ECE 469 — Power Electronics Laboratory

LABORATORY INFORMATION AND GUIDE

Prof. P. T. Krein, Prof. R. C. N. Pilawa-Podgurski

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois

Version 3.2 — August 2016

Copyright © 1988-2015 Philip T. Krein. All rights reserved.

 Contents

Introductory Material .......................................................................................................................................iii

Preface and Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................iii

Introduction...................................................................................................................................................... iv

Safety ................................................................................................................................................................. v

Equipment and Lab Orientation ...................................................................................................................... vi

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. vi
Map of the Facility and Electrical Panels ..................................................................................................... vi
The Lab Workbenches ...............................................................................................................................viii

Course Organization and Requirements .......................................................................................................... xi

The Lab Notebook ............................................................................................................................................ xi

The Lab Report............................................................................................................................................... xiii

The Title Area ............................................................................................................................................xiii
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................xiii
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................. xvi
References .................................................................................................................................................. xvi
Appendix .................................................................................................................................................... xvi

Instrumentation Notes………………………………………………………………………………………………….xvii

EXPERIMENT #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory ................................................................................... 1

EXPERIMENT #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits ............................................................................................... 10

EXPERIMENT #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I: Single-Phase Conversion ............................................... 20

EXPERIMENT #3 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part II: Polyphase Conversion .................................................. 28

EXPERIMENT #4 — Dc-Dc Conversion, Part I: One-Quadrant Converters ............................................ 34

EXPERIMENT #5 — Dc-Dc Conversion, Part II: Converters for Motor Drives ...................................... 41

EXPERIMENT #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I: Voltage-Sourced Inverters ............................................ 51

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EXPERIMENT #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II: Pulse Width Modulation Inverters ............................. 58

EXPERIMENT #8 — Real Components, Part I: Models for Real Capacitors and Inductors .................. 65

EXPERIMENT #9 — Real Components, Part II: Switching Devices and Gate Drive Circuits ................ 72

EXPERIMENT #10 — PWM Generation and Control ................................................................................ 83

EXPERIMENT #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control............................................................... 89

APPENDIX........................................................................................................................................................ 96

Standard EIA Decade Resistor Values — ....................................................................................................... 96

Common Waveforms — ................................................................................................................................... 97

INDEX ............................................................................................................................................................... 98

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Power Electronics Laboratory Manual — Introductory Material

Introductory Material

Preface and Acknowledgements

Power electronics studies the application of semiconductor devices to the conversion and control of
electrical energy. The field is driving an era of rapid change in all aspects of electrical energy. The Power
Electronics Laboratory course — one of only a few offered at the undergraduate level in the United States —
seeks to enhance general material with practice and hands-on experience. The laboratory course provides
instruction in general lab practices, measurement methods, and the design and operation of several common
circuits relevant to the field of power electronics. It also provides experience with common components such as
motors, batteries, magnetic devices, and power semiconductors. The course has a significant design component.
The final weeks of the term are devoted to a power converter design project.
The equipment and instrumentation for ECE 469 were updated substantially in 2011, and our complete
new laboratory was commissioned in 2014. Many people have helped in a wide variety of ways in the past, and
their efforts are appreciated. Past work by Z. Sorchini, J. Kimball, R. Balog, and K. Colravy is acknowledged.
The generous support of The Grainger Foundation has been instrumental in developing and improving the
laboratory. The efforts of the ECE Electronics Shop and the ECE Machine Shop in preparing the benches and
equipment are gratefully acknowledged.
Student feedback is encouraged throughout the semester. Your input will help make the course more
interesting and enjoyable, and will increase its value over time. Comments are always appreciated. Experiments
and other work can and will be modified quickly if the need arises. The course is designed as an advanced
laboratory, primarily for seniors and graduate students. You will find that procedural details are up to the student
teams. The requirements for lab reports and procedures reflect the standards of a productive industrial research
and development lab more than the relatively routine work in beginning courses.

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Introduction

Power electronics is a broad area. Experts in the field find a need for knowledge in advanced circuit
theory, electric power equipment, electromagnetic design, radiation, semiconductor physics and processing,
analog and digital circuit design, control systems, and a tremendous range of sub-areas. Major applications
addressed by power electronics include:
· Energy conversion for solar, wind, fuel cell, and other alternative resources.
· Advanced high-power low-voltage power supplies for computers and integrated electronics.
· Efficient low-power supplies for networks and portable products.
· Hardware to implement intelligent electricity grids, at all levels.
· Power conversion needs and power controllers for aircraft, spacecraft, and marine use.
· Electronic controllers for motor drives and other industrial equipment.
· Drives and chargers for electric and hybrid vehicles.
· Uninterruptible power supplies for backup power or critical needs.
· High-voltage direct-current transmission equipment and other power processing in utility systems.
· Small, highly efficient, switching power supplies for general use.
Such a broad range of topics requires many years of training and experience in electrical engineering. The objec-
tives of the Power Electronics Laboratory course are to provide working experience with the power electronics
concepts presented in the power electronics lecture course, while giving students knowledge of the special
measurement and design techniques of this subject. The goal is to give students a “running start,” that can lead
to a useful understanding of the field in one semester. The material allows students to design complete switching
power supplies by the end of the semester, and prepares students to interact with power supply builders,
designers, and customers in industry. Many of you will be surprised at how pervasive power electronics has
become — and at how few people have a deep understanding of the field.
Power electronics can be defined as the area that deals with application of electronic devices for control
and conversion of electric power. In particular, a power electronic circuit is intended to control or convert power
at levels far above the device ratings. With this in mind, the situations encountered in the power electronics
laboratory course will often be unusual in an electronics setting. Safety rules are important, both for the people
involved and for the equipment. Semiconductor devices react very quickly to conditions — and thus make
excellent, expensive, “fuses.” Please study and observe the safety rules below.

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Safety

The Power Electronics Laboratory deals with power levels much higher than those in most electronics
settings. In ECE 469, the voltages will usually be kept low to minimize hazards. Be careful when working with
spinning motors, and parts that can become hot. Most of our equipment is rugged, but some delicate instruments
are required for our experiments. Even rugged instruments can be damaged when mishandled or driven beyond
ratings. Please follow the safety precautions to avoid injury, discomfort, lost lab time, and expensive repairs.
• GROUND! Be aware of which connections are grounded, and which are not. The most common
cause of equipment damage is unintended shorts to ground. Remember that oscilloscopes are designed
to measure voltage relative to ground, not between two arbitrary points.
• RATINGS! Before applying power, check that the voltage, current, and power levels you expect to see
do not violate any ratings. What is the power you expect in a given resistor?
• HEAT! Small parts can become hot enough to cause burns with as little as one watt applied to them.
Even large resistors will become hot if five watts or so are applied.
• CAREFUL WORKMANSHIP! Check and recheck all connections before applying power. Plan
ahead: consider the effects of a circuit change before trying it. Use the right wires and connectors for
the job, and keep your bench neat.
• WHEN IN DOUBT, SHUT IT OFF! Do not manipulate circuits or make changes with power applied.
• LIVE PARTS! Most semiconductor devices have an electrical connection to the case. Assume that
anything touching the case is part of the circuit and is connected. Avoid tools and other metallic objects
around live circuits. Keep beverage containers away from your bench.
• Neckties and loose clothing should not be worn when working with motors. Be sure motors are not
free to move about or come in contact with circuitry.
• Remember the effects of inductive circuits — high voltages can occur if you attempt to disconnect an
inductor when current is flowing.
• EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER: 9-911
The laboratory is equipped with an emergency electrical shutoff system. When any red button (located
throughout the room) is pushed, power is disconnected from all room panels. Room lights and the wall duplex
outlets used for instrument power and low-power experiments are not affected. If the emergency system operates,
and you are without power, inform your instructor. It is your instructor's task to restore power when it is safe to do
so. Each workbench is connected to power through a set of line cords. The large line cords are connected to two
front panel switches labeled “3φ mains” and “dc mains.” The standard ac line cord is connected to the switch on
the bench outlet column. Your bench can be de-energized by shutting off these three switches.

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Equipment and Lab Orientation

Introduction
The Grainger Electric Machinery Laboratory was funded through a grant from the Grainger Foundation.
The equipment, support, and even the entire facility have been renovated. The laboratory rivals many modern
industrial research counterparts in terms of safety and instrumentation. The room includes a set of workstation
panels to distribute power throughout the room and special lab benches that are the primary tool for all work.
The benches hold rotating machines, dedicated power meters, an instrument rack, a cable rack, and connection
panels. Extra instrumentation and equipment are stored in cabinets at the bottom of each bench.

Map of the Facility and Electrical Panels

The laboratory is located in room 4024 in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, as shown
in Fig. 1. A storage area is located just east of the laboratory. Motors and extra instruments are kept in that area.
The adjacent classroom, 4026 ECEB, will be used at the beginning of lab sessions. Down the hall to the east is
the Advanced Power Applications Laboratory, a research facility which shares many of the same features. The
main laboratory is supplied by 60 Hz ac power at 208 V three-phase. A separate dc power supply system delivers
± 120 V at up to 24 kW. Power from the regular building supply is used for instruments and low-power
experiments. The room includes an interconnect set for experiments that involve multiple benches. Up to 30 A
can be imposed on any of these wires.
The master circuit breakers in the room have what is called a “shunt trip” mechanism. They can be
turned off with a short pulse of ac power. When any of the large red “panic buttons” throughout the room is
pushed, all master breakers feeding the workstation panels are forced to shut off. When this occurs, power is cut
off at all lab station panels throughout the room. This provides an emergency disconnect capability. It does not
affect lights or regular wall outlets in the lab.

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Figure 1. The Grainger Electric Machinery Laboratory and surroundings.

Figure 2. Front view of workstation panel.

A view of one of the workstation panels is provided in Fig. 2. The top portion contains two power outlets
for convenient access to the high-power supplies. One of these is a 120/208 V three-phase source, which is also

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connected to an adjacent set of duplex outlets. The bottom of the panel holds eight “transfer jacks,” wired to the
interconnect panel. There is a ground jack for access to a solid earth ground.

