Menu
VoltSafe Blog Team – December 18, 2024
It is no secret that a large part of Voltsafe’s brand is built around the safe connection to high power electricity. Traditional pronged electrical plugs have always come with hazard and safety warnings due to the design of prongs. VoltSafe’s design will not only bring high voltage electrical connection safety to homes but to businesses and the marine sector. Electrical Shock Drownings (ESD) is a problem that the marine industry has been trying to solve. VoltSafe Marine provides the solution. VoltSafe’s marine system will help to reduce the number of electrical shock drownings by helping boaters and marinas identify leakage from the boats or marinas. The other major difference with traditional shore power cords is that you can drop the cord into the water and not worry about the cord electrifying the water.
With safety being top of mind for the team at VoltSafe, it made sense to employ a Power Electronics Lead with a focus on electrical compliance. Enter Will McKnight. Will joined the crew with a great understanding of and passion for EMC (electromagnetic compatibility)compliance. PCB’s (printed circuit boards) that pass EMC testing will have reliable operation and will not be affected by voltage spikes and will function even in the presence of strong electromagnetic fields.
Will started down the path of engineering by enrolling in the University of Colorado Boulders Masters Program for Electrical Engineering before reaching out to potential employers through LinkedIn. He managed to secure a couple of job opportunities before enrolling in SFU’s Engineering program. He found the program encompassed a broad spectrum that covered computer science to systems engineering and electrical engineering. But it was only while he was converting his car to electric did he start to develop an interest in inverters, motors and power supply.
He started following Electronic Systems Designer and EMC expert, Daniel Beeker. Will shares Beeker’s view that many in the field of engineering are life long learners. Taking side projects also helps engineers build on their skills. Along with a passion for learning, Will also believes that being humble when faced with a problem or issue, knowing when you are wrong and taking a stance when you are right are all important traits to have in the field especially when it comes to project management. What Will enjoys the most about engineering, is the instant gratification that comes from taking what you learn in theory and putting it to practice right away.
Will brought his approach to project management to VoltSafe after a chat with the engineering team. He found a place for his project management and EMC compliance approach in the supportive and innovative environment of VoltSafe.
Will’s approach to tackling challenges with circuits and electricity relies on two things: one is finding the root cause or the source of the problem, and the other is finding a solution that is satisfying. That is because finding the perfect solution doesn’t exist in this field. There may also be scenarios where you may not find the problem but you may be able to put it into a box that you can contain.
This is why Will believes that following good design practice is important, especially since (as Will points out), the transition time for design in electronics is so narrow that the margin at which bad design practices can be tolerated is very small. Power engineers today deal with large draws of energy consumed in modern day homes and businesses compared to a few years ago and the amount of energy being consumed and the speed at which it is consumed keeps increasing as we become more dependent on technology. This makes compliance really important on the EMC side. Will shares that on average 50-60% of all companies fail compliance every time. He believes that is because a lot of money is being wasted on bad designs. The reason he believes companies are working with bad designs from the start has to do with old design principals being taught in schools and applied in the workplace. He also thinks that schools should introduce new design principles that teach EMI and new board design along with teaching the fundamentals of engineering.
With initiatives to bring manufacturing back to North America, Will is confident that bringing good relevant information back to educational institutions will enable electrical engineers here to compete on a global scale and for electrical designs created in North America to outshine our competitors when it comes to EMC compliance.
As for the future, Will hopes to become a dog parent to either a golden retriever or a duck toller. Both breeds would make great companions on Will’s hunting or camping trips. Will also enjoys traveling and learning from other cultures.
If you would like to be a part of our team and enjoy a supportive environment that fosters learning and keeps pace with the latest in good electrical design, check out voltsafe.com
About VoltSafe Inc.
VoltSafe Inc. is changing the way people connect to power. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, the Canadian tech startup has reinvented the electrical plug by eliminating prongs, adding magnets and an “electrical fingerprint”. Using patented technology, VoltSafe has created the world’s safest, simplest, and smartest plug design since electricity came into homes more than 140 years ago. The company’s product pipeline includes magnetic plug replacement solutions for household, commercial, industrial, marine, electric and autonomous vehicles, emergency services, data centres and more.