So I’m just getting into actual electrical work, I’ve been doing tech repair for a while which has made me interested in EE, at the moment I really only understand the very basics like basic components (resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc).

What are some good free sources online I can utilize to learn Electrical Engineering?

My short term goal is to just understand how to design a circuit.

I’m also curious about physical books that are good, not free of course, for learning electrical engineering.

I appreciate any suggestions and I’m very excited to get into EE!

I've been spending more time looking at EV motor controllers, and one thing that gets overlooked in general EV discussions is how much the inverter contributes to overall drivetrain efficiency.

Even with a good motor, you've still got switching losses, conduction losses, dead-time effects and thermal limitations in the controller.

And the operating point matters. A controller that's efficient under one load condition isn't necessarily operating at its best during repeated low-speed acceleration or high-current operation.

What's interesting is the trade-off between higher switching frequencies, current ripple, audible noise and heat.

SiC devices can improve some of those trade-offs, but cost and system design still matter.

For anyone who's worked on motor drives or inverter design, which tends to be the bigger challenge in practice: reducing switching losses, managing thermal performance or getting the control strategy right?

I'm particularly interested in how those priorities change between low-cost two-wheelers and larger EV powertrains.

I'm a third-year Electrical Engineering student, and I just got offered a co-op position from an MEP consulting services company. I truly want to try out what different industries are like because I interned as a design engineer at an aerospace company last summer, and I learnt a lot about analog design and stuff. However, I kinda want to get the full experience of what it feels like when working in different industries before I graduate so I don't regret when just going all in for just one specific industry. That being said, my boss from the company I interned at last summer also offered me a spring part-time job (circuit design intern at an aerospace company). What would your advice be to me if I am just dumb for burning the bridge with the previous employer, or is it ok to try out different industries?

For context in a junior EE and next semester I’m supposed to take classes for my concentration. Not really sure what I want to concentrate in since there are so many diverse options. I’m worried about choosing the wrong one and stuck in an industry I don’t like. Would appreciate any advice, thanks in advance.

I mostly work with multi-PWAs systems in which a bunch of complicated PWAs have to come and work seamlessly together. No one really documents anything at my work and if they do, it's mostly either a bunch of overlaying texts on these schematic PDFs that live in some random dude's computer or word documents that are kinda scattered around. I mean it's not the best but it's something. Do you guys mostly do the same lol?

Hello,

For an engineering job I’m applying to, they want me to complete a timed, online assessment. However, I have several disabilities for which I would require accommodations on the test (when I was in school, I received extra time and other aids).

Should I inform the hiring manager of this?
On the one hand, I’m leery about disclosing disability status, since I know they’re not SUPPOSED to discriminate on that basis, but I absolutely don’t trust this in the current job market. Especially since this would be my first full-time engineering job.
On the other, accommodations would improve my chances of success.

Have any other disabled engineers been in this situation while job searching? What did you end up doing?

EDIT: for context, I’m in the US. Employers are generally prohibited from disability-based hiring discrimination, and must make “reasonable accommodations,” but those protections don’t seem very strong right now

Hypothetically speaking, if all materials were indestructible and could not melt or get damaged. What would happen if there was a short circuit?

Hey all,

I’m a current EE student who is trying to decide between two full-time offers. I’m looking for advice on the differences between the industries and the opportunities that each would provide.

Offer 1: ~101k + 8k bonus for a power transmission/distribution company in Texas. MCOL area.

Offer 2: 115k + 12k relo for an oil supermajor. It’s a role that I’m not familiar with (instrumentation engineering) but I’m willing to learn. LCOL area.

I was wondering on the differences between the power vs O&G industries and if the skills I’d develop at either of these jobs are very transferrable. I’ve heard that power engineers are in demand but how’s the job market for instrumentation roles?

I’d appreciate any input. Feel free to message me if you need more information. Thanks!

Hello guys! I'd like to know the resources for the C language. As a freshman at EE, I am having trouble in C language.

I have been thinking about starting some sort of educational channel for a while now.

Quick context, I design industrial control panels. I am thinking of creating in-depth videos designed to make people confident about topics such as:

• panel load calcs
• motor controls and sizing
• inside panel layouts
• PLC racks
• wiring methods and insulation
• picking what parts to use
• conduit sizing
• wire duct fill
• transmitters
• reading customer specs
• etc.