The Lab Workbenches

Overview
Each power lab bench is designed as a complete test station, with its own safety features and protective
mechanisms. The benches have space for instrument operation and storage, rotating machines, and power
connections. A photograph is shown in Fig. 3, with a layout in Fig. 4. There are two functionally identical bench
versions — a right-hand unit and a left-hand unit.

Figure 3. Laboratory bench, “left-hand” version.

The benches plug into the workstation panel outlets with power line cords accessed through the bench
“window” behind the computer monitor. Many panel jacks on your bench have been pre-wired internally for
your convenience. These jacks have identical labels. They allow short, organized connections. Please be aware
of these labels, and respect them. The benches are divided into four major sections: input power handling and
distribution, rotating machine connection panels, the instrument rack, and the load patch area.
The power line cords have incompatible plugs to prevent errors in power access. They are of the twist-
lock style to prevent accidental removal. Three-phase ac power to the bench is from the 120/208 V source. A
double-throw center-off switch located beneath the bench must be set to select the proper source. In any case,
three-phase ac power is wired to the “3φ mains” switch on the bench front panel. When this switch is off, no
three-phase power will appear at the bench panels. Dc power to the bench is routed from the line cord, through
a fuse box, and then to the “dc mains” switch on the front panel. As with ac power, turning this switch off will
remove all panel access to the dc source.

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Figure 4. The laboratory workbench.

The single-phase ac instrument power is routed from the familiar 1φ line cord to the outlet column near
the center of the bench, to outlets in the instrument rack, and to internal instrument power through a front-panel
circuit breaker. The single-phase line cord should be plugged into the wall duplex outlet near the floor so that
computers and instruments will not be affected by use of the room panic buttons. The other cords should be
plugged in only as necessary for power access. Each bench can be shut off by turning off the 3φ mains switch,
the dc mains switch, and the instrument power switch.

Inventory

Each bench is permanently equipped with the following:

• Variable three-phase ac transformer, 0-230 V, 0-10 A
• Yokogawa WT310 Power Meter (four display) RMS V A Watts, PF, dc to 100 kHz 20 A
• Fluke Model 45 dual multimeter
• Speed and torque meters connected to the machine set
• Westinghouse Power Miser ac motor start box
• Three-phase transformer set 120 V/25.2 V
• Variable power resistors 0-300 Ω, 150 W
• Power resistor, 100 Ω, 150 W
• Three three-pole 30 A switches

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Power Electronics Laboratory Manual — Introductory Material

• Two one-pole switches, one rated 30 A, one rated 6 A for meter shunting
• Kollmorgen Goldline brushless servo motor and drive (B-206-C21 + SR20200), 0-4900 RPM and 0-19
N-m torque

In addition, each bench is supplied with the following equipment:

• Tektronix Model MS04304B scope, 350 MHz 2.5 GS/s, 4 CH Analog and 16 CH Digital
• Tektronix current and isolated voltage probes
• Kenwood PD56-10AD DC Power Supply 56 Vdc 10A
• Agilent 34461A 6½ Digit Display, Multimeter
• Agilent 3350B Waveform Generator Series Trueform
• Agilent E 3631A Triple Output DC Power Supply 6 Vdc 5 A, ±25 Vdc 1A
• Hewlett-Packard 6060B electronic load
• General Electric Model CD186AT 1.5 HP dc machine
• TECO/Westinghouse 2 HP 1.5 kW three-phase induction motor
• Advanced Motor Tech 1.5 kW wound-rotor synchronous machine
• Additional dc and ac machines
• Three power resistor boxes, each with ten 500 Ω resistors
• Three capacitor boxes, each with eight 6 µF capacitors
• Three 1 kVA, 240/120 V transformer boxes
• Computer with LabVIEW Dynamometer Control, GPIB, USB, Network, NI 6014 cards
• Lead rack with banana leads of various lengths

Additional instruments available in the laboratory for shared use include:

• Hewlett-Packard Model 4195A network/spectrum analyzer
• Tektronix Model 371 power semiconductor curve tracer
• Hewlett-Packard plotter and printer
• Philips Model PM6303 automatic RCL meter
• Laser printer and copier

The laboratory also has a tool set and selections of electronic parts.
Please make an effort to keep track of the equipment at your bench, especially portable items such as probes. It
is important to take measurements carefully and in an organized fashion. Equipment damage is expensive and

can cause time delays or inconvenience for you. Look over your station at the beginning of each lab, and return
equipment to their proper places at the end of lab.

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Course Organization and Requirements

The course consists of about fourteen lab sessions and a weekly lecture/discussion session. The hour of
lecture/discussion each week will provide specific lab preparation, opportunity for general questions, time for
elaboration on practical power electronics topics, and demonstrations. Required efforts are as follows:
• A short pre-lab assignment accompanies each experiment. The purpose of this assignment is to help you
prepare for the experiment. The problems apply directly to the procedure or report. Pre-labs must be
completed and turned in before performing the given experiment. Late pre-lab assignments will not
be accepted.
• The experiments and reports are semi-formal in nature. Proper lab notebooks must be maintained by all
students. Reports are written independently by each individual, and follow the format given below.
Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation are expected. Most reports will cover a group of
experiments.
• The final class session involves a brief oral presentation. Here, the design project is described and
demonstrated.
Care and neatness in the maintenance of lab notebooks and in the preparation of reports is important. Your
instructors will be pleased to assist you in generating quality work.
As you know, it is difficult to make up missed laboratory work. Please notify your instructor as soon as
possible if illness or similar emergency prevents your attendance. In other cases, arrangements can sometimes
be made, given enough advance warning; however, time demands on your instructors are such that make-up
sessions will not be held without acceptable excuse.
Lab sessions will be divided into two major categories:
Demonstrations are conducted by your instructor, and usually involve complicated laboratory work. They allow
experiments which require extensive setup time, unusual equipment, or intricate measurements. In the case of
demonstrations, the pre-lab assignments serve to highlight major points. In general, you will be expected to take
notes and record data during demonstrations, for use in preparing reports.
Experiments are conducted by students in small teams. For each experiment, one team member serves as leader,
another as recorder, and any others as helpers. Teams will be assigned early in the semester, and will generally
stay the same throughout the course. Team duties rotate for each experiment.

The Lab Notebook

The laboratory notebook is a crucial tool for work in any experimental environment. A notebook used
in a research lab, a development area, or even on the factory floor is probably the most valuable piece of gear in

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the engineer's arsenal. The purpose of the notebook is to provide a complete permanent record of your practical
work. Why a notebook? It allows you to reproduce your own work, or to refer to it without having to duplicate
the effort. It provides a single place that tracks your work in a consistent way. It provides a permanent physical
record for legal purposes. Often, it permits us to "reverse engineer," and find errors of record or procedure.
The notebook is your record, but in most industry practice is the property of your employer. For this
reason, many companies have specific rules about notebook format, content, and usage. In the ECE 469 lab,
your notebook will eventually become your property (although for the moment you should act as if it belongs to
the State of Illinois). It should include:
• Diagrams of all circuits used in the lab. If the circuit is identical or almost identical to one in your
procedure or book, you may reference (not copy) it. The important factor is to be able to reproduce your
setup in case of errors.
• Procedures and actions. (But do not repeat steps in the lab manual.) The idea is to provide enough
information so that you could repeat the experiment.
• Equipment used. (List only your bench number if you used only the standard bench equipment.) The
model and serial numbers of special instruments and equipment should be recorded in your notebook.
This is mainly for your protection in case a scale is misread or equipment is defective. Also include the
values of all components you use.
• All data generated in the experiment. Be sure to include units and scale settings. For example,
oscilloscope data might read “data in display divisions, 50 mA/div,” and then list the numbers read. Use
data in its most primitive form. Do not perform scaling or calculations when data is first recorded. The
objective is to minimize errors.
• If hard copy plots or prints are generated, write the date on them and tape them into the notebook at the
appropriate location.
• Names of the experiment team, with a summary of duties. Each team member should maintain a
notebook in each session, although the recorder performs the bulk of this task each week. The recorder
should provide copies of the original pages to all team members before leaving each week. Even though
the recorder keeps notes for a given week, other team members should summarize their efforts in their
own notebooks.
• Dated initials of the recorder on each page used for a given day's work.
• Your instructor's signature and signatures of all team members on the last page of the day's work.

It is entirely permissible to include calculations, observations, and even speculations in your notebook, provided
these are clearly marked and kept apart from experimental data and actual bench work.
The notebook must be a bound book with permanent, pre-printed page numbers. Within these
requirements, any type is acceptable. Do not use loose sheets for data or other information. It is absolutely not

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acceptable to recopy information into the notebook at a later time. Notebook errors should be crossed out (not
obliterated) and initialed and dated by the recorder. Be sure to initial and date each page of your notebook as it
is filled. Remember that paper is cheap: start a new page rather than cramming extra information onto one sheet.
The notebook must be kept in ink!
Keeping a complete lab notebook sometimes seems inconvenient, but in the long run saves a tremendous
amount of time and effort. Some of the uses of an official notebook are:
• A record of your personal efforts for use with your manager or instructor.
• A history of work on a particular project or circuit. This avoids the need for duplicated effort.
• An official record for patent applications. If a patent is challenged in court, the notebook is the key
document to be used.
• A complete technical record for use in reports, articles, specification documents, and drawings.
• Identification of points at which errors were made.
The notebook is the “who, what, where, when, how” of the technical world. Billions of dollars are wasted each
year duplicating efforts which were not carefully documented or defending patents based on sketchy lab data.

