Academic Catalog

APEL 125: TRANSFORMERS, GROUNDING & BONDING; OVERCURRENT PROTECTIVE DEVICES

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Units: 5.5
Hours: 56 lecture, 37 laboratory per quarter (93 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: Per California Code of Regulations, this course is limited to students admitted to the Electrical Apprenticeship Program.
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in APRT 125.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • A student will be able to explain and apply ground fault protection to circuitry.
  • A student will be able to identify grounding requirements for an electrical service.
  • A student will be able to lay out ground sizes for equipment.
  • A student will be able to prepare and use a ground rod.

Description

Continued study of transformers. Introduction to grounding and bonding. Introduction to overcurrent protective devices (breakers and fuses).

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a deeper understanding of electrical transformers (single-phase and 3-phase).
  2. Describe the principles and functions of grounding and bonding systems.
  3. Describe the principles and functions of overcurrent protective devices (OCPDs).

Course Content

  1. Transformers
    1. Principles, functions, and operations of single-phase transformers
    2. Principles, functions, and operations of 3-phase transformers
    3. Correct wiring and connections for commonly used transformers
    4. Conductor sizing and OCPD sizing based on NEC
  2. Grounding and bonding
    1. Principles, functions, and operations of grounding and bonding systems
    2. Sizing, layout, and installation of grounding and bonding systems components using the NEC
  3. Overcurrent protective devices (OCPDs)
    1. Principles, functions, and operations of OCPDs
    2. Discussion of various types of OCPDs
    3. Discussion of circuit breakers and fuses
    4. Discussion of current-limiting OCPDs

Lab Content

  1. Students will properly size and install conductors for a grounding and bonding system on a transformer and service panel.
  2. Students will pull conductors and terminate all other transformer connections.
  3. Students will demonstrate panel makeup.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Laboratory with electrical tools and equipment.
2. When taught as a virtual section, on-going access to computer with software and hardware capable of running video conferencing applications (e.g., Zoom).

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Results of written quizzes and average of six tests
Results of hands-on projects and homework
Results of class participation

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Lab assignments
Group discussion
Class demonstrations

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Electrical Training Alliance. Construction Documentation. 2024.

Electrical Training Alliance. Applied Grounding & Bonding. 2020.

American Technical Publishers in partnership with Electrical Training Alliance. Transformers Principles and Applications. 2006.

These are the standard electrical textbooks/workbooks used for this course. Although some are older than five years, they are the most current books used when teaching this course.

ETASV blueprints via Procore.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Students are assigned reading in provided textbooks. Knowledge checks are administered during class periods.
  2. Activity worksheets are administered to be completed at home for the next class period.

Discipline(s)

Electricity