White Hot

Some of my former project lab students have reached out to me in the past few months seeking career advice. These former students, who all have a Master’s degree, have been working for two to three years now and are trying to figure out the next step in their career. One of the common question I get is “Should I get a Ph.D.?” For more about this article see link … [Read more...] about White Hot: To Ph.D. Or Not To Ph.D.?

Inductors and transformers are vital to most every switch mode power converter. Inductors store and release energy as the switching cycle progresses. Transformers con- vert voltages and currents from one value to another. Transformers also provide the galvanic isolation need- ed to make our converters safe. Yes, I know that switched capacitor converters are developing rapidly … [Read more...] about White Hot: Will a Computer Design Your Next Transformer?

In the last few years I have noticed more and more papers address- ing power electronics and reliability. These papers are, as I have noticed, all coming from academia. Now there is even a university research center focused on power electronics reliability—the Center Of Reliable Power Electronics (CORPE) at the University of Aalborg in Denmark. For more about this article … [Read more...] about White Hot: Advancing Power Electronics Reliability

Some time ago I wrote about the “tools in my toolbox,” discussing the various software programs I use in my consulting business (see “A Look in My Toolbox,” IEEE Power Electronics Magazine, December 2014, p.48). That gave me the idea to write about the “books on my bookshelf” (Figure 1) In this age of “Google knows all” I am sure many are wondering why anyone needs books. Quite … [Read more...] about White Hot: New Additions to the Bookshelf

Throughout 2020 COVID-19 has affected power electronics workshops and conferences around the world. It is a shame that it appears the situation will not be getting better any time soon. I am writing this in October 2020. Here in the United States the COVID-19 pandemic is starting another surge. Given the United States’ unwillingness to do what is needed to stop the spread of … [Read more...] about White Hot: Virtual Conferences