The Lab Report

An experiment is not considered complete until the results have been properly reported. One of the
primary tasks of an engineer is to interpret results of work, rather than just to gather data. A good report helps
you understand the concepts in the experiment, and also helps you when you wish to discuss and communicate
those results with others. A high-quality report allows a reader to understand your results and gain the benefits
of your insights. Working engineers often mention technical writing as an area in which they could have used
better preparation — because of the need for good engineering reports. To give you some additional practice
along these lines, lab reports for ECE 469 are semi-formal in style. They should be prepared with a word
processor and laser-quality printer. The computers in room 4024 can be used if necessary. Be sure to take
advantage of spell-checking and similar features.

The report has six elements:

1. The Title Area. This must show the report title, author, dates, and names and duties of group members.
1a. Table of Contents. Required only on the Design Project report. This should show the locations of all
headings and major subheadings.
2. Abstract. A one paragraph summary of the report, including:
→ A brief but clear summary of the objectives and results.
→ An indication of the system studied, loads used, and the basic work performed.

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3. Discussion. This is the body of the report, and may contain subheadings as needed. It should report on
the laboratory effort, summarize the data and any calculated results, and briefly describe the important
theory and concepts. It should compare measured results with those expected, and contrast the various
cases studied. It should discuss important sources of error and their relevance to the results. Finally, it
should discuss any difficulties encountered and suggest what might have been done differently. Study
questions assigned in class or in this manual should be addressed in the Discussion. Figures, tables, and
circuit diagrams are encouraged. Laboratory reports in which the discussion merely paraphrases the lab
manual are not acceptable. Suggested subheadings include:
→ Theory
Brief overview of theory and the methods used for the experiment and its analysis. This should
provide sufficient background for the reader to understand what you did and why. It should help
the reader follow along with the rest of your discussion. Detailed or basic theory should not be
repeated from the lab manual or textbook.
→ Results
This portion provides an organized summary of your data and calculated results, in forms that
help you interpret them. Graphs are a powerful tool for this subsection. When you include graphs,
be sure to label them properly, and talk about them in your discussion. A good sample graph from
a student report appears in Fig. 5 below. In most reports, this subsection also will include tables
of numerical results. When calculations are involved, you should show one example of each type
of calculation (please do not provide extensive numerical calculations). A sample table from a
student report appears in Fig. 6. Perhaps the most important aspect of your report is the task of
analyzing the results, such as comparing expected and actual results. This discussion should be
quantitative whenever possible. Be sure to include percent errors or other indication of deviations
from expectations. Be aware of significant digits in your data and calculations. Keep in mind that
engineering is about interpretation of results much more than generation of results. The results
subsection is the usual place to address study questions given in the lab manual.

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Figure 5. Sample graph from student report.

→ Error Discussion
In most reports, it is important to point out sensitive places in the data. The issue is to determine
the level of confidence in the results. Error issues should be discussed in quantitative terms.
Consider the following example, from a student report:

Figure 6. — Sample table from student report

“The calculated results depend on the phase measurements in Part I.

These were hard to make and may not be very exact. Since the
frequency was 50,000 Hz, 1° is only 56 ns. The scope gives up to 3%
time error. On the 10 µs scale, this is 300 ns. So the measured phases
could be 6° off. Our results are a lot better than this, so maybe the
scope has less error.”

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4. Conclusion. A brief summary of the results and significant problems uncovered by the work. These should
represent the actual results as opposed to any expectations you might have had. This is a good place to
suggest how you would do it differently if you were to repeat the experiment.
5. References. A list of any references used. Please be aware of University regulations involving written work.
Quotations or paraphrases from other works, including the lab manual, must be properly referenced. If the
lab manual is the only source you used, you can just list “ECE 469 lab manual” as the reference. When other
references are involved, list them in the order used. Examples of the format (IEEE style):

[1] I. Rotit, The Basics of PWM Inverters. New York: Energy Printers, 2026, p. 142.
[2] E. Zeedusset, “Phase error effect in bridge converters,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial
Electronics, vol 66, pp. 4231-4236, October 2019.
In the text, you should use the reference numbers. For example, “... methods for PWM control are
described in depth in [1]...,” or “... are discussed in detail in the ECE469 lab manual.”
6. Appendix. This must include copies of the original data sheets. Number the sheets if you refer to them in
the discussion. The appendix should also include any auxiliary information such as semiconductor
manufacturer's data sheets, a summary of the procedures actually used, and an equipment list if it differs
from that in the lab handout. It is not necessary to include copies of material from the lab manual.
Lab reports should not be lengthy. Except for the Design Project report (which covers extra
information), the total length of a report, except for the Appendix, should not exceed 7 single-spaced,
double-column pages. Lab report grading will address format as well as each of the six major sections.
The discussion is most important. More details about grading will be provided by your instructor. To
help you in writing the report, there are several study questions given at the end of each experiment
write-up. These questions do not substitute for a complete discussion of results, but provide a starting
point. They are not to be taken as homework problems to be answered one by one in the lab report, but
rather as important points that should be addressed in the body of the report. The study questions are of
two types:
• Specific questions about results. These might request certain plots or calculations. You are expected
to provide the expected information completely in your reports.
• Thought questions. These are intended to guide your thinking when evaluating the results.
They should be covered in your discussion, but do not answer them one at a time as if they
were test problems.

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Instrumentation Notes

HP 6060B Electronic Programmable DC Load

The HP Programmable load is basically a variable load that accepts dc power and dissipates it as heat. It can be
extremely useful since it is a versatile, programmable load.

The ratings on the load appear on the front panel and are as follows:
Voltage: 3-60 V
Current: 0-60 A
Max Power: 300 W (notice that this is not the max current at the max voltage)
Always obey these ratings!

How to use the HP Load:

1. Turn the power on.
2. Select what mode you want. The choices are:
Current – it behaves as an ideal current sink
Voltage – it behaves as an ideal voltage source with negative output current
Resistance – you can set a specific resistance
a. Press [MODE]
b. Press either [CURR], [VOLT], or [RES]
c. Press [ENTER]
3. Enter the value:
a. Press the button of the mode you are in, for example: [CURR]
b. Enter on the numeric keypad the value, for example: [5] (for 5 amps)
c. Press [ENTER]
4. [METER] button toggles the display between volt / current and watts
5. [INPUT ON/OFF] can be used to disconnect the load

Advice:

When you are first trying to get your circuit to work, use a power resistor from the lab stock. This removes the
complication of the programmable load. It makes troubleshooting easier since we all know how a plain old power
resistor should work. Once the results make sense, you are encouraged to replace the resistor with the active load.

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ECE 469 POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

1
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

Objective — This lab is intended to introduce some of the special equipment and methods of the Power
Electronics Laboratory. Basic laboratory concepts and safety issues will be reviewed.

Pre-lab Assignment — Take a few minutes to read the safety information in the lab manual introductory pages.
Be prepared with any questions. Also, be prepared to be quizzed about safety rules.

Discussion —

Introduction: In this lab, the unusual equipment associated with the Power Electronics Laboratory will be described
and operated. For each lab station, basic electronic measurement gear is provided. In addition, three custom circuits
have been constructed for your use. These are:

• A low-voltage ac supply, from a transformer bank, built into each bench. This supply provides polyphase
output, with ratings of 117 V input to 25.2 V output. The switch allows the bank to draw power either
from the bench single-phase source or three-phase source. A circuit diagram is shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. Polyphase transformer bank.

With the panel switch in the “one-phase/two-phase” position, A and B outputs are available, with 180°
phase shift. The “C” output is indeterminate. With the panel switch in the “three-phase” position, three

2
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

outputs shifted 120° are available (if 3φ power is supplied to the bench). In both cases, the common neutral
point is connected to bench frame ground.

• One-two-three phase SCR control unit. This box contains three silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs). Each
SCR is controlled by a pulse transformer and is floating with respect to ground. The SCR is similar to a
standard diode, except that it does not turn on until a pulse or a switching function is applied to a gate
terminal. The three SCRs in the box are operated so that the switching functions are spaced a precise time
interval apart, controlled from the front panel.
The “phase” delay value sets the time shift among the three phases. For one-phase or two-phase
circuits, it should be set to half the input period — 8 ms for a 60 Hz input. For three-phase circuits, it
should be set to of a cycle, or 5 ms for a 60 Hz input.

The “master” front panel delay control sets the time delay of the SCR “A” signal relative to the
input zero crossing. When the value is set at zero, there is no delay. It can be adjusted in milliseconds up
to about 40 ms. A front view of the box appears in Fig. 2.

Figure 2. Polyphase SCR control unit

• Isolated dual power FET control box. This box contains two field-effect transistors (FETs), each rated for
at least 300 V and 15 A. The FET is used as a switch, with either a small resistance (on state) or a very
large resistance (off state). The drain and source terminals are floating, and can be connected to any voltage
which does not violate the ratings.
Also contained in the box is a circuit which operates the FET gates to turn the devices on and off. In
essence, a square wave is applied to the FET, turning it on when the square wave is high, and off when it

3
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

is low. Panel controls adjust the frequency of this square wave, the fraction of the time during which the
wave is high, and the action of the square wave on the second FET. The operation is useful for dc-dc and
dc-ac conversion applications. For convenience, unconnected power diodes are provided inside the box.
A block diagram and a view of the front panel appear in Fig. 3.

a) Block diagram

b) Front panel
Figure 3. Isolated FET control unit.

Basic Theory: Power electronics studies electronic circuits for the conversion of electric power. Examples are
units which change dc voltage levels, convert ac to dc or dc to ac, or change the frequency of an ac waveform.
Since a converter appears between a power source and a load, and because high power levels might be involved,
efficiency is critical. Therefore, such circuits are built up from lossless devices or from low-power control
electronics. The possible lossless devices include storage elements (capacitors and inductors), and transformers,
but the most important lossless device in power electronics is the switch. A perfect switch has no voltage drop
when on and no current flow when off; the power is always zero.
Probably the most familiar example of an electronic switch for power conversion is the rectifier diode.
A rectifier circuit converts ac waveforms into dc power, with minimal loss. The drawback of simple diode
rectifier circuits is the inability to control them. A diode is on whenever current attempts to flow through it in a
forward direction, and off otherwise. To improve on this, a family of semiconductor devices known as
“thyristors” was invented. The SCR is the most basic thyristor. This device is similar to a diode, except that it

4
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

need not be on whenever a forward voltage is applied. Instead, turn-on can be delayed until a pulse is applied to
a third terminal — the gate. Once the device is on, it functions like a diode. This ability to delay turn-on means
that output can be adjusted. Outputs can range from zero (gate always off) to a full waveform equal to that of a
diode (gate always on). The SCR is useful in applications which require ac to dc conversion, and power levels
beyond 100 MW can be supported with commercial devices. Other power devices that can be turned on or off
on command also exist. Both field-effect and insulated-gate transistors are used in power electronics for this
purpose, along with various, more complicated types of thyristors.

