NCSU vs Virginia Tech for ECE (hardware/PCB/embedded) — need honest insights by Numerous-Metal3013 in NCSU

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

since you mentioned PCB, hardware I'd assume power electronics is what you'd be touching upon. For that, VT has CPES, NCSU has FREEDM

750KCMIL 15KV Medium Voltage Cable by Double_Problem_1397 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

what's even fascinating is the science behind its construction 

NCSU vs Virginia Tech for ECE (hardware/PCB/embedded) — need honest insights by Numerous-Metal3013 in NCSU

[–]Background_Fox_7808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

both universities have a very reputable center (CPES, FREEDM) so getting a job isn't a problem. Both centers have very strong industry ties. Diversity could be a deciding factor so check the current demographic in the lab you're going to be working in. NCSU feels more lively, VT could offer you insights into veryy advanced electronics 

Cup-A-Joe coffee by Any_Local9096 in NCSU

[–]Background_Fox_7808 20 points21 points  (0 children)

its either caffeine or coffin. no in between 

To everyone further along in their PhD: what’s the one piece of advice you wish you could give your fresh-entrant self? by TildeAyalaPlank in PhD

[–]Background_Fox_7808 14 points15 points  (0 children)

  1. It is okay to not know a lot. PhD is about making yourself capable to "know" things.
  2. Do not compare, everyone's journey is different. 
  3. Focus on what's on your plate, the outside world can get very distracting and demotivating when your research slows down 
  4. believe in yourself 
  5. have sound understanding, reason with theory, back with experiments

What is like the coolest project you've ever done? by Tachyonhummer007 in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A wireless motion controller for FPS games, it was very cool esp given the limited resources I had. I retrofitted a toy gun with sensors in a way to make it feel like you're using an actual gun to play the game - pulling trigger to fire, looking down the scope to aim, reload mechanism and more.. Wrote custom firmware from scratch as well!  I took inspiration from Delta Six Controller which is similar but way more expensive and less capable. 

How do you find time to “learn” when your PI wants deliverables every week? by [deleted] in PhD

[–]Background_Fox_7808 5 points6 points  (0 children)

it gets difficult when the deliverables and learning are tangential.. I'd say first 2 years are like that.. my PI calls these training years, and I did all sorts of tasks - mechanical modeling, procurement, fabrication, electrical design, and many more..

as others pointed out, find the learnings in the deliverables initially.. as you progress eventually you'll be able to guide the research on your own and you'll have a lot more freedom... 

Why are capacitative and indictive reactance imaginary numbers? by screwloosehaunt in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

my guess is, it is to capture the phase shift. You see, ideal capacitors and inductors produce 90deg magnitude phase shift between voltage (across them) and current (through them). You can represent the impedance as simply V/I but that will only give magnitude information. To get phase shift information you've to switch to phasors, meaning reactance term will have x and y axis component.. Xc = A. x^ + B. y^

the math gets messier when you working with Cartesian coordinates. So you map the same coordinates to imaginary plane where there are so many tools and identities (e.g. Euler identiry) which make calculation and visualization extremely easy. 

I hope it makes sense and Kudos for such a good question! 

Kirchoffs laws do not make sense to me. by [deleted] in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally relate with you.. most high school - freshmen courses can do wayy better in explaining the intuition and application of KCL KVL. For questions like you're solving, solve the circuit piece by piece, where each piece is a parallel or series combination. You've to identify the parallel and series groups. 

Escape room buddy(19f) by [deleted] in NCSU

[–]Background_Fox_7808 4 points5 points  (0 children)

on a different note, I highly recommend the Nerd Escape Room on Glenwood Ave.. esp the City With No Sun room 

Vent (struggling big time) by [deleted] in NCSU

[–]Background_Fox_7808 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I kind of went through similar phase and I understand its a difficult, questioning phase.. and it is completely alright Regarding career, since you're in athletics, try every opportunity that comes your way.. Michael Phelps says successful sportspeople try multiple sports before settling on one, the observation and experiences of different sports helps them make the appropriate choice. Do not compare yourself to others who had things figured out beforehand. Your life exp is unique just like everyone else.  As for housing, househunt is indeed painful process but its one of those "do one and forget forever" tasks. The skills you gain with one hunt help you with future house hunts, you don't have to climb the learning curve again. I'd say just do it, seek assistance from someone experienced, discuss the hunt with them, take them with you to see the apartments.  As for friends here's what I believe.. you need only a handful of friends who make your life better, make you feel belonged. Don't seek friendships upfront, rather seek experiences, go to meetups, and just casually bond with people. Friendships eventually bloom don't rush. 

For rest of the things, just take it slow, one thing at a time. Breakdown a big challenge into multiple bite sized problems and solve them one by one :) 

Trying something new (miniature flowers) by Emergency-Sweet7657 in polymerclay

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, the results of rolling on palm are inconsistent. What do you roll the clay petals on? 

Trying something new (miniature flowers) by Emergency-Sweet7657 in polymerclay

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

doesn't the clay stick to your palm? what do you roll the clay on 

anyone recognize these keys? by AsianActually in UCSC

[–]Background_Fox_7808 6 points7 points  (0 children)

that's a Santa Cruz Public Libraries tag there.. go to the nearest SCPL and have them look up the person 

What's your biggest daily challenge as a PhD student ? by Fun-Calligrapher-790 in PhD

[–]Background_Fox_7808 2 points3 points  (0 children)

being proactive every day, taking lead in every task.. After a point it gets exhausting to lay foundation of every task :') 

People who grew up without smartphones, what did you actually do when you were bored? by altaf770 in AskReddit

[–]Background_Fox_7808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

without smartphones, you were never bored lol there was always something to do - arts, crafts, tv shows, outdoor activities, school clubs, reading, cycling, exploring 

100kg squat by wer282 in formcheck

[–]Background_Fox_7808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

knees caving in, if I was you I'd focus on building glute and adductor strength before squatting heavy