jane's coming back =)

Sunday, August 14, 2005


It's about time... Jane is finally coming back to Taiwan. Good thing that Acbel considered hiring her as a Project Management engineer. Of course I'm very excited, and at the same time pressed for time. I need to clean the apartment soon. Well, its in a mess since she went home. However, my buddies here in Taiwan said the apartment was far "cleaner" compared to their place.

www.gaboogle.com

I like going to this website. It has a lot of no-nonsense entries coming from this smart guy. If you are into computers and web design, I guess this site is worth visiting.

Transformer and Inductors

Monday, August 08, 2005


Recently, I had the opportunity to design the power magnetics of my project. Since I was building a Forward Converter, the Transformer and the Output Choke are the key magnetic elements.I was going through a lot of technical literature on what other people would do, when my boss informed me that the transformer and the inductor will be integrated in the PCB. Whoa!!! The transformer and inductor coils will use the pcb trace. The Core will then sandwich the PCB trace. This technology has already matured, but I'm new to this. So, better review basic electromags to get a feel on how to approach the requirement. Gives me a good reason to further develop my skills.I think learning shouldn't stop in college, or even when you become a manager. The power supply gurus, even at their prime years, still admit they are still learning new things whenever new and challenging projects come by.

Work...work...work.. and oops, its my birthday

(August 6, 2005)

Oh my, its 12:30am and I'm not yet sleepy. By the way, it is already Monday. What a way to start the week. As usual, there will be a 4 hour meeting in the morning, which would leave you only 4 hours of work for the rest of the day. Given the set of deadlines, going home early is not an option. Overtime has become my way of life =(It was my 29th Birthday last Saturday and spent the day in office trying to make my project work. Pathetic. Good thing the circuit worked, or else it wouldn't be a Happy Birthday for me =) Jane and I will make sure to C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E our recent birthdays when she arrives here soon.My current project is an LED Driver which would power up a string of RGB LEDs. These LEDs would be the backlight source for LCD monitors (FLAT PANEL MONITORS). At first I thought it was easy, but I was wrong. As any power supply design, it had it's share of challenges.My next project will be a converter on a 23x58mm board, capable of delivering 30 amperes at 3.3 volts output. Cool.Working with these Taiwanese guys is a good experience. Before, I always get surprised when I get introduced to someone who has an MS or Phd in Electronics/Electrical Engineering and working in the same department. Why are there so many MS or Phd holders in our group? Tsk tsk, always need to review my electronics or else, everyday will be a humbling experience. From our department manager, down to the senior engineer, every one has either an MS or Phd degree. Only one guy made it to a senior engineering level without having an MS/Phd degree and I'm so proud to say that he is a Filipino. Not me ofcourse! He was my classmate back in the University. I'm the new guy here.I've been working for 6 months here in Taiwan, but it feels like a long..long time. It was hard adjusting to their culture, especially regarding their work ethics. Working 12-16 hours is normal for them. I felt burned out during my first month. Who wouldn't. Especialy if you're one of those PETIKS dudes =) Eventually, got the hang out of it. Now, idling during office hours gives me this strange feeling.Ok, NOW its time for bed.

i moved to my own

jane created a separate blog for me so i can publish specifically my own thoughts, complaints, sentiments, etc.

following are my posts transferred from www.janrio.blogspot.com