Circuits: In this lab, both the SCR and the power FET will be used in converter circuits. The SCR set will be
used in a controlled, full-wave rectifier circuit, while the FET unit will be used to form a basic dc-dc converter.
These circuits are typical power electronics applications, and many commercial power units are based on them.
There are two major ways to form a full-wave rectifier, as shown in Fig. 4. One is with a rectifier bridge,
which converts a single ac source into a full-wave rectified waveform. The second uses two diodes with a center-
tapped transformer as a “two-phase” ac source. As in the figure, SCRs can substitute for diodes in a full-wave
rectifier. The SCRs are operated half a cycle apart, with an adjustable phase angle delay.
The full-wave output is applied to a resistor in this lab. When the ac voltage at the top node of the
transformer is positive, the top rectifier is forward biased. In the case of the diode, the device will turn on. In the
case of the SCR, the device will turn on only if commanded to do so. When the bottom node of the transformer
is positive, the bottom diode will be forward biased. Again, the SCR will turn on only when commanded to do
so. Part 1 will explore this action.

5
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

Figure 4. Basic diode and SCR full-wave rectifier circuits

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is the most popular control tool for dc-dc and dc-ac conversion. When
pulse width is adjusted, the average value of a waveform grows larger or smaller, following the width. If a circuit
is set up with unipolar dc input, the result is adjustable dc output. If both positive and negative inputs are provided,
an ac output is possible when pulse width is adjusted gradually. Part 2 provides an introduction to PWM.

Procedure —

Part 1: Rectifiers and the SCR box

1. Connect the 25 V ac supply for two-phase operation. Connect two 1N4004 diodes for full-wave output
(anodes to phase A and B output, cathodes in common to load). See Fig. 5 below.

2. Connect a load of approximately 50 Ω from the common cathode to ground. What should the resistor
power rating be?

3. Observe the resistor voltage waveform. Observe diode currents and comment. Measure the resistor RMS
voltage, RMS current, power, and average voltage. What is the relevance of each?

4. Rewire the circuit with SCRs in place of the diodes. Connect the 25 V ac supply for two-phase operation
as in Fig. 5. Phases A and B should be wired to anodes A and B of the SCR box.

6
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

Figure 5. Two-phase diode rectifier test circuit

5. Connect the SCR cathodes in common, and to a power resistor of approximately 25 Ω. The resistor is then
connected to supply ground. What power rating must the resistor have?

6. With the output enable of the SCR box off, set the phase delay to 8.33 ms for two-phase operation. Set the
master delay to 0, then enable the box. Double check all connections, then turn the power on.

7. Observe the voltage waveform across the resistor. Notice how the waveform changes as the master delay
is altered. Again measure RMS voltage, RMS current, power, and average voltage, and consider the
relevance of each.

Part 2: Dc-dc conversion and the FET box

The FET unit will be used in a simple circuit which converts a dc voltage to a lower level with minimal
power loss. The output is presented with a rapid switching of the input. The average output level (the dc portion) is
lower than the input since the switch is on less than 100% of the time.

1. Set up the FET control box as shown in the circuit diagram below. Use the left FET in the box. You may
use any resistive load you like so long as all power ratings are satisfied.

Figure 6. Simple dc-dc converter circuit

7
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

2. Connect a voltage source of 20 to 30 V to the input. Turn the unit on. Observe the drain-to-source voltage.
Adjust the output for 50% duty ratio (50% on-time) and about 50 kHz.

3. Observe the output voltage waveform and average voltage. Adjust the duty ratio and notice the change.
Adjust the frequency and notice the change. Explain the results.

Study Questions — We have performed some basic experiments with power electronic converters. It is hoped that
this introductory lab will help you work in the laboratory. The following group of study questions will be useful to
consider in future reports:

1. In dc output converters, what is the relevance of RMS output voltage? What about average voltage? (Hint:
consider the effects on loads which are purely resistive, and on loads that include low-pass filtering.)

2. Why do we operate the A and B SCRs one-half cycle apart for the full-wave rectifier?

3. For the simple dc-dc converter in part 2, explain how to predict the average value of output voltage from
the input voltage, the switching frequency, and the switch duty ratio (the fraction of the time during which
the switch is on).

8
Experiment #0 — Introduction to the Laboratory

Grainger Electric Machinery Laboratory Workstation

9
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

10
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

Objective — Measurement techniques of power electronics will be studied in the context of half-wave and full-
wave rectifier circuits. Load effects in diode circuits will be explored. The silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) will
be introduced, with an R-C delay circuit for gate control.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read the discussion below. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. This
experiment is not a long one, provided that you are familiar with the procedure before beginning. Solve the
following, on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Please note that your instructor may elect to
assign another problem.
1. A four-diode bridge is used with an ac voltage source with a RMS value of 480 V and a frequency of 60
Hz to produce a full-wave rectifier. The rectifier can be attached to any of several loads. Sketch the load
voltage and diode current vs. time for the following cases. In these assignments and in the lab
procedures, “sketch” means to draw the waveshape and its important features, without much
regard for numerical values. A sketch represents shape information, as opposed to detailed numerical
data. You are encouraged to use tools such as MATLAB, Mathematica or Mathcad to generate graphs and
solutions, but be sure to submit the commands used when you turn in the assignment. The cases are:

a. A purely resistive load of about 40 Ω.

b. A constant current source with a dc value of 10 A in series with a 25 Ω resistor.

c. A 120 mH inductor in series with 30 Ω.

d. An 800 µF capacitor in parallel with 40 Ω.

Discussion —

Introduction: A bridge rectifier circuit provides an ac-dc conversion function (rectification). But the waveforms
and operation of such a circuit depend on the output load. Furthermore, diodes do not permit any control. This ties
the dc output level to the ac input voltage. You have studied the properties of simple R-C, R-L, and R-L-C circuits
in previous courses. Properties of “D-C” circuits (diode-capacitor circuits), as well as D-L, D-L-C, and various D-
R-x circuits are nonlinear and cannot be studied with familiar linear methods. The behavior of these circuits
provides a practical look at power electronic converters, both from the standpoint of energy conversion applications
and from the standpoint of laboratory measurements. This is the focus of Experiment #1. Also, the SCR will be
introduced, with an R-C circuit applied to provide a time delay in the action of its gate signal.

11
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

Basic Theory: “Diode” is a general term for an electronic part with two terminals. The most common type of diode
is the rectifier diode (or forward-conducting, reverse-blocking switch). Silicon P-N junction devices and metal-
semiconductor junction devices known as “Schottky” diodes are used for this function. Modern silicon diodes have
impressive ratings — currents of more than 5000 A can be carried by units which can block reverse voltages of
more than 6000 V. Actually, the analysis of diode-based circuits is direct given a single additional consideration.
A rectifier diode acts as a switch: It is either on or off. Once this "switch state" is determined, circuit analysis can
proceed along conventional lines. The state of a diode — whether it is on or off — is determined uniquely and
immediately by the terminal conditions. If forward current flow is attempted, the diode will turn on, and will exhibit
only a small residual voltage drop. If reverse current flow is attempted, the diode will turn off and only a minuscule
residual current will flow. No third “gate” terminal is needed.

In the half-wave rectifier in Fig. 1, the state of the diode depends on the input voltage polarity — and also
on the load. With no information about the load, it is not possible to predict either the load current or voltage
(convince yourself of this; how would one assign the on or off state?). Let us begin with a resistive load, shown in
Fig. 2. In a resistor, the voltage and current are related by a constant ratio, and the load voltage is zero when the
diode is off.

Figure 1. Basic half-wave rectifier diode circuit

One way to find the circuit action (even though we already know what the circuit does), is to take a “trial”
approach. For example, consider the case when Vin is positive. We might guess that the diode is off. Then the
voltage across the diode is just Vin, which is positive. But an off diode cannot block forward voltage, so the guess
was wrong — the diode must be on. Similarly, consider the case when Vin is negative, and guess that the diode is
on. Then diode current must be negative. But the diode can only support forward current, and so again the guess is
wrong. In reality, the correct guess can be made most of the time. The important principle is that all currents and
voltages in a diode circuit must be consistent with the restrictions imposed by the diodes. Even a complicated diode

12
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

circuit combination can be understood quickly with the trial method. The essence of the method is this: Once the
diode switch state is determined, the circuits are easy to analyze. If we do not know the switch state, we can just
assign it in some assumed manner, then proceed with circuit analysis and check for consistency.

Figure 2. Half-wave rectifier circuit with resistive load

Now, look at the inductive load of Fig. 3. Assume that the inductor is large. If current is initially flowing
in the inductor, the diode is on. Inductor voltage VL will be positive or negative, depending on the input voltage and
the inductor current. Since there is current flow, the diode will stay on for some time regardless of the Vin value. If
diL
vL = L is negative, the inductor current will fall, possibly even to zero. The diode must stay on until the current
dt

reaches zero. This time will be delayed relative to the voltage zero-crossing.

Figure 3. Half-wave circuit with inductive load

Capacitive loads bring about a different problem. Imagine the capacitor of Fig. 4, fully charged and
supplying energy to the resistor. As long as Vin < Vout, the diode will be off. When Vin becomes larger than Vout, the
dvc
diode must turn on. But then a large forward current iC = C will flow until Vin becomes less than Vout. Brief,
dt

large current spikes are characteristic of diode-capacitor circuits. Such waveforms are typical of the power supplies
in cheap electronic equipment. This is not the best situation, since the large current spikes generate noise.

