#54 🚀 How do engineers learn Power Electronics?
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How do engineers learn Power Electronics?
The classic path of learning power electronics (and magnetics) is through university studies of Electrical Engineering, an MSc in Electronics, or a Ph.D. in Electronics and Experience.
I have been thinking about this and I have found several interesting questions on the road. In the internet era, it’s common to learn a skill with all the information you can find on the internet. You can pick up an online course in chess and after 100 hours of lessons and 1000 games, you can say, you are an expert.
Or you can take a course about Python for 3 months, spend 1000 hours (6-9 months) programming and look for a job as a Junior Python Programmer in a Startup and get good money.
However, I see electronics very differently. You can download all the articles of IEEE Transaction in Power Electronics and make online training on Coursera and without Laboratory experience, you can´t be a Junior Power Electronics Engineer (or this is my opinion).
What makes special the Laboratory experience in Power Electronics? Why is it so relevant? (This applies to the subcategories like Magnetics, Control, or EMI)
I have an idea why the Lab experience is so important. There are two main reasons:
Engineers are not physicists
We find solutions but we aren´t physics or mathematicians, who can create complex models of high-frequency effects. Therefore, engineers are extrapolating simple models to design power supplies. The problem of Lab experience starts here. The theory won´t support you in all the decisions you have to make during the customization of the PCB, Mechanical, Magnetics…EMI noise.
However, engineers are accumulating experience and this experience helps us to repeat what was working before and avoid what creates problems. Good experience engineers have a lot of personal tips to create a power supply but are not scientific methods.
Lack of Scientific Method
I have read hundreds of papers and I can see a huge lack of scientific methods in power electronics. Which makes it impossible to learn from others’ experiences.
I’m passionate about physics and I’m pretty sure, we need to hire physics to help Power Electronics to move to the next level as they did with the transistor 70 years ago.
What if we collect the data and try to use a machine?
However, as Einstein said,
if we want different results, we need to do the things differenttly
Engineers are not going to change and become scientific. However, we have the technology for helping them collect their data.
Engineers will be able to use this data for learning and after a couple of generations, we could have enough data for building Power Converters in less than a week-my self.
The idea of using AI for solving these problems is not new and I personally have been sharing this thought on previous occasions.
🚀 What’s next?
Academia is doing an excellent job. Most PhDs and MSc have hardware experience. In the #27 edition, I listed the most important Academies teaching Power Electronics. They use to work with companies on real projects and I would say, Academia is the main consultancy resource for the industry.
But, is Academia teaching how to think outside of the box in Power Electronics? Of course, some professors are working in edge technologies, such as Juan Rivas in Standford, working in extremely high-frequency converters (>25 Mhz).
In my humble opinion, one of the reasons is the inbreeding of the positions. Ph.D. students at a specific university will have much more chances of continuing the legacy of their supervisor. And resonance boxes ensure we reinforce our own opinions and beliefs.
In any case, my question is related to an upper level. If we take a look at the history:
1967 - First Linear regulator by Bob Widlar
1972 - First commercially used SMPS. Hewlett-Packard used a switching power supply in its first pocket calculator. Apple was also a pioneer in using an SMPS in Apple II
What’s next?
Feature of the week: Saturation Current
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