A modular, open-architecture d.c.-d.c. power conversion laboratory

摘要

Today's graduates are expected to have a mix of skills and be competent as technology specialists and system designers. Many undergraduate courses are reflecting these requirements by introducing an element of systems design into their programmes and individual modules. This paper presents a power conversion laboratory based around a d.c.-d.c. power supply conversion unit that helps students understand both the system elements behind the unit's design, as well as the technology areas of power electronics required within the design. The laboratory is modular, allowing considerable flexibility in the type of experiment run and its main learning outcomes, for example whether the focus is on the power switches, the electronics, the magnetics or the control.