13
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

Figure 4. Half-wave circuit with capacitive load

So far, these circuits have no control. The switch necessary to add control still needs to carry current in
only one direction, but must be capable of blocking forward voltage when required. The SCR provides this function.
The SCR is a triode (three-terminal electronic device), built as a four-layer P-N-P-N configuration. It is called a
“latching” device, because the on-state is self-sustaining once it is established. For our purposes, this means that
the device is off until commanded to turn on and exactly equivalent to a diode once on. As in Demonstration #1, a
set of SCRs can replace the diodes in a simple rectifier to bring about control.

Figure 5. Basic SCR half-wave circuit with resistive load

The basis of rectifier control when SCRs are involved is turn-on delay. Consider the half-wave resistive
circuit below. Turn-on of the SCR can be delayed to alter the waveshape. The turn-on delay is traditionally
measured in degrees relative to a full diode waveform. The action of this control is not hard to determine for a
known load, since the input waveform is simply being switched on and off.

Measurement Issues: In the Power Electronics Laboratory, measurement interpretation is an important

ingredient. Many of the waveforms are not sinusoidal, so we will need to supplement conventional measurements
with current waveforms, etc.

14
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

The input voltages in a rectifier circuit are sinusoidal ac waveforms, while the intended output is dc.
Consider the ac input, which has an average value of zero. A root-mean-square (RMS) measurement would be
appropriate for magnitude. Consider the rectifier output. The dc portion (the average value) is of interest. Typical
laboratory meters provide the necessary capabilities. For example, the Fluke 45 multimeter displays average
value whenever it is set for dc. When set to ac, this meter directs the input through a capacitor, and computes the
RMS value of the filter output.

Often, a waveform we measure will contain both dc and ac. The “true RMS” value might be useful in this
case. Power is also an important quantity. The Yokogawa model WT310 power meters will be useful for these
kinds of measurements. These instruments perform the arithmetic necessary to find actual RMS and Pave values.
They have a voltage input and a series resistor for sensing current. A front view of the WT310 with its panel
connections is shown in Fig. 6. The voltage to be sensed is applied in parallel with the input. The output connection
forces the current to flow through the sensing resistor. The shunt switch should be set to read in operation. The
purpose of the shunt is to direct current around the meter if needed to avoid short high-current exposure. An input
signal up to 100 kHz will give a true RMS display, as long as the value is within the meter range. Current up to 20
A and voltage up to 600 V can be measured.

Figure 6. Front panel view of Yokogawa model WT310 meter, mount, and connections.

Like current magnitudes, current waveforms can be observed by using a low-impedance series sensing
resistor. An alternative that does not introduce grounding problems is to sense the magnetic field produced by
flowing charges. The laboratory is equipped with Hall-effect current probes for this function. These probes can

15
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

measure current from 0 to 30 A (peak) at frequencies between 0 and 120 MHz. One drawback is that the probes
may have an internal dc offset which may drift for about twenty minutes during warm-up. A second is that they
are rather delicate. You will probably find these drawbacks minor compared to the information that can
be gained.

Timing is critical in the operation of most power converters. Since switches are the only means of control,
the exact moment when a switch operates is a key piece of information. Consider the waveforms in the Fig. 7
below. A sinusoidal waveform (perhaps the input voltage to a rectifier) serves as a timing reference. It is
straightforward to measure the time shift between this wave's zero crossing and the turn-on rise of the switched
signal below it. The example in the figure shows two 60 Hz waveforms. The time delay τd can be measured directly
from the graph as about 1.25 ms. Since a full 360° degree period lasts 16.667 ms, an angle φd can be calculated
from τd as
1.25ms 360°
φd= x = 27°
16.667ms/cycle cycle

One important detail in making this measurement is to make sure both oscilloscope traces are being
triggered simultaneously. Make sure the scope is not in an "alternating" waveform mode, and that a single trigger
signal (such as the power line) is used.

Figure 7. Phase delay measurement example

16
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

Procedure —

Part 1: The Diode

To permit testing with small inductors and capacitors, we will use a waveform generator for the early parts
of today's experiments. Please use care in connecting and operating this instrument. It is not designed to supply
high current.

1. Obtain a toroidal or audio power transformer from the lab selection.

2. Construct the circuit shown in Fig. 8. Diodes should be standard 1N4001 or 1N4004 rectifiers, or similar.

Figure 8. Rectifier test circuit

3. Be careful with ground connections. Set the waveform generator for approximately 1 kHz output at about
10 V peak. Observe Vout with the scope.

4. Quickly sketch the output waveform under “no load” conditions (the scope probe gives a slight load).

5. Load the bridge with a 500 Ω resistor (compute the necessary power rating first!). Observe and sketch
the output voltage waveform. Use the current probe to observe and sketch the current out of the
transformer.

6. Connect an inductor, specified by your instructor, in series with the resistor. Observe and sketch the resistor
voltage waveform and the current into the bridge. Measure the average resistor voltage with a multimeter.

7. Remove the R-L load. Instead, attach a 47 Ω resistor in series with a 1 µF capacitor. Place a 1 kΩ resistor
across the capacitor terminals. Observe and sketch the capacitor voltage waveform and the bridge input
current waveform. Also measure the average capacitor voltage.

17
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

Figure 9. Rectifier test circuit with R-C load.

Part 2: The SCR

In Demonstration #1, we saw a simple controlled rectifier example, and the waveforms which result. The
gate control was described as a pulse, but was not observed or controlled. Today, we will actually operate an SCR
with external control, in order to gain some feeling for the gate signals expected.

1. Construct the circuit shown below. The input source should be the 25 V 60 Hz supply.

Figure 10. SCR rectifier test circuit

2. Use a 10 kΩ potentiometer or a resistor substitution box for Rc. Observe the Vg and Vload waveforms for Rc
values of 0, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 Ω. Sketch the two waveforms for two or three values of Rc.
Measure the turn-on delay by comparing Vg or the gate current with Vload with the oscilloscope set for line
triggering. Also, use the meters to measure the average and RMS values of Vload in all cases.

Study Questions —

1. For part 1, what waveforms would you expect for R, R-L, and R-C loads? Hint: think in terms of low-pass
or high-pass filtering.

2. Compare the actual waveforms with those expected. Compute the actual circuit time constants, and discuss
how they might affect the waveforms.

18
Experiment #1 — Basic Rectifier Circuits

3. The R-L and R-C cases of part 1 represent different output filter arrangements for a rectifier circuit. Discuss
the circumstances under which each of these will be effective for generation of dc output.

4. Comment on how the diode forward voltage drop (about 1V) affects the waveforms.

5. From the part 2 data, tabulate and plot the average load voltage vs. the value of Rc.

6. Compute the SCR gate circuit R-C time constants. Is the turn-on delay governed by the time constant?

7. The circuit shown in Fig. 10 is similar to that used in incandescent light dimmers. Can you suggest other
applications?

8. Could a battery be substituted for the load resistor in Fig. 10 to form a controlled charger?

19
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I: Single-Phase Conversion

20
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

Objective — This series of two experiments will examine the properties of controlled rectifiers, or ac-dc
converters. The first experiment will concentrate on the single-phase (half-wave) circuit, while the second will
examine two- and three-phase converters. Converter concepts such as source conversion and switch types will be
studied. Popular applications such as battery chargers and dc motor drives will be introduced.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. The dc motor can be modeled as a constant
voltage proportional to speed. For this particular motor, the constant is 50 V per 1000 RPM. Please neglect any
series inductance. Your instructor may elect to assign another problem.

1) A dc motor control circuit is shown below. It is drawing an average current of 1 A. Study it, and answer the
following.

Figure 1. Motor supply circuit for pre-lab assignment

a) Sketch the waveform for the motor current.

b) Find the motor speed.

c) Now, given the motor speed, refine your current waveform to make it an accurate plot.

d) Repeat a), b) and c) using a four-diode bridge instead of a single diode.

Discussion —

Introduction: In Experiment #1, you had a chance to become familiar with the basic action of the SCR, and also
studied a number of non-resistive rectifier load circuits. The SCR was seen to support control, since it can block
forward voltage until commanded to turn on. In today's experiment, the lab SCR boxes will be used to study
controlled-rectifier action in more depth.

The 120 V ac waveform available to us in the lab (or the 25 V ac waveform at our transformer output) is
a good voltage source. It provides a consistent sinusoidal ac voltage at current levels from 0 up to many Amperes.

21
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

In a switched converter network, KVL will not allow us to connect this ac voltage source directly to a dc voltage
source. Thus, if the objective is to obtain a controllable dc voltage, the ac source must be converted into current or
buffered with some other part before it can be otherwise processed. Many types of loads act to provide current
conversion. The source conversion concept is one subject of today's work.

Basic Theory: Switching networks allow efficient conversion of electrical energy among various forms, but one
disadvantage is that the KVL restriction does not allow direct energy conversion between different voltage sources.
Similarly, energy cannot be transferred directly among different current sources by a switch network. To deal with
these constraints, it is necessary to provide intermediate conversions. For example, energy from a voltage source
can be transferred to a current source, and then on to another voltage source.

A resistive load is a trivial example of current conversion: the incoming voltage produces a proportional
resistor current. This is a far cry from a current source, but it is not a voltage source, and it does result in a conversion
function. An inductive load is a better conversion example: the inductor voltage VL = L(di/dt) resists any change
in current. If L is very large, any reasonable voltage will not alter the inductor current, and a current source is
realized. A capacitive load has the opposite behavior. The capacitor current iC = C(dv/dt) responds whenever an
attempt is made to change the capacitor voltage. If C is very large, no amount of current will change the voltage,
and a voltage source is realized.