Topics around things I have seen instead of the usual "this is how a relay works". Most of my Googling and YouTubing brought up videos for cool Arduino projects, AutoCAD playlists, and third-party panel building services. Not a ton that a designer might find useful day-to-day.

Is an educational channel with that idea something folks would potentially like to see, or would I be wasting my time?

P.S.: I read all the rules before posting as best I could. If this post still needs to be taken down, just give me a slap on the wrist instead of the the Ban-Hammer and tell me what I did wrong and should avoid next time. Just trying to create something instead of constantly consuming.

K-factor: this is a derating factor for a standard transformer used to supply non-linear loads, so that the total loss on harmonic load does not exceed the fundamental design loss of the transformer.

What does it exactly mean by "fundamental design loss"? Is it the full load loss of the transformer under fundamental frequency; If yes, then how come the total loss on harmonic loads could be less than the "full load loss of the transformer under fundamental frequency + harmonic load loss"?

Hi!

I have an interview coming up for an RF / Microwave EE I position at a defense prime (onsite, airborne radar focus), and I'm looking for some advice on how to prep.

My Background:

• B.S. in EE recently graduated.
• Standard undergrad RF/Electromagnetics coursework, plus basic hands-on lab experience with VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers, and MATLAB/ADS.

For those working in defense RF or who have interviewed for Entry-Level RF roles recently:

1. Fundamental Math vs. High-Level Concepts: How much on-the-spot math should I prepare for? Is it mostly conceptual (explaining S-parameters, $P_{1\text{dB}}$, noise figure, Friis formula), or will they ask me to do live Smith Chart matching and transmission line calculations on a whiteboard?
2. Lab & Automation Focus: The job description mentions test automation heavily (Python, LabVIEW, VISA/GPIB). Are they expecting deep scripting questions, or mostly understanding how to set up automated S-parameter / power sweeps?
3. Common Pitfalls: What are the most common fundamental traps entry-level candidates fail on during technical screens?

Appreciate any advice or resources to brush up on. Thanks!

so im still in high school but i love to do electrical engineering,ive made my first pcb motor driver using a l9110 IC and i work with esp32 and all that stuff ive made some pretty cool things i guess you can say im moderate/newish to it ive worked with basic parts too like dc motor resistors sensor compasitors mosfets transistors all that stuff.i know how to code microcontrolers but not with c++ ive been using scratch code,BUT THE REAL QUESTION is for college is there a specific catagory of electrical engineering major that doesnt focus on just theoretical stuff but actually does hands on stuff with parts

I bought this non-working Naomoto HYS-5 gravity-feed steam iron online and wanted to get it working again. I’ve tested the wire paths and it looks like it just needs a new thermal fuse. Before plugging it in though, I want to make sure it’s wired correctly.

The current wiring has neutral going to the on/off switch and hot going directly to the heating element and steam button, meaning even with the thermostat set to zero, the steam button and heating element are still getting power?

I’d taken it apart which is why terminals are disconnected but each one is touching its corresponding terminal. The schematic is ai generated, so a little wonky, but represents the wiring as it is now.

Been looking more closely at EV motor controllers lately, and it's interesting how quickly a straightforward classroom concept turns into a proper engineering problem.

On paper, it's a three-phase inverter, PWM signals, some feedback and a control algorithm.

Sounds manageable.

Then you actually try making it work reliably.

Suddenly you're dealing with dead-time, noisy Hall sensor signals, current measurement errors, MOSFET heating, timing issues and a motor that doesn't behave the way your simulation predicted.

And that's before getting into FOC or sensorless control.

I feel like getting a motor to spin is one achievement. Getting it to run smoothly, efficiently and safely under different loads is a completely different one.

For those who've built or worked on BLDC/PMSM motor controllers in college:

What was the hardest part?

Was it the hardware, control algorithm, debugging, or something you didn't even anticipate?

Also curious whether people started with six-step commutation before moving to FOC, or jumped straight into an existing motor-control library.

Would love to hear about projects that didn't work the first time. Those stories usually teach more than the final demo.