Name:

Hardware Laboratory

Number Of Attempts: 11
Instructions:

Please complete the survey before May 10, 2005. The survey is totally anonymous.

Question 1 Multiple Choice

The experiments were properly designed, with clear objectives and were well explained in the lab
manual.
Answers

Percent Answered

Strongly Agree

72.7%

Agree

27.3%

Neutral

0.0%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 2 Multiple Choice

The lab experiments reinforced the concepts learnt in class lectures.
Answers

Strongly Agree

Percent Answered

100.0%

Agree

0.0%

Neutral

0.0%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 3 Multiple Choice

I liked the concept of power pole board, where in several experiments could be conducted using
the same board.
Answers

Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree

Percent Answered

72.7%
18.199999%
0.0%
9.099999%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 4 Multiple Choice

Overall the lab class had the right mix of experiments on pre-assembled boards and experiments
that involve design and implementation.
Answers

Strongly Agree

Percent Answered

54.5%

Agree

18.199999%

Neutral

27.3%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 5 Multiple Choice

The time allotted for each experiment was just right.
Answers

Percent Answered

Strongly Agree

63.6%

Agree

18.199999%

Neutral

18.199999%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 6 Multiple Choice

The laboratory (along with class lectures) gave me motivation, basic skills and confidence to
pursue a career and/or higher studies in Power electronics, control or power systems.
Answers

Percent Answered

Strongly Agree

72.7%

Agree

9.099999%

Neutral

9.099999%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

9.099999%

Question 7 Multiple Choice

I would recommend this lab to other students.
Answers

Percent Answered

Strongly Agree
Agree

90.9%
9.099999%

Neutral

0.0%

Disagree

0.0%

Strongly Disagree

0.0%

Unanswered

0.0%

Question 8 Essay
What did you gain from the laboratory that students not taking the lab may have missed?

Given Answers

0 Unanswered Response(s)
I feel bad for the students that did not take the lab. It reinforced what we learned in the class.
The Lab experiments were indeed hands on work, the closest that can get to an industrail in a
school lab. I thorougly enjoyed and learned a lot from the lab. I could directly apply the things
that I learned from the lab to my work in power electronics.
I believe I gained confidence that the material I learned in class is something that I can use in
the real world.
The laboratory supported the design concepts in class and demonstrated how the converters
really work. It is fine to calculate the waveforms and component values on paper - that is done in
every class, but getting to physically measure the output with a scope really adds to the
feasability of your design work. Students who did not attend the lab might not know how the
switchers create noise in the signals or how the output responds to load changes. It was very
helpful to see this in the lab and have a very good TA who can help understand the design.
Non-idealities are always difficult to explain/realize in just the classroom. Seeing switching
spikes and voltage drops was very helpful. Further, the lab provided helpful insight about
effeciency that wasn't/couldn't be explained in class.
Also, practical experience is invaluable to any designer. In particular, designing and constructing
the magnetics was a great experience. Experience is probably the biggest lose to student not
taking the lab.
- Practical skills for making measurements and using an oscilloscope.
- Familiarity with what real waveforms look like, both when a circuit is operating normally and
when something is wrong.
- Experience with some non-idealities (e.g. leakage inductance) and how they affect waveforms.
- Experience working with the details of a real PWM IC; In class, PWM blocks were treated as
abstractions.
- Knowledge of how converters behave in some corner cases (transformer saturation, DCM,
high load current, etc.)
Ayannar is a very good prof. This lah was the best lab I ever had. We got our design to work and
I was happy.
Thank you
I was able to see the theory learned in class put into action. This helped reinforce the concepts
learned in class.
The practical applications of material learned in lecture is enormously valuable. It is difficult to
understand the dynamics of the hardware we are designing in class without watching the real
device work. For my lab partner, it was the first time he had ever designed a peice of hardware
and implemented it. The experience really reinforces the excitement about engineering, it
motivates you to learn more.
Practical experience, reinforcing concepts
Seeing is believing - you know that the theory taught in the classroom works. Visual stimulation
allows the lesons to sink in a bit more.
Question 9 Essay
What did you like most about this laboratory?
What did you like least about this laboratory?