In Experiment #1, you saw three types of rectifier behaviors. With a resistive load, the rectified waveform
has a dc component, but has substantial ac components as well. With an inductive load, the current is closer to a
fixed dc value. With a capacitive load, current is transferred in large spikes during a fraction of each cycle — a
behavior which intensifies noise as well as wear and tear on the electrical parts. The inductive circuit came closest
to the desired current source conversion. Many electrical loads, especially motors, are inductive. As a result, most
circuits behave in such a way that current does not change much over very short periods of time. In power
electronics practice, this behavior, along with the desired source conversion function, means that most loads are
treated as “short-term” current sources.

22
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

Figure 2. Basic single-phase controlled rectifier

Figure 3. Single-phase converter with second switch for KCL

The basic single-phase controlled rectifier is shown in Fig. 2. If the load is inductive, there is no KVL
problem. But there is a KCL problem: the switch cannot be turned off if the load is inductive. To see that this is so,
observe what happens to L(di/dt) when an attempt is made to turn the switch off. The current must approach zero
almost instantaneously. The value of L(di/dt) is a huge negative voltage. In practice, this voltage will likely exceed
the blocking capabilities of the switch, which will be damaged. A solution is to provide a second switch across the
load, as shown in Fig. 3. In simple ac-dc converters, this switch can be a diode, or it can be a second bidirectional-
blocking forward-conducting device. Any load which resembles a current source can be taken into account by
addition of this second switch.

Figure 4. Basic dc motor circuit equivalent

Two popular loads for ac-dc converters are the dc motor and the rechargeable battery. The dc motor has
an inductive model, as shown in Fig. 4. The motor looks rather like a voltage source, but its windings provide series
inductance. This combination has many current-source properties.

23
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

A battery provides a good dc voltage source. To support the desired energy conversion function, something
must be placed in series with the battery for current conversion. A resistor can be used, as in the Pre-Lab, with a
loss in efficiency. Alternatively, an inductor can be used, as in the circuit in Fig. 5. Analysis of this circuit is not
trivial. The controlled switch is on whenever Vin is positive. When it is on, the output current is given by
diL (t) V in - RiL - V battery
=
dt L

When the controlled switch is off, inductor current is

diL (t) -RiL + V battery
=
dt L

If L is large, the current is approximately constant. These differential equations can be solved to give actual values
of current. Charging current is controlled by the resistor value and also by the phase delay used to operate the SCR.

Figure 5. Single-phase battery charger with inductive filter

The form of the circuit now expected for single-phase conversion appears in Fig. 6. The switches are
implemented with an SCR and a diode. In this case, the output voltage is Vin whenever the SCR is on, and zero
when it is off. The SCR turns off automatically when Vin ≤ 0. The voltage waveform is a familiar one: a half-wave
rectified waveform, possibly with a delayed turn-on. The voltage has an average value given by
π
1
V out(ave) =
2π α
∫ 2 V ac(RMS) sin θ d θ

where α is the angle of delay before the SCR is turned on. This integral can be computed to give
2V ac(RMS)
V out(ave) = (1+ cos α )
2π

Since the output is a dc current source, average power exists only at dc, and is simply Iout⋅Vout(ave).

24
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

Figure 6. A single-phase ac voltage to dc current converter

Figure 7. Typical output voltage waveforms

Procedure —

Part 1: Ideal R-L load

1. Connect phase “A” of the nominal 25 V 60 Hz supply, the SCR labeled “A” in the SCR box, and a resistive
load, as shown below. Estimate the required resistor power rating, and abide by it. Remember that the
source neutral is grounded. Record the actual RMS value of the source voltage.

Figure 8. SCR test circuit, resistive load

2. Observe the output voltage waveform for SCR master delays corresponding to approximately 0°, 45°, 90°,
and 135°. Sketch just one or two typical waveforms, rather than the whole series. Measure Vout(ave) and
Vout(rms) for all SCR delays. Note that the phase delay setting is not relevant for this experiment.

3. Place an inductor specified by your instructor in series with the resistor, as shown below. Record input and
output power so you can compute efficiency. Repeat #2 above for this new circuit, but include both the
output and load voltage waveforms in your sketches and also measure Vload(rms).

25
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

Figure 9. SCR test circuit, series R-L load

Part 2: Battery load

1. Connect a rechargeable battery to the output of the circuit in Fig. 10.

12 V

Figure 10. SCR test circuit with battery charger load

2. Measure the average battery current Iout(ave) with the Fluke multimeter and the RMS current Iout(rms) with a
wattmeter for at least four different SCR delay angles. Record the master delay times. Observe and sketch
the resistor current waveform at one intermediate SCR delay angle. Record information to permit
computation of efficiency. What data will be needed?

3. Add an inductor in series with the load and then repeat step 2.

Optional Part 3: Dc motor load (to be performed only if extra time is available)

1. Connect a small dc motor in place of the battery in Fig. 10.

2. Observe and measure motor current and voltage for at least four values of SCR phase delay.

Study Questions —

1. For the loads of Part 1, tabulate and plot Vout(ave) and Vout(rms) vs. the SCR delay, computed in terms of
angle. Compute a theoretical result, and compare it to the data. Do these agree?

26
Experiment #2 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part I

2. For the battery load in Part 2, tabulate and plot Iout(ave) and Iout(RMS) vs. the SCR delay angle. Again consider
whether your results are consistent with theoretical expectations.

3. Why is the “flyback” diode included in today's circuits?

4. Compute the efficiencies of the SCR circuit with R-L and battery charger loads.

5. Comment on how the diode and SCR forward voltage drops affect your results.

27
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #3 — Ac-Dc Conversion, Part II: Polyphase Conversion

28
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

Objective — This second in a series of two experiments will examine the properties of ac-dc converters with
polyphase input sources. The experiment will concentrate on input voltage sources, as these are the mainstay of
modern electric power system supplies. The midpoint converter will be the focus of this experiment, and will be
tested with inductive loads including a dc motor.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab session. Your instructor may elect to assign
another problem.

1) An ac-dc conversion circuit for battery charging is shown below. The input voltage Va is a sinusoidal voltage
with an RMS value of 25 V. You may assign a resistor value if you wish.

a) Plot Vout vs. time and the input current from Va vs. time for this circuit.

b) Compute the average and RMS values of Vout.

c) How would Vout, as well as its average and RMS values, change if the load is made a current source?

Figure 1. Ac-dc converter for pre-lab assignment.

Discussion —

Introduction: In Experiment #2, the circuits had a single SCR in a half-wave rectifier configuration. A flyback diode
was needed to provide a current path when the SCR turned off. The simple half-wave circuit transferred energy to
the load only a small fraction of the time — at least half the time, the source is unconnected. Since polyphase
sources are so common, the half-wave circuit seems ineffective.

A polyphase ac voltage source is a set of m sinusoidal ac voltages, each equal in amplitude and frequency,
spaced equally in phase through a full 360°. The most common source is three-phase, with three voltages 120°
apart. Six-phase sources are also common, and have six voltages at 0°, 60°, 120°, 180°, 240°, and 300°. It turns out
that any polyphase set with m odd can be converted to a polyphase set with 2m phases by means of center-tapped
transformers. The even number of phases results from the inverting portion of the transformer winding.

29
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

The definition of polyphase sources also applies to the “two-phase” case — two voltages, each 180° apart.
While this is consistent, a confusing historical nomenclature has arisen. In communication systems, a “quadrature”
voltage source is a set of two, spaced by 90°— a sine and a cosine. Quadrature sources were used in many early
power systems, and gave rise to an unfortunate use of the term “two-phase” for such a source. The usage continues,
even though most “two-phase” equipment is actually constructed as four-phase. We will use the term two-phase to
refer to a set of two voltages 180° apart rather than to a quadrature set. In today's experiment, the SCR boxes will
be used to study controlled-rectifier action with two and three-phase sources.

Figure 2. Polyphase ac to dc converter

Basic Theory: When multiple input sources are available for ac-dc converters, it is natural to use all of them. The
circuit above shows the most general of such converters — an m-phase to dc converter. Today, we will examine a
slightly simplified version of this converter — one in which there is a common neutral connection between input
and output. This is called a “midpoint” converter, and appears below.

In the midpoint converter, the KVL and KCL restrictions are reasonably clear: no more than one switch
may be on at any time, and one switch must be on if the load current is not zero. This implies that Σ qi ≤ 1. If the
load is a current source, Σ qi = 1, and the switching functions are said to form a “complete set.” We want to operate
the switches so that the dc value is maximized and the unwanted ac components are minimized. It can be proved
that if the switching frequency is chosen to equal ωin, the best choice of switching functions is to follow the

30
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

polyphase input: each switch is on 1/m of the time, and switching functions are spaced 360°/m apart. The dc output
component can be controlled by adjusting the phase of the switching functions. The output voltage is given by
m
Vout = ∑Vi hi
i =1

Figure 3. Polyphase midpoint ac-dc converter

This gives a complicated series, in the form

 nπ ( ) 
1 2 ∞ sin
Vout =  + ∑ m cos nω t + nφ  V cos(ω t )
( )
 m π n =1 n
in 0
 0 in

 
 nπ ( ) 
1 2 ∞ sin m cos  nω t + nφ − 2π n   V cos  ω t − 2π 
+ + ∑  in  0  in 
 m π n =1 n 
0
m    m 
 
 nπ ( ) 
1 2 ∞ sin m cos  nω t + nφ − 4π n   V cos  ω t − 4π 
+ + ∑  in  0  in 
 m π n =1 n 
0
m    m 
 
+...

The dc component appears in the n=1 term, and is given by

2  π V 2  π V
Vout ( ave ) = sin   0 cos (φ0 ) + sin   0 cos (φ0 ) + ...
π m 2 π m 2

This, in turn, can be simplified to give

= sin cos , ≥2

Notice that Vout(ave) depends on , where is defined as the delay angle between any voltage and the switching
function associated with it. The result is a controlled rectifier. Unwanted components appear at frequencies which
are multiples of mωin. This is a better situation than the single-phase case, which had a lower dc component and

31
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

large unwanted components at multiples of ωin. The unwanted components can be reduced by increasing m. In
large power system applications such as high-voltage dc transmission, as many as 48 phases are used at the
converter input, to reduce unwanted components.

