Mrs Elna Niemann is a senior electronic engineer, currently working at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) in Pretoria, South Africa. She is part of the Industrial Sensors group under the Manufacturing Cluster. She is working in the field of ultrasonic research, especially underwater sonar and underwater data communication.
Mrs Niemann completed her Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering with honours at the North West University, Potchefstroom campus in 2009. She was also part of the McTronX research group that specialised in active magnetic bearing and mechatronic research. Some of the group’s activities included the development of power amplifiers (motor drives), digital embedded control, electromagnetic research and integrated system design and development. Her function in the group was to expand the research and knowledge on sensors used in active magnetic bearing systems, in particular a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) eddy current sensor. The focus of her Master’s study was consequently the design and development of a sensor driver for a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) eddy current sensor to be used in active magnetic bearing systems.
Mrs Niemann currently employed at Deman CC as an electronic design engineer. The company designs and manufactures controllers for commercial and industrial air conditioning units, as well as fluorescent lighting controllers for both existing and new commercial and industrial buildings. The controllers make use of an Echelon Lon-network or BACnet network to connect to the building’s Building Management System (BMS), or work as stand-alone controllers. The development of a low-cost BACnet controller was my biggest contribution in recent times. Her job description as design engineer includes hardware design and embedded software design for new air conditioner controllers and wall-units for large-scale production, and improving and maintaining existing controllers. Prototyping also forms a major part of my job.
Specialties: Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design, micro-electronics, electronic hardware design, embedded programming (C).
