and sources of reference material.

Electrical / Electronic Studies

Ohm's Law

Demonstrate the ability to perform calculations to determine the unknown electrical quantity when given

two of the fundamental values of electricity.

Fundamental Values of Electricity

Be well versed with electrical prefixes and have a basic understanding of voltage, current, resistance,

and power as well as their units of measurement and abbreviations.

Be able to calculate electrical power in watts and combine Ohm's Law and Watt's law to find unknown

currents, voltages, resistance, and power.

Basic Instrumentation and Measurements

Demonstrate the ability to use common test instruments as well as interpret scale values on digital

meters and interpret linear and nonlinear scales on an analog meter.

Demonstrate the ability use an oscilloscope and to interpret a waveform pattern, i.e. determine the

voltage and frequency using an oscilloscope display. Understand the terminology associated with test

instruments.

Basic Electrical Circuits

Be able to identify various types of electrical symbols and common circuit devices.

Be able to identify various types of resistors and their color code.

Understand the relationship of cross-sectional area and length of a conductor as they relate the current

in a circuit.

Identify the three basic circuit configurations; series, parallel, series-parallel and be able to perform

circuit calculations to solve for an unknown electrical quantity, i.e. determine voltage drops, current

values, and wattage values.

Sources of Electricity

Understand the differences between primary and secondary cells.

Distinguish between series and parallel connections.

Calculate the outputs of batteries in series and parallel.

Identify other sources of electrical energy.

Motors

Understand the operation of various dc motors.

Understand the operation of three phase motors.

Transformers

Understand the operation of a transformer.

Identify types of transformer losses.

Be able to calculate the various values of currents and voltages in transformer circuits.

Alternating Circuits

Be able to calculate various levels of ac voltage, i.e. peak to peak, rms, average.

Understand the time relationships of an ac waveform, i.e. quarter-wave, half-wave, full-wave.

Understand the difference between direct current and alternating current.

Be familiar with reactive components, i.e. capacitors and inductors, and understand how they respond in

both a dc circuit and an ac circuit.

Be familiar with formulas associated with calculating the transient response time of both an RC and an

RL circuit.

Understand resonant frequency and how it affects various RCL circuits. Calculate a resonant frequency.

Semiconductors

Understand how N-type and P-type materials in a semiconductor conduct electricity.

Be able to apply the principles of both forward and reverse biasing.

Identify and understand the operation of various types of semiconductor diodes.

Understand the operation of a half-wave and full-wave rectifier.

Understand power supply filtering.

Identify and understand the operation of the bipolar transistor.

Identify and understand the operation of several common thyristors.

Digital Circuits

Convert decimal numbers to their binary equivalents and binary numbers to their decimal equivalents.

Identify various types of logic gates and their associated truth tables.

Be able to apply knowledge of basic logic gates to determine the output of a simple logic circuit.

Understand the difference between digital and analog devices and their signals. Identify different types

of logic families.

Mechanical / Hydraulic Studies

Basic Hydraulics (Fluid Power)

Have an overall understanding of hydraulic systems.

Be able to apply the principles of Pascal’s Law in analyzing hydraulic systems.

Be familiar with Bernoulli’s Principle as it applies to hydraulic systems.

Understanding the characteristics of hydraulic fluid.

Distinguish the difference between hydraulic fluid and specific gravity.

Be aware of the relationship between hydraulic fluid and viscosity.

Understand how hydraulic pressure is measured.

Realize the purpose of relief valves in a hydraulic system.

Realize the purpose of filters in a hydraulic system.

Be aware of how contaminants can affect a hydraulic system.

Be familiar with the purpose of reservoirs in a hydraulic system.

Basic Mechanics

Have an adequate understanding of the laws of mechanics (e.g., friction, equilibrium, inertia)

Comprehend the principles of applied forces.

Be familiar with the principles of absolute and atmospheric pressure.

Possess an understanding of the different types of gears, chain drives, belts, and bearings and their

applications.

Reference Materials

Books

Electricity and Electronics by Howard H. Gerrish, and William E. Dugger, Jr., published by Goodheart-

Willcox Company Inc. – ISBN 1-59070-207-7

Industrial Maintenance by Michael E. Brumbach and Jeffrey A. Clade, published by Thomson-Delmar

Learning – ISBN 0-7668-2695-3

Electrical Motor Controls by Gary Rockis and Glen Mazur, published by American Technical Publishers

Inc. - ISBN 0-8269-1207-9

Solid State Fundamentals by Gary Rockis, published by American Technical Publishers Inc. – ISBN 0-

8269-1634-1

Websites

All About Circuits

MIT Electricity and Magnetism Video Lectures

MIT Physics I: Classical Mechanics Video Lectures

Wake Forest University Physics Demo Videos