Given Answers

1 Unanswered Response(s)
That our TA was theire to help us regularly
We were able to apply most of the topics covered in class. And, the resources provided were
excellent.
The scheduled time of the lab was less than desirable, but Di allowed us to come in earlier in
the afternoon.
I like the control design the most in the lab. I think that lab was the first lab where I felt like a true
engineer because I was able to keep the ouput voltage constant by the design of my controller.
I think that some of the earlier labs were repetitive and we could have used some of those lab
times for some of the longer labs at the end of the semester.
By using the PE boards helped and saved time, but at the same time student has very little idea
about what goes inside it.
The TA was an excellent teacher he too helped us understand the circuits. After class any
questions I had were answered in the lab. The equipment used for this lab was outstanding and
very high tech. I am a senior graduating in the fall who is working as a development engineer,
and I can say this is the best lab I have ever taken and I would like to get ahold of an
Oscilloscope like the one used in the lab!
I really enjoyed the relaxed enviroment of the lab. The lab TA was great and very helpful. My
favorite lab was the controler desgin because we actually got to watch or thoery, design, and
hardware in action. The same goes for when we built the isolated converter.
I liked working with the power converters first hand. Nothing I really disliked.
Several design topologies could have been evaluated and compared within one lab assignment,
which would have left more time for the final project. One of the reasons the lab took too long
was the oscilloscope and computer interface. It might take as much as 5 minutes to capture one
image and upload it into the computer - this is absurd! This needs to be evaluated.
The final design was excellent. Being able to design and build the transformer and inductor was
very helpful. It allowed us to see first hand what parts are available and how to get it done. More
time should be allowed for the feedback design. Additionally, a certain amount of time should be
used to test the design and determine it's operating paramters.
The lab was very hands on, the experiments were controlled, but with a degree of flexiblity that
allowed for problem solving and critical thinking. Building a converter at the of the lab was
definately the best part.
The only problem with the lab is the distance the power board sets from the experimenter and
the design. Unless you have specific experience with hardware design, it is difficult to
understand and appreciate the actual design of the hardware.
Most: Learning practical skills and building the self-confidence needed to work with real circuits.
Least: The pre-designed board made it convenient to observe the operation of working circuits,
but did not lend itself to investigating the causes of non-idealities that we observed.
Question 10 Essay
Any suggestions or comments that can help further improve the laboratory experience?

Given Answers

1 Unanswered Response(s)
The last lab is really long and should be spaced out better. Also the lab TA Di was probably the
most knowledgeable and best lab TA I ever had.
The soldering and layout seemed to be the biggest problem for most. Maybe a design layout
can be suggested on paper so future students won't struggle as much.
The TA was the reason we learned so much. He was able to answer every question and
seemed well prepared before every class.
none it was great
- The physical work area was a little too tight. I spent significant mental effort on juggling the
computer, instruments, notes, calculator, etc. I think I could have been much more efficient with
more room to work.
- In the lab manuals, the report requirements were separate from the lab procedure and
sometimes did not have a clear correspondence with them. That format made it harder than
necessary to be sure that I was making all of the required measurements. A more streamlined
manual with tables or checklists would be helpful.
- I was often confused about how current measurements were made on the power pole board.
A clear schematic showing the locations of sensors and sensing resistors, along with their
conversion values, would be helpful. The schematic should also show the various L and C
values.
- The causes of non-ideal behavior that we observed were often mysterious. For example, it
would have been interesting to investigate the causes of mysterious oscillations or to track
down which parts of the circuit are causing the most losses.
- It might be possible to cover more topics without increasing the workload if the labs were
based on class homework assignments, instead of being independent.
This was the best lab I have taken at ASU, very very well done. The TA was very helpful. I
learned a lot from the lab. I wouldn't change anything.
Maybe an DC-AC inverter lab would be interesting
More design labs like the two mentioned in question 9.
A special thank goes to both the instructor and the TA for all the hard work they put in to start
the PE lab. The TA was hery helpful and always help student improve their knowledge.
The school/lab can benefit from a mutual relationship with a company in this feild. My
employer, Mobility Electronics Inc. ( a company in to PE) has a community reach program if the
school/lab is interested in.
Thank you for a Great Lab!