Patel: Final Thoughts 1

Final Thoughts on
Original Work

Hansvi Patel

5/11/18
Patel: Final Thoughts 2

Table of Contents

Knowledge Obtained ...................................................................................................3

Conclusion .....................................................................................................................4

The Future.....................................................................................................................6

Real-World Application ................................................................................ 6

Patel: Final Thoughts 3

Knowledge Obtained
Electrical Engineering is a very broad field with many different concepts to learn from. With my

Original Work, I had the opportunity to learn more about the different components and their
associated symbols on a schematic design. From there, I was able to make connections about

how each component fit together to make the entire electrical system as well as how they

interacted with each other.

I also learned about the etches on a board which I thought was important because many times

people ignore them, as they are hardly visible, because of the solder mask, and the components
are the first thing to catch your eye. However, I realized that even when you are making etches,

there are calculations that need to be done to ensure that the size of the etch you are making can

handle the current that is traveling in the circuit. A program my mentor used to do this was
Saturn PCB tool kit which can calculate many things like current, resistance and frequency.

In addition to learning about each individual component, I was finally able to understand how the

alternating current changes to direct current with the help of the components. After looking at
some graphs that showed how the voltage changed with the help of a certain part, this concept

became easier to understand. It also showed me the importance of calculations because you pick
your parts accordingly, so if you mess up when calculating something, the likelihood of the part

functioning (if at all) is very slim.

I also realized the importance of communication and asking questions because in order to
complete this project, I had to ask my mentor questions about how to approach making a

schematic design and the documentation process to make sure I was doing it correctly. This
helped me understand every step an electrical engineer would take in order to complete a project

and how long the process could get if the right questions were not being asked, as the product

created did not turn out the way the customer had wanted. Asking questions is a very important
skill, that many college professors ask their students to play the “Bring Me a Rock” game where
Patel: Final Thoughts 4

the students are required to ask specific questions to make sure the rock they bring is exactly

how the other person wants it. It also teaches you how easy it is to make assumptions as when
you hear that statement, there might be a particular rock that you have in mind, and you assume

that rock is what the other person wants without even asking if that is the case. We are always
unconsciously making assumptions. For example, when you hear there are 52 bicycles and a man

died, the first thing you assume is that the man died from being run over by bicycles. In truth, he

cheated at cards. Assuming things as an electrical engineer may cause problems because the
product you created is not exactly what the customer wanted, which was because you did not ask

enough questions (or the right questions). This means you will have to go back and change parts

of the design and then have someone review it and then test it for any safety issues. What I am
trying to get at is the importance of asking questions and not making assumptions because if you

make assumptions or do not ask enough questions, you are bound to create more work for
yourself and will be a hassle for the customer to have to re-explain what they want.

Conclusion
For my Original Work, I created a schematic design for a linear power supply and then created a

3D model. My original idea was to print a 3D model of what the printed circuit board would look

like; however, my mentor suggested that I should instead have a green board and attach the
actual components to make it look more realistic. Anyone looking at the board could also get an

idea of how small most of the components actually are and a circuit board that most people
imagine have hundreds of components on them. The actual process of creating the board and

schematic did not take as long as I had expected. I spent more of my time creating the

documentation, detailing every part of my design, that it helped me realize that an engineers’ job
does not always involve working with the circuits, as there are always documents that have to be

filled out before and after a product is created. The documents are also meant to guide another

person who is trying to replicate the product, so it must also be easy to understand.
Patel: Final Thoughts 5

Another part that I had to change when I was working on this project was my actual schematic

design. Originally, when I was looking at the different parts to use, I had a very broad list of
components that I wanted to include; however, I realized that a lot of those parts would not be

very useful when making a linear power supply. Once I made my first sketch, I also had to revise
the design a couple of times with my mentor’s input to ensure that the schematic design would

actually work. Revisions are an important part of being an electrical engineer because your first

design will never be perfect, and you have to be patient with the process. The best way to learn is
from your mistakes which doing this project really helped me realize, as if I had actually made a

printed circuit board of this schematic and had not asked anyone to check it before, I could have

made a careless mistake that could have put someone’s life in jeopardy.

Lastly, I would like to mention my mentor Mr. Mike Schroers and the impact his help has made

on this project. I have definitely come a long way from when I first started this mentorship in
March, as I had no prior knowledge in the field besides what I learned about series and parallel

circuits in my physics class. I realized that there was a lot to learn that your teachers do not really

get into at the high school level due to its complexity, and I really appreciated my mentor taking
the time out of his busy schedule to teach me these things. He not only taught me about the many

different components an electrical engineer can interact with and what a Darlington Pair is (two
transistors that work together as one which allows a small current to power a larger load, as the

current is further amplified), but he also showed me examples of documentation that an electrical

engineer has to do and how to use schematic designing software. Whenever applicable, he would
always give me suggestions on how I could improve my work which really showed his level of

commitment in this program as well. I even learned from Mrs. Sheila Frank who explained the
training electrical engineers had to go through at their company Krypton Solutions before they

could actually start working. By learning about this ahead of time, I was able to get an idea of

what an electrical engineer does on a daily basis and decide if this field was right for me. My
mom, another electrical engineer, also gave me some tips on what to add to my schematic design

and how to build my 3D circuit board. She even told me the basic safety requirements that I was
Patel: Final Thoughts 6

following which was an important piece to my Original Work, as otherwise, I would have

created a product that was hazardous to touch without the proper safeguards.

The Future
After researching more about electrical engineering and having this amazing opportunity to learn

from my mentor Mr. Mike Schroers, I came to the decision that I want to pursue this career in

the future. ISM has really taught me the importance of professionalism and setting goals because
without them, I would have put off doing my Original Work until the absolute last minute where

I would have created a poor project that did not accurately demonstrate my skills and what I
learned from this program. These skills will not only help me when I start looking for jobs or

internship opportunities, but even when finals come around and I need to manage my time

accordingly. Besides these skills, just developing a basic understanding of how a circuit works
and actually having the opportunity to create one myself, I will be able to follow along when my

college professor teaches these concepts.

Real–World Application. My initial goal for my original work was to create

something that could make a difference in the world. Even though this
design did not really help me achieve this goal, the design I created

could still be used by someone else. This circuit design could power a

fan (like the one pictured on the right) and with the other components

of my original work, someone with no prior knowledge of electrical

engineering could develop a basic understanding of the field.