Wireless Power Emerges As New Field for Power Supply and Electromagnetics Design
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, June 2012
The large number of companies now developing wireless power products suggests that this is an
area that may generate new career opportunities for power electronics (PE) engineers in the
years ahead. For PE engineers interested in this field, it may be encouraging to learn that the
power supply topologies, design techniques, and components being deployed in wireless power
applications are generally similar to those PE engineers have been working with in other
applications. However, there are some wireless-specific design challenges such as the design of
transmitting and receiving coils, which creates a fundamental requirement for electromagnetics
modeling and simulation. In this column, two developers of proprietary technologies—Wireless
Power & Communication AS and WiTricity Corp.— share their insights on the design challenges
encountered in their applications and the types of engineering skills that they and their
customers rely on to create wireless power solutions. Read the full article»
Aspiring Power Electronics Engineers Must Master Four Aspects Of Converter Design
By Dennis Feucht, Innovatia Laboratories, Cayo, Belize, August 2011
Power converters are not trivial to design. They involve analog and digital circuits; discrete-time, sampled feedback loops; parasitic elements in components that significantly affect circuit behavior; and control models of the nonlinear element (the PWM switch) that have taken decades to refine. In all, power electronics is one of the most demanding areas of electronics. This article presents a brief overview of power converter design, describing four essential aspects of this activity—circuit waveforms, magnetics, parasitic resonance, and control—and highlighting some of the complexities of converter design. This article will also point out some of the skills engineers need to overcome converter design challenges. Read the full article»
Digital Power Control Impacts Power Design on Many Levels (Part 2)
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, May 2011
Last month, we discussed the impact of digital power supply controller ICs on power design, both as it affects requirements for design skills at the chip level as well as at the power supply and power system levels. In this column, we explore some of the effects of DSC/DSP-based power supply and power system design on engineers working in these areas. We’ll also look at some of the general requirements for power designers working with digital power control, and how future technology developments may impact power design work involving both dedicated digital power controllers and DSPs/DSCs. Read the full article»
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Rap Session Wrap Up: APEC Panelists Explore Social Media As Cure For Corporate Hiring Woes
By Kevin Parmenter, Power Sources Manufacturers Association, Phoenix, Ariz., April 2011
In the September 2010 issue, guest columnist Kevin Parmenter wrote about his frustration with corporate hiring systems that make it difficult for technology driven companies to find talented engineers and for talented engineers to land rewarding jobs. During the recent APEC 2011 conference, Kevin had the opportunity to moderate a rap session on this very topic. The session allowed him to compare his experiences as a hiring manager and a job applicant with the experiences of other engineers, learn from recruiting experts why such hiring systems exist, and discuss possible solutions to the current bad practices in hiring. In this article, Kevin reports what he and other rap session participants learned during their lively discussion. Read the full article»
Digital Power Control Impacts Power Design on Many Levels (Part 1)
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, March 2011
Use of digital power control is on the rise as it finds its way into more and more
applications, a wider range of power levels, and even high-volume applications where cost
barriers may have prevented its entry in the past. Although volumes are still low for many
digital power designs, the field is growing and as it does, it is changing the way power
components, power supplies, and power systems are designed. Consequently, the mix of skills
required to design these products is also changing. In the first part of this article, we’ll
look at the impact of digital power supply controller ICs on the types of skills and experience
required in power design. (See pages 46-50 of source PDF.) Read the full article»
Working With Recruiters: What Engineers and Employers Need to Know
By Kevin Parmenter, Power Sources Manufacturers Association, Phoenix, Ariz., December 2010
If you’re an engineer working in industry, at some point there’s a good chance you’ll encounter a recruiter trying to fill an engineering position at a company. Your encounter with recruiters can either be a positive or negative experience, depending not only on what the recruiter says or does for you, but also on what you—the potential job applicant—say or do with respect to the recruiter. In this edition of Power Supply Jobs & Technology, guest columnist Kevin Parmenter gives you guidelines to avoid the potential pitfalls of working with recruiters, how to identify the good ones, and other tips to make the recruiting experience work well for you. Parmenter also shares his advice for how companies can work productively with recruiters. Read the full article»
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Bad HR Processes Stymie Efforts To Hire Talented Engineers
By Kevin Parmenter, Power Sources Manufacturers Association, Phoenix, Ariz., October 2010
"Companies often state that their number one business concern is finding, attracting and retaining the right talent in their organizations,†writes guest columnist Kevin Parmenter in this edition of Power Supply Jobs & Technology. But as Kevin explains, the hiring systems and processes that companies have put into place make us wonder whether these organizations really mean what they say about the importance of attracting and retaining the right people. A long-time semiconductor industry veteran who currently serves on the board of directors of the Power Sources Manufacturers Association, Kevin shares his experiences and frustrations as a manager trying to deal with these hiring systems. He also suggests common-sense alternatives to the current practices, which threaten to derail many engineering-driven companies Read the full article»
Corporate Recruiting of Graduating Engineers: Many Factors Influence Hiring, Consortiums Offer Companies An Edge
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, August 2010
In last month’s Power Supply Jobs and Technology column, I discussed trends in corporate recruiting of graduates from power electronics (PE) programs, focusing mainly on the types of companies that are recruiting these engineers and the level of demand for these engineers. In this issue, I’ll explore the technical requirements that may influence recruiting. I’ll also touch on the impact of industry consortiums, and how their support of PE programs gives them an advantage in the recruiting process. Read the full article»
Universities See Continued Demand For Graduates Of Power Electronics Programs
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, July 2010
In this column I usually explore opportunities in power electronics from an industry perspective. I typically speak with recruiters and engineering managers in a particular industry such as automotive and ask them about their requirements for power electronics (PE) engineers. This time, I went searching for a different perspective, that of the universities who are graduating engineers from dedicated power electronics programs. The message I have been hearing from industry is that such power electronics programs are too few and they are not producing enough power electronics engineers to go around—at least not in the U.S. In speaking with staff and faculty at a few American universities, I hoped to find out whether this demand was reflected in the recruiting of their graduates. I also wanted to get some insights into the types of companies or industries that were recruiting PE engineers, and whether there were any emerging trends in that regard. And finally, I was curious about what impact if any, the recession has had on corporate efforts to attract these new engineers. Read the full article»
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