In this experiment, the two-phase source will be obtained by means of a center-tapped transformer (the
one-phase/two-phase switch setting on the bench front panel). The standard 120 V ac line is supplied to the
transformer, and 25 V direct and inverted outputs are provided. The SCR switching functions must be spaced 180°
apart ( cycle) in order to best effect conversion. The three-phase source is stepped down from laboratory power.

In this case, the SCR control box will need to be adjusted to provide the necessary 120° delays, based on phase A
for a reference.

Procedure —

Part 1: Two-phase converter

1. Set up the 25 V 60 Hz supply for two-phase output. Remember that the output neutral is grounded.

2 Connect the SCRs labeled “A” and “B” in the SCR box with a resistive load, as shown below. Estimate
the required resistor power rating, and abide by it. Set the phase delay on the SCR box to provide cycle

delay for a 60 Hz input.

Figure 4. Two-phase SCR test circuit

3. Set the SCR master delay to zero (i.e. set it to act as a diode). Observe the output voltage waveform. Record
Vout(rms) and Vout(ave) and sketch the output voltage waveform.

4. Repeat #3 for time delays corresponding to approximately 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, and 180°. Sketch just one
typical waveform, rather than the whole series.

32
Experiment #3 — Ac-Dc conversion, Part II

Part 2: Three-phase converter

1. Connect the 25 V 60 Hz supply and SCR box for three-phase operation. Plug the SCR box into the outlet
labeled Phase A on the power panel at your bench. Adjust the phase delay to reflect cycle delay at 60

Hz. Turn on 3φ power.

Figure 5. Three-phase SCR converter test circuit

3. Set the SCR master delay to zero (i.e. set it to act as a diode). Observe the output voltage waveform.
Measure Vout(ave) and Vout(rms), and sketch the waveform.

4. Repeat #3 for master time delays corresponding to approximately 45°, 90°, and 135°. Sketch just one
typical waveform, rather than the whole series.

5. If there is time, repeat #3 with a dc motor as the converter load, except set the master delay at about 120°
initially. Observe and sketch the motor current and voltage waveforms with no motor shaft load.

6. Add some shaft load, and observe current and voltage waveform changes. Record your observations.

Study Questions —

1. For each of the load and source combinations, tabulate and plot Vout(ave) and Vout(rms) vs. the SCR delay
angle. What would you expect in theory? How well do your results agree with the theory?

2. For one delay angle (pick 45°, for instance), plot Vout(ave) and Vout(rms) vs. the number of input phases (you
have data for one, two, and three). What do you expect to happen when more phases are used?

3. Why is the flyback diode not included in today's circuits?

4. A bridge converter, as in the pre-lab (Fig. 1), implements the full switch matrix in Fig. 2. How would
Vout(ave) be affected by the use of a bridge rather than a midpoint converter?

33
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #4 — Dc-Dc Conversion, Part I: One-Quadrant Converters

34
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

Objective — This series of two experiments will examine dc-dc conversion circuits and their major applications.
Pulse width control is the basic technique for operating such converters, and this method will be used. The first
experiment in the series will examine most of the simple one-quadrant converters (buck, boost, buck-boost, boost-
buck). The second will examine dc-dc converters for motor drives.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. The
procedure is very measurement intensive, so you should be ready to record and organize data quickly. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1) A dc-dc buck-boost converter is shown below. It has Vin = 20 V, and a value of Vout which depends on the
choice of duty ratio D1.

a) Calculate Vout for duty ratios (on switch #1) of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75.

b) If the load is 10 Ω, find Iin(ave) and Pout(ave), for the duty ratio values of (a).

c) For the duty ratios of part (a) and the 10 Ω load, what are the values of inductor current?

d) For a duty ratio of 0.75, sketch the current through switch #1.

Figure 1. Dc-dc converter for pre-lab assignment.

Discussion —

Introduction: The general two-input two-output switch network has four switches. It will provide dc-dc conversion
if a dc source is used at the input and pulse width control is used to operate the switches. In this experiment, some
common one-quadrant converters will be implemented and tested. Most commercial dc switching power supplies
use one of these one-quadrant methods as their basis. The main tool of this experiment is our FET switch control
unit. This box contains two sets of power switches — a pair of power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect
transistors and a pair of diodes — along with switching function circuitry for the FETs. The circuitry provides

35
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

direct front-panel control of the switching function frequency and duty ratio. The power devices in the FET control
box are fully isolated to permit their use in any switching circuit.

The FET is a bidirectional-conducting forward-blocking switch, and so can be used in place of the simple
forward-conducting forward-blocking switch needed for one-quadrant dc-dc conversion. In this experiment, we
will set up two one-quadrant circuits and characterize their operation. The converters we will build are actually
fairly sophisticated, with fast switches and switching frequencies as high as 100 kHz.

Basic Theory: In theory discussions, dc-dc converters are depicted as providing energy transfer between two ideal
sources. In practice, one of the sources is almost always implemented as an electrical energy storage element. For
example, the buck converter stores energy in an inductor when the controlling switch is on, and discharges that
energy through the load when the controlling switch is off. The objective is to keep energy flow into the load nearly
constant as the switches operate. Many converters have nearly constant voltages or currents for the storage
elements.

The general dc-dc converter is shown in Fig. 2. Several one-quadrant dc-dc converters can be built from
simplified versions of this matrix, and the four major ones are shown in Fig. 3. Notice that the combination
converters (buck-boost and boost-buck) are really two matrices connected together. As long as the inductors and
capacitors maintain non-zero voltage and current levels, KVL and KCL requirements must be accounted for in
switch operation. When VC > 0 and IL > 0, the two switches must have q1 + q2 = 1, and D1 + D2 = 1.

Figure 2. General dc-dc converter matrix

36
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

Figure 3. Major one-quadrant dc-dc converters

Figure 4. The buck converter

In every dc-dc converter, the output waveform is a scaled version of one or more switching functions.
Average values are therefore determined by the switching function duty ratios. For example, the buck converter
has Vout = q1Vin, which in Fourier form is:
 2 ∞ sin ( nπ D1 ) 
Vout = Vin  D1 + ∑ cos ( nωswitch t + nφ0 )  The average value of this series is D1Vin. Unwanted Fourier
 π n =1 n 

components appear at the switching frequency fswitch and its multiples. The largest unwanted component is:
2
sin ( π D1 ) cos (ω switch t + φ0 )
π
A special advantage of dc-dc converters is the arbitrary value of fswitch. This frequency can be chosen in any

37
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

manner, as long as the desired duty ratio can be provided. Some common constraints used to select the switching
frequency include:
— The speed of switch transition from on to off or off to on.

— Allowed size and weight of inductors and capacitors.

— Sensitivity of the load or source to ripple voltages and currents.

— Radio-frequency interference caused by high-frequency components.

Modern dc-dc converters are implemented with GTOs (Gate Turn-Off thyristors) and FETs. Each of these has a
preferred switching frequency:

— GTO-based dc-dc converters (used for dc motor drives and very high power conversion): up to several
kilohertz.

— FET-based dc-dc converters: up to 2 MHz or more.

— FET-based “resonant” dc-dc converters: up to 20 MHz or more.

In general, as switching frequencies increase, the values of dv/dt and di/dt values also increase, and smaller
inductors and capacitors can be used without sacrifice in performance.

Procedure —

Part 1: Buck converter

1. Set up the FET control box as a buck dc-dc converter. Use the left devices. The red jack is the FET drain
lead (the “forward” switch terminal). Be sure to provide the capacitor shown across the input power supply.
The capacitor should be placed as close to the FET box as possible so that the inductance of the wires to
the FET will be very low. The HP 6060 electronic load can be used as appropriate.

Figure 5. Buck converter test circuit

38
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

2. Set the power supply current limit for about 3 A, and the voltage to 12 V. Turn on the FET box, monitor
q(t), and set the duty ratio to 50%. Set fswitch to about 100 kHz. Connect oscilloscope probes to measure
Vload and Vout. The oscilloscope input coupling should be set to “dc.”

3. Turn on the input power supply. Notice that the Vout waveform allows easy measurement of the switching
function. Confirm that the duty ratio is close to 50%. Sketch the Vout and Vload waveforms.

4. Use the oscilloscope to measure the peak-to-peak ripple on Vload at duty ratios of 10%, 50%, and 90%.
Measuring directly at the capacitor leads may provide cleaner measurements. The ripple measurement can
be performed by setting the oscilloscope input coupling to “ac,” and expanding the voltage scale. Don't
forget to return the coupling to “dc” when you finish the ripple measurement.

5. Measure average values of Vload and Iin at duty ratios of close to 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%. Use your
multimeter for Vload(ave). The meters on the Kenwood power supply monitor average values. Record the
duty ratio, as well as the input and load RMS voltages, currents, and powers from the wattmeters.

6. Change fswitch to 5 kHz. Observe the inductor current rise and fall. Note the current value at a few points in
the waveform. The objective is to determine di/dt as the basis for estimating the inductance in your report.

Part 2: Buck-boost converter

1. Set up the FET control box as a buck-boost dc-dc converter, as shown below. Again, remember that the
red jack is the FET drain lead.

Figure 6. Buck-boost test circuit

2. Set the power supply current limit for about 3 A, and the voltage to 12 V. Set the FET box duty ratio dial
to the zero position. Connect oscilloscope probes across the load resistor and across the inductor.

3. Turn on the FET box and the input power supply. Set fswitch to about 100 kHz.

39
Experiment #4 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part I

4. Set the duty ratio to about 50%, and confirm this. Sketch the inductor voltage waveform. Use the current
probe to sketch the inductor current waveform. Observe and sketch the load voltage waveform, as well as
its ripple component using ac coupling.

