Hello everyone, it’s Jonny again!

✨ Nothing fosters mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement quite like the planning of a world’s first event. It’s like beginning a journey on an unchartered sea. You wake up on that first day and your compelling drive for adventure and discovery meets a fresh morning mist of uncertainty. Although eager to start your voyage, you can’t help but let a little vulnerability work its way in.

🤩 But... Within just one hour of kickstarting the Mag & Mad Conference, there was no mist, only enjoyment in the air. Any apprehension that may have been lingering had completely vanished and was replaced with a profound and joint sentiment that this was the start of something big.

🤝 Great minds from across the globe came together to present, discuss and progress the future of Magnetics in the world’s first Magnetics focused Conference held right here in Madrid. I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I was with a sense of pride to be a part of this event, to be in the presence of these great minds and to work alongside the people who worked so hard to make this the success it was.

🤓 Even though this time my presence was regrettably online, I can tell you now that it only reinforced my strong desires to attend the next one in person and enjoy the buzzing vibe that was so painfully palpable through my computer screen. For those of you lucky enough to attend, let me summarize some of the many high points. For those unfortunate enough to have not, let me explain to you what I had the privilege of enjoying and the melancholy of missing.

🎤 The event was launched with a wholesome talk by Prof. Teresa Riesgo (Secretary General of Innovation, from the Ministry of Science and Innovation) highlighting the importance of “Deeptech” innovation in Spain and across Europe.

Figure 1 - Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General of Innovation, from the Ministry of Science and Innovation  

💡 Chema Molina, Frenetic’s CEO, then gave an inspiring speech, setting a precedent for the whole event with a pertinent quote from Einstein, “If you want different results, do not do the same things”. And as someone who works very closely with him, I know this is a philosophy he lives by, and the very reason this event was created.

Figure 2 - Chema Molina, CEO at Frenetic

🧑‍🏫 OK, now let’s explore the waypoints of the journey. Following an overview of the industry and an introduction by our CTO of Magnetics (and the key organizer of the event) Jonas Mühlethaler, what ensued was a day of fantastic, relevant and extremely high-quality lectures by some of the best minds in our industry.

• Alex J. Hanson (University of Texas) – “Opportunities in magnetic materials for MHz power conversion”
• Sam Ben-Yaakov (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) – “Nonlinear magnetics: Turning a deficiency into value
• Alejandro Nieto (Rhode & Schwarz) – “EMI Precertification with oscilloscopes”
• Paul Ohodnicki (University of Pittsburgh) – “Enabling Soft Magnetics for Wide Bandgap (WBG) and Ultra-Wide Bandgap (UWBG) Power Electronics”
• Thomas Guillod (Dartmouth Engineering) – “Using (Simple) Neural Networks to boost Power Magnetics Models”
• Alex J. Hanson (University of Texas) – “Beyond Interleaving: Double-Sided Conduction in MHz Magnetic Components”
• Lucas Nicieza (Frenetic) – “Innovation towards high power density – design trends and performance impact”

If that doesn’t get you buzzing, after a day of very stimulating and entirely Magnetics-based presentations and discussions, the cohort were swiftly moved to Frenetic House in Madrid to challenge their minds with a Magnetics Building Workshop.

🍻 A workshop that I’m dearly sorry to have missed, because if there is one thing I love more than magnetics, it’s beer, and that too was present. I’ve heard that it’s easier to wind a Magnetic before a pint of beer. But I’ll never know, at least not this year anyway…

To add salt to my wounds, as if that wasn’t the pinnacle of the evening, the Workshop was followed by an evening of cocktails, conversation and music. If I had a violin, I would be playing it now as I write.

Figure 3 - "Build your Magnetics Workshop"

🎙️ The second day started with as much a burst as the second, and straight into some fantastic and gripping talks.

• Ziwei Ouyang – “Planar matrix transformer for low-voltage high-current LLC converter”
• Jonas Mühlethaler (Frenetic / HSLU) – “Effects with Considerable Impact on Core Losses”
• Sam Ben-Yaakov (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) – “Compensating leakage inductance by a resonant capacitor”
• Francisco Cabaleiro (Frenetic) – “Challenges in the field of Pulsed Power: Main topologies and HV Pulse Transformers Design”
• Isaac Cohen, Lucas Nicieza (Texas Instruments, Frenetic) – “CCM vs. TM in PFC Boost Inductors and Flyback Transformers”
• Miguel Ángel de la Fuente (Frenetic) – “Power Magnetics Market”
• Markus Lasslop (Lasslop Induktive Bauteile) – “Inductors: practical insights and how not to do it”
• Christoph Drexler (Sumida Europe) – “Key Challenges when Manufacturing Power Magnetics”
• Jonathan Church (Frenetic) – “Closing the Gap – From Design to Production”

🤯 Ok, you may notice the last talk was from myself. Like I said, I felt privileged to be in the presence of such great minds.

Figure 4 - Jonas Mühlethaler, CTO at Frenetic  

💭 Before closing, I want to bring to front what was one of the most critical aspects of this event for me. Every talk and presentation were interleaved with really insightful discussions, where everybody participated. This to me is the whole purpose of such an event. We are all in this industry together and it is by working together, talking and sharing ideas like this, that the future of this industry will be sculpted in the right way and in the best way.

🙏 I want to take a moment now to say a huge and joint thank you from everyone to Jonas Mühlethaler and Martina Visini for making this event a reality, and not only that but a huge success, and Gregor Zielhardt for being the perfect master of ceremony. There were many days and nights of stress leading up to this event and I know you worked tirelessly. 

😎 I can’t wait for next year (are you ready to do it again?).

Jonathan Church 

Product Director