Students

ELCT3005 – Power Electronics

2020 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Mihai Ciobotaru
mihai.ciobotaru@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ELCT2005 or ELEC295) and (ELEC2070 or ELEC270)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit develops fundamental knowledge and skills in the area of power electronics converters and their typical applications. Foundation knowledge in semiconductor devices, passive components and general circuit analysis is assumed. The unit extends those fundamentals to electrical energy conversion systems operating with relatively high current and voltage levels. Topics covered include: an introduction on power semiconductors and converters; power computations essential in analysing and designing power electronics circuits; dc-dc converters and dc power supplies; single and three phase inverters and rectifiers; and power electronics applications. This unit uses problem/team based learning approach, where students have to choose a project topic and their team members, and then design, simulate, build and test a converter prototype. The PLECS simulation tool and Arduino control board are used in the development of the project.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Describe the relationship between physical structure and performance characteristics ofpassive electrical components and active semiconductor power electronic devices;
  • ULO2: Analyse and simulate power electronic circuits and derive accepted performance parameters, including power quality metrics;
  • ULO3: Design and critically assess key aspects of power converters such as AC-DC, DC-DC and DC-AC converters;
  • ULO4: Design, build and analyse a complete power converter application based on a set of user specifications;
  • ULO5: Demonstrate knowledge of emerging applications of power electronics in the renewable energy systems, energy storage systems and micro-grids;

Assessment Tasks

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Assessment Information

Grading and Passing Requirement for Unit

  • In order to pass this Unit a student must obtain a mark of 50 or more for the Unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P, CR, D, or HD).
  • For further details about grading, please refer below in the policies and procedures section.
  • If you receive special consideration for the oral presentation and demonstration of the Project, a supplementary conventional exam will be scheduled by the faculty during a supplementary exam period, typically about 3 to 4 weeks after the normal exam period. By making a special consideration application for the oral presentation and demonstration of the Project you are declaring yourself available for a conventional exam during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to applying. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.

Hurdle Requirements

  • Students must attend and participate in at least 6 of the 7 weekly PC Labs (Weeks 1-7) to pass this unit.
  • Students must attend and participate in at least 5 of the 6 weekly Project Labs (Weeks 8-13) to pass this unit.

Late Submissions and Re-submissions

  • Late report submissions will attract a penalty of <10/100, 10%> marks per day. Extenuating circumstances will be considered upon lodgement of an application for special consideration.
  • Re-submissions of work are not allowed.

Students are reminded of the University policies regarding assessment, academic honesty and disruption to studies.

Requests for extension on assessable work are to be made to the Unit Coordinator but will only be considered in the event of illness or misadventure.

Delivery and Resources

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.

Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

UNIT WEBSITE

  • The iLearn website for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/.
    • Note! All information and communications relevant to this Unit will be via the iLearn website.

TEXTBOOK

LECTORIALS

  • Lectorials take place twice a week (Weeks 1-7) according to the Unit schedule.
    • Note! Students are strongly encouraged to attend at least one of the two weekly Lectorials.
  • Lectorials are a combination of traditional lecture and tutorial teaching modes and are designed to improve student engagement inside/outside classes.
  • The Lectorials are organised in a flipped classroom fashion.
  • Outside class
    • links to E-Text specific sections, brief videos and/or lecture notes are posted in iLearn each week.
    • students are expected to read these E-Text sections, try to solve any given examples, and watch any videos and/or read any posted notes prior to attending the Lectorials.
  • Inside class
    • brief discussion sessions on fundamental principles.
    • plenty of practical examples.
    • interactive problem solving involving students.
    • quizzes/tests to assess the understanding of fundamental principles in power electronics.

LABORATORIES

  • PC Lab activities take place once a week (Weeks 1-7) according to the Unit schedule.
    • Note! Students must enrol in one of the two available weekly Lab sessions.
  • Interactive PC Labs use PLECS software platform to assist with the modelling and design of power electronics converters.

PROJECTS

  • Project activities take place once a week (Weeks 8-13) according to the Unit schedule.
    • Note! Teams must enrol in one of the two available weekly Project sessions.
  • The team Project is the core component of this Unit. The Projects cover practical aspects of control theory to be used in future Electrical, Electronics and Mechatronics units.
  • Students are required to form teams and choose one project topic from a given list of projects.
    • Note! When forming teams, students should agree in which weekly Project session they want to enrol.
    • All Project activities are performed in teams;

TECHNOLOGY

  • The laboratory work will rely on the use of PLECS software platform.
  • PLECS Standalone software can be downloaded for free from Plexim website and/or or can be used on dedicated Lab PCs.
    • Note! The PLECS server license will cover only PCs connected to MQ online network.
  • Each team will be given an Arduino kit for the second half of the semester to perform experimental activities.

COMMUNICATIONS

  • Students are reminded the University will communicate all official notices by email to official MQ student's account. Students should read their @student.mq.edu.au email regularly or forward it to an account they check regularly.
  • All announcements and other communications regarding this Unit will be via iLearn platform.

WEB RESOURCES

Unit Schedule

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

Refer to iLearn website for a detailed Unit schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

This Unit has been revised compared to previous offering as follows:

  • All Lectorials and PC Labs take place in the first part of the semester (Weeks 1-7).
    • Note! Assessment tasks for Lectorials and PC Labs will take place during this time interval.
  • All Project activities take place in the second part of the semester (Weeks 8-13).
    • Note! Assessment tasks for Projects will take place during this time interval.
  • The Unit follows a new textbook in Power Electronics by Ned Mohan.
    • The textbook has been specifically designed for teaching undergraduate courses and is intended to cover both the fundamentals and practical design in a single-semester course.
    • The textbook is now available in a Digital form and is supplemented with a wide range of digital resources, such as slide presentations and videos.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
18/02/2020 Removed specific times (e.g. Week 13, etc) from Assessment tasks in MQCMS (amendment approved), which has now been completed in iTeach in the Unit Guide. Note! All the specific days for assessment will be detailed in the Unit Schedule to be attached to the Unit Guide. I realised that I should not have added these Weeks in MQCMS, as it creates duplicates and confusion with the Unit Schedule.