E. E. Landsman, Sc.D., Consulting Engineer, Founder, American Power Conversion

"The APC roadmap was to move up to higher power products and we knew that there would be greater challenges in solving the sure-to-occur conducted and radiated emissions issues. Before taking our prototypes to an official test lab, we scan for emissions in our unofficial in-house facilities. We try to find and fix "sources" and build in filters, if required, rather than have "patch" filters applied to the product by the testing house, which would make our product more expensive.

It was suggested that we send selected engineers and test technicians to an appropriate course in order to equip them with the latest techniques so they would be better at up-front design and able to diagnose and correct problems in a timely manner. Silent Solutions offered such a course and Mr. Hill was engaged to teach the classes. The course was excellent. He started with a short review of the basic theory, then simple examples and practical guidelines, followed by demonstrations using actual radiators and receiver/analyzers. The sessions were refreshing because he encouraged questions and spent whatever time was required to answer them. When he could not answer a question immediately, he would return to the next session with the answer. Our employees work in an atmosphere where they are encouraged to ask questions, no matter how silly they might seem, and this class was no exception. Rather than hurrying the class along, Mr. Hill encouraged the questions and spent time, even on the "silly" ones.

Our new products had emissions problems even using the design techniques learned in the classes. Mr. Hill was then engaged as a consultant to help us solve them. He was an immense help and kept our schedule going. He worked tirelessly as he applied procedures taught in the classes plus others drawn from his vast experience on other jobs. The products involved higher power levels and circuits that Mr. Hill had no previous experience with. Our engineers taught him how our products worked, and he helped to troubleshoot them. He brought a patient, organized approach to what had previously been a chaotic procedure."