Circuit simulation as an aid in teaching the principles of power electronics

The ways in which computer simulation can assist power electronics education at the undergraduate level are described. It is shown that using PSpice as an instructional tool for an introductory-level power electronics course has increased students' abilities to comprehend the behavior of several power electronics circuits. The graphics post-processor Probe, which accompanies PSpice, is used to display voltage and current waveforms. Probe's capability of doing numerical computations reduces the effort needed to determine power-related quantities in nonlinear circuits. Fourier analysis capabilities of PSpice enable harmonics to be investigated. Examples of PSpice simulations are included.<>