PLECS

The Standard Simulation Software for Power Electronics

• #1 simulation tool for power electronics, trusted by engineers worldwide

• Comprehensive component library for multiple physical domains

• Fast and accurate simulation

PLECS^® is the go-to software for modeling and simulating complex power electronic systems. With its intuitive top-down approach, engineers can:

• Verify circuit concepts using ideal semiconductor switches
• Gradually refine designs by including thermal losses and parasitic effects
• Effortlessly create circuit models and run fast, accurate simulations

Whether you're developing converters, motor drives, or control algorithms, PLECS provides everything you need in a single, integrated platform.

Model Complete Power Electronic Systems

PLECS comes with a comprehensive library with components typically required to model power electronic systems and electrical drives. The library spans multiple modeling domains:

• Electrical circuits
• Rotational and translational mechanics
• Magnetic circuits
• Thermal models
• Controls and signal processing

Efficient Algorithms for Switched Systems

Traditional circuit simulators struggle with the extreme non-linearities introduced by switching operations. PLECS makes simulating switched systems robust and efficient by reducing power semiconductors to ideal switches being either fully on or off. Simulating a switching event requires just two steps: before and after the transition.

Thermal Simulation

The approach of ideal switching can be combined with lookup tables to accurately simulate the thermal behavior of the power semiconductors and obtain:

• Switching and conduction losses
• Junction temperature

The switching losses are computed based on the current and voltage conditions before and after switching. Ready-to-use loss models are available from leading semiconductor manufacturers for various IGBTs, MOSFETs and diodes. This simplifies gauging:

• Efficiency of your converter design
• Thermal stress on the components

Digital and Analog Controls

Control systems are integral to power electronics, and PLECS support modeling sophicated controls with library blocks for:

• Continuous and discrete functions
• Mathematical and logical operations
• PWM generators
• State machines
• Custom C code

The PLECS Coder, available as an optional add-on, allows you to convert a block diagram into real-time C code for embedded microcontrollers or rapid control prototyping platforms.

Advanced Analysis

PLECS goes far beyond efficient time-domain simulation. It offers powerful analysis options and can be interfaced with external software:

• PLECS Scope: Inspired by real-world measurement equipment, the PLECS Scope displays waveforms of interest during and after the simulation.
• Analysis Tools: Quickly obtain a steady-state operating point or calculate the open-loop and closed-loop frequency response of your system.
• Simulation scripts: Automate simulations, perform parameter sweeps and post-process results in Octave, Python or MATLAB.
• Simulink integration: The PLECS Blockset lets you embed PLECS models in the Simulink environment to combine the strengths of both programs.

Why Choose PLECS?

• Intuitive and efficient: Tailored to the needs of power electronics engineers
• All-in-one solution: Comprehensive software package with all libraries included
• Transparent pricing: Perpetual software license or annual lease