**Practical PEMD For All** will liberate practical power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) training across the UK, by removing cost and accessibility barriers to high quality teaching equipment in machines and drives.
PEMD employers often find that new recruits lack practical experience in PEMD, even after background training. Students are equipped with robust knowledge of circuit analysis, electrical machines and drives through simulations and paper designs. Yet they have limited practical experience of how to configure electrical drives, integrate them with machines and determine parameters depending on the desired operation.
This leaves new staff at a disadvantage when they enter employment, and can leave behind the existing engineering workforce without helping them upskill in electrical technologies. Only realistic practical exercises using hands-on or remote kits can solve this.
We propose new activity streams in practical PEMD tasks, that will have genuine national impact, through open access online and an effective equipment loan scheme.
* **Design exercises in eBikes and eVTOL drones**
Takes students through the entire design process of all elements of motor and electric powertrain design in a structured design project across disciplines. Hands-on/virtual practical exercises throughout.
* **Benchtop machine sets**
Developing new benchtop size and 13A mains powered machine and drive kits that still accurately reflect the physics of industrial machines. Lower cost per kit than any existing market solution, enabling large class size teaching. Fully remote control accessible, and available in a loan pool for FE colleges or CPD delivery to SMEs.
* **Digital Twin of a high power teaching lab**
Teaching equipment exists for safe HV machines and drives teaching, but is not remote access capable. We will create a digital twin for immersive, interactive teaching.This will also enable realistic industrial exercises to be operated in safety e.g. remote characterisation of machine faults using physical measurements and readings
Running through each stream is a commitment to online-first, open-source teaching.
We will create genuine national reach through:
* **Open-access online laboratories.** Real-time access to real lab kit using some of the benchtop machines.
* **Open source teaching course material.** All design exercise and fundamental teaching material available publically for integration into FE curricula and schools outreach, as well as universities.
* **Equipment sharing.** A bank of equipment that can be shipped on loan to FE colleges or SMEs. This enables "hands-on experiences" at teaching providers who would otherwise find this unaffordable.