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new job in power electronics!

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Avalanche

Thu Aug 30 2007, 07:03PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

I'm just completing my second week in a job as a full time power electronics engineer! I work at a small company who produce fairly large three phase frequency converters in the 150-500kVA range, syncronous motor controllers, and (solid state) single to three phase converters, amongst several other things based on the same technology. I've worked on a variety of things so far including current sense circuits, lots of filters, and gate drive for three phase PWM.
I had to bite my lip on the first day my boss asked me to order a pair of safety glasses from the Farnell catologue; "you should wear them whilst working on inverters, the IGBT modules have been known to explode without warning"

Anyway that's enough waffling, If it weren't for 4HV I would probably have not maintained such an active interest in power electronics over the last couple of years, and I wouldn't be working here

so cheers everyone! I'm going to try and start posting a bit more, and hopefully get some of my more interesting stuff on the projects board... if I still have any time to do this as a hobby as well. I still visit here regularly, just been a bit quiet lately...

Reaching

Thu Aug 30 2007, 08:23PM

Registered Member #76 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 10:04AM
Location: Hemer, Germany
Posts: 458

he, congratulations..

ive been working as a roofer for 3 years now and had nothing to do with electronics in my job. but thats past.

i started a new education(job, learning, apprenticeship), sorry, there are too many words for this), as an information electronic technician. We install sattelite devices and networking and repair tvÂ´s readio hifi equipment etc. with this i can combine my past job with my new one. its good to know all the hints and tricks all around the roof to just install a sat antenna. thats great and im into electronics in my job as well as in my free time :) :)

ragnar

Thu Aug 30 2007, 10:43PM

Registered Member #63 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:18AM
Location:
Posts: 1425

Andy, great accomplishment! I'm looking forward to seeing a few pics from time to time, if you're allowed to take them. I've always wondered how brutal-looking stuff in the 100kW+ range is.

The biggest supply I've ever worked on was a 5kW inverter for a very sizeable xenon video projector -- it was fascinating to see the design of the innards, the techniques used to keep everything neat.

Oh, and those 900V SOT-227 Minibloc MOSFETs were fun, too.

Marko

Fri Aug 31 2007, 12:38AM

Registered Member #89 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145

Wow Andy, what have you made into in so little time!
I guess I now know who to ask things about power electronics

150-500kVA

But Ok.. aren't you joking about this?

The biggest supply I've ever worked on was a 5kW inverter for a very sizeable xenon video projector -- it was fascinating to see the design of the innards, the techniques used to keep everything neat.

Oh, and those 900V SOT-227 Minibloc MOSFETs were fun, too.

You guys do some awesome things. I have yet to see SOT227 in my life.

Steve Conner

Fri Aug 31 2007, 08:42AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

Yay, congratulations!

WaveRider

Sat Sept 01 2007, 09:36AM

Registered Member #29 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 09:00AM
Location: Hasselt, Belgium
Posts: 500

Wow.. That's great! It's great to hear that 4HV was instrumental in landing a great job!!

Avalanche

Sun Sept 02 2007, 10:31AM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

Thanks guys!

The scale of the stuff really is phenominal compared with what I've used before. I found a whole folder of photos on the network which I'll go through sometime when I get the chance, and hopefully post a few good ones (not sure if I'm allowed to or not!)

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sun Sept 02 2007, 05:59PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

That's awsome!

Now if you'll just come with me and design the IGBT driver, boards, ... I'll be on my way

HEHEH, Just kidding.

But I am curoius about how industry deals with the switching speed of the semis, and I'm sure you'll find out.
I hope to get into semi power after I'm done bashing my head against the wall with my college SGTC optimization.

Ken M.

Mon Sept 03 2007, 12:51PM

Registered Member #618 Joined: Sat Mar 31 2007, 04:15AM
Location: Us-Great Lakes
Posts: 628

My best guess Hazmatt, is you know those really expensive like $250 a piece semiconductors you see in parts catalogs, those are probably the parts they use or else they get super top secret specialty parts, and use fairly complex switching circuits, But hey thats just a guess. =)

Avalanche

Mon Sept 03 2007, 05:57PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

With the 'smaller' motor drive stuff I've dealt with so far, I was at first surprised by the simplicity of the gate drive. Just logic gates and complimentary bipolar output stages, with the high sides bootstrapped... but it's only being PWM'ed at 10Khz, and we aim for no less than about 1uS rise times into 30-something nF of gate capacitance on the MOSFET bricks, which is easy. I've yet to see their arrangements for driving the really big IGBTs, that should be fun.

I found a few random pics on the network, I can't see any harm in maybe posting a few here as I'm not leaking any information, but if anyone disagrees let me know!

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