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WE CAN DO BETTER: A PROVEN, INTUITIVE, EFFICIENT AND PRACTICAL DESIGN-ORIENTED CIRCUIT ANALYSIS PARADIGM IS AVAILABLE, SO WHY AREN’T WE USING IT TO TEACH OUR STUDENTS?

Abstract

Circuits and electronics textbooks today are arguably more attractive than past editions and are bolstered by a plethora of supplements and software; yet, when it comes to the core circuit analysis methods that every student must learn, how much real progress has been made? Learning and being able to apply circuit analysis fundamentals well is foundational, but too often engineering graduates find that the analysis techniques they learned in school seem to lack practical application on the job. This is especially true when it comes to the understanding and analysis of analog circuits. As result, young engineers find themselves uncomfortable in tackling needed analog designs. Even experienced engineers realize that there are probably more efficient ways of solving design problems, but often feel they lack the time to pursue them. All the while, globalization has made us keenly aware of the need for efficiency in electronic design. Despite the dominance of digital electronics, it can be argued that analog expertise and insight are even more critical for designing such things as high frequency communications or advanced power systems. In this paper the author calls for a paradigm shift in how analysis is taught by adopting an already proven unified body of techniques into our textbooks and lectures that heretofore have been largely unutilized. These techniques, pioneered by emeritus Caltech Professor R. David Middlebrook and others, and dubbed D-OA (Design-Oriented Analysis), needs to be mainstreamed into our educational consciousness and taught to our students. In a real sense they are intellectually liberating! The practical value and student acceptance of these methods have already been established in industry and in some universities, such as the author’s institution. Examples based on common circuits used in textbooks are used to illustrate the advantages these techniques have over traditional methods

Introduction

One day I asked my friend Jon Parle, Principal Engineer at the John Fluke, Inc. and design guru of a number of Fluke’s successful hand held meters, what was one of the most important skills he looked for in an engineering graduate. He quickly responded that what he looked for was someone who had a good intuitive grasp of how electronic components and circuits worked. He said that when it came to being a good designer, intuition was key to being able to use available theories and tools to efficiently create successful designs. Students in engineering programs usually could learn the theories of circuit analysis and the powerful CAE tools like MATLAB® 1 and MultiSim® 2, but when it came to apply them effectively to real world

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Peter, D. (2007, June), We Can Do Better: A Proven, Intuitive, Efficient And Practical Design Oriented Circuit Analysis Paradigm Is Available, So Why Aren’t We Using It To Teach Our Students? Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2238