A low-cost high-speed real-time simulator for ships power systems

Modern power-electronic systems need real-time simulations with short frame times to minimize switch-timing errors. At ESTS'09 we reported using FPGAs to achieve frame times as low as 400nS. We also described a non-real-time implementation of a multi-rate benchmark of an unmanned underwater vehicle. Recent research has resulted in a real-time implementation of the UUV benchmark with hardware in the loop and is now focused on the design of a more general low-cost, high-speed, real-time, multi-rate simulator that combines FPGAs with a conventional PC.