5. Measure average and RMS values of Vload and Iin at duty ratios of close to 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%.
Confirm whether or not the output polarity is reversed. Record power readings as well. The output voltage
becomes high quickly with D > 60%, so be careful.

Study Questions —

1. Tabulate your data in an organized fashion. Compare the RMS readings from the wattmeters with the
various average readings. Do they agree?

2. Compute and tabulate ratios of Vload(ave)/Vin for these converters. Are the results consistent with the duty
ratio settings?

3. Estimate the average input and output power from the average readings of Vload and Iin for each operating
condition. Compare these results to the wattmeter readings. Calculate efficiency, Pout/Pin, from the
wattmeter readings.

4. Estimate the inductor value from the measurements of the current waveform in the buck converter. Use
this value to compute an expected load voltage ripple at 100 kHz. How do your results compare with the
data? If the inductor value were to double, how would this affect the behavior of these circuits?

5. What is the impact if a student tries to test a boost or buck-boost circuit under no-load conditions?

40
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #5 — Dc-Dc Conversion, Part II: Converters for Motor Drives

41
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

Objective — This second in a series of two experiments will examine the operation of dc-dc converters in the
context of motor drives. Motor drives are typical applications of multi-quadrant dc-dc converters. Motors are not
true current sources. Some types of switching motor drives take advantage of this fact in their operation. Others are
directly equivalent to the dc-dc converters studied so far.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1) A dc-dc buck converter has a 48 V input. This converter is connected to a dc motor that spins at 2000 RPM
given 24 V at its terminals, 1000 RPM for 12 V, and follows a linear speed relation at other voltages. The
motor is characterized by a voltage source in series with an inductance and resistance. The resistance is 0.5 Ω.
The inductance is 10 mH. The converter switches at 20 kHz. At 2000 RPM with no mechanical load, the motor
draws 0.5 A.

a) What is the no-load motor speed at 20% duty ratio? At 65% duty ratio?

b) The buck converter has been set to operate the motor at 2500 RPM, when the FET abruptly turns off.
Sketch the motor current after this turn-off. Where in the circuit does the current flow? When does it equal
zero? (You may assume the motor EMF remains constant after the FET turns off)

Figure 1. Dc-dc converter for pre-lab assignment

Discussion —

Introduction: One common example of the applications of dc-dc converters is the switching power supply, in which
a single rectified waveform can be converted with minimal loss into a variety of dc voltages. This makes switching
dc supplies common in computer systems, where three or four different dc voltage levels are often needed. Dc
power supplies are usually always based on one-quadrant circuits: the output power and current are positive at all

42
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

times. A second major application of switching dc supplies is the dc motor drive. In this case, dc power from some
source (perhaps a rectifier) is to be controlled in order to achieve a mechanical function. Converters or other electric
controllers used for such applications are called “motor drives,” and dc-dc converters are often called “chopper
drives” in this context. Motor drives range from units rated at a few watts (for motors in printers, computer disk
drives, and CD players) to units rated at thousands of horsepower (used in locomotives, ships, and large pumps).

In large dc motor drives, the rotating kinetic energy of a large motor is considerable, and in a braking
situation, this energy must be removed. The energy can be converted to heat and lost, as it is in gasoline engine
vehicles, or it can be directed back to the energy source for recovery. This “regeneration” energy can be controlled
only with multi-quadrant circuits. Multi-quadrant dc-dc converters are the main topic of this experiment.

Basic Theory: The equivalent circuit of a dc motor is repeated in Fig. 2. Rotation of the motor produces a “back
EMF,” equal to kωif, where k is some constant, ω is the motor shaft speed in rad/s, and if is the “field exciting
current” or some other variable representing the magnetic field strength inside the motor. Note that this is not the
same as the armature current, , which flows through the motor terminals. The back EMF, symbol Vg, appears in
series with the inductance and resistance of the motor windings. If a voltage Vt is applied to the motor terminals, a
current (Vt - Vg)/Ra will flow in the steady state. This current sends power into the motor, which is converted to
mechanical energy. The input power accelerates the motor until the electrical input power exactly balances any
mechanical energy delivered to a shaft load.

Figure 2. The dc motor equivalent circuit with mechanical model

The power input, and hence the operating speed, of a dc motor can be controlled by altering the value of
Vt. Since the actual output power is into some mechanical load, with its associated inertia, ω will not change much
over short time periods, and Vg will be nearly constant. This is a good match for a dc-dc converter, since the average
electrical power into the motor will be determined by the average value of Vt, even when the inductance is low.

43
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

For example, a simple buck converter could be used to control Vt, as in Fig. 3. The output could vary from 0 to
100% of some input dc source voltage, and thus speed could be altered from near 0 to near rated speed.

Figure 3. Buck converter in a dc motor drive application

If if is held approximately constant, as it is in “separately excited” motors or motors with permanent

magnets, the input power is a very direct function of converter duty ratio, and speed control is made easy. In fact,
many converters have feedback systems built in for this purpose. Consider the unit of Fig. 4, in which the transistor
duty ratio depends on a low-power input voltage. This voltage could be generated as shown in the figure, with some
reference signal being compared to information from a tachometer. In this unit, the duty ratio automatically
increases if the motor speed drops. This results in additional input power and is intended to keep running speed
nearly constant. The operating speed can be changed easily by adjusting the reference voltage, and will be held
constant at the desired value.

Figure 4. Dc-dc converter set up for speed control

In high power and traction motor drives, a considerable amount of energy is represented during a speed
decrease. An example is the braking of an electric vehicle. The energy removed from a motor during deceleration
is equal to the energy needed to accelerate the motor, at least in principle. In mechanical systems, this braking

44
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

energy is converted to heat, dissipated, and lost. This is not an acceptable situation in battery-powered electrical
systems. Multi-quadrant dc-dc converters can be used to convert the braking energy back into electrical form. The
energy can be dissipated just as it would be by mechanical brakes, or recovered. The dissipation version is called
“dynamic braking” and is often used for very rapid deceleration of electric motors. The recovery version is called
“regenerative braking,” or just “regeneration,” since it uses the motor as a generator during deceleration.

The buck converter is sometimes called a class-A chopper when used as a motor drive [1]. This converter
makes a useful, simple motor controller. When braking, the controlling switch turns off, and only the diode
conducts. If inductance is low, the output current quickly goes to zero, and the motor merely coasts to a stop. If
inductance is high, the braking energy is dissipated in Ra. Fig. 5 shows some typical waveforms. A boost converter
can be used to return generated energy from a motor to a source, provided that the source voltage Vt is greater than
Vg. Such a converter, shown in Fig. 6, can provide regenerative or dissipative braking. It is sometimes referred to
as a class-B chopper [1].

Figure 5. Buck converter current waveforms

Figure 6. Boost converter for braking energy recovery

45
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

A motor could be attached to both a buck and a boost converter, with the buck converter operating (with
Ia > 0) during “motoring,” and the boost converter operating (with Ia < 0) during regeneration. Such a unit is called
a class-C chopper, and is widely used for dc motor drives. In a class-C chopper, care must be taken to avoid turning
on both active switches simultaneously, since this would short the input source. To operate a class-C chopper, the
boost converter active switch is shut off, and the buck converter is used to accelerate and provide running power to
the motor. When regeneration is desired, the buck converter is shut off until Ia becomes negative. At that point, the
boost converter can begin operating, and will transfer energy from the motor back to the source. In effect, the two
converters operate independently.

Figure 7. Class-C chopper circuit

The general dc voltage to dc current converter shown in Fig. 8 is not especially useful for dc motor control,
since the inductance value is usually too low for useful regeneration. If a large inductor is placed in series with the
motor, the circuit is capable of regeneration, since Vt can be negative with Ia positive. The converter cannot provide
negative steady-state voltage to the motor, and so is no more useful than the class-C chopper above. It is called a
class-D chopper.

46
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

Figure 8. Two-quadrant dc-dc converter

In many applications, it is necessary to reverse the motor direction, while maintaining both motoring and
regeneration. Two class-C choppers, one for each motor Vt polarity, can be assembled for this purpose. The result-
ing class-E chopper consists of four converters, each of which operates in only one quadrant. It is shown below.

Figure 9. Class-E chopper circuit for bidirectional dc motor drive

The class-E chopper is more often termed an “H-bridge,” based on its shape. Low-power IC H-bridge devices are
the basis of many computer motor drives. In practice, the most common multi-quadrant converters operate as if
they are built up from multiple one-quadrant converters. It is possible to view ac-dc, dc-ac, and ac-ac converters as
if they were multi-quadrant dc-dc units. We will carry this idea further in later experiments.

47
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

Procedure —

Part 1: Class-A (one quadrant) motor drive

1. Choose a dc motor from the lab selection. Use your multimeter to measure its Ra.

2. Set up the FET control box as a buck dc-dc converter, with a dc motor as the output load. Remember that
the red jack is the FET drain lead (the “forward” switch terminal). Be sure to provide the capacitor and
resistor shown across the input power supply. The resistor is intended to take up any regenerated energy.

3. Set the power supply current limit for about 5.0 A, and the voltage to 24 V (depending on the motor
ratings). Set the duty ratio dial to zero. Connect an oscilloscope probe across the motor. Set up the current
probe to measure the motor armature current.

4. Turn on the FET box and the input power supply. The motor voltage waveform gives you a way to observe
switching frequency (how?). Set fswitch to about 20 kHz (a period of 50 µs). Monitor and record the power
supply current and voltage; shut it down if anything unexpected appears.

Figure 10. Class-A chopper test circuit

5. Observe and sketch the motor voltage and current waveforms, as well as measure the average motor
voltages and currents at: the lowest duty ratio for which the motor runs steadily, a duty ratio of about 50%,
and a duty ratio of about 90%. In each case, measure the peak-to-peak ripple of Ia. Qualitatively observe
the effects of shaft load on the current waveform.

6. Change fswitch to 2 kHz. Take special care to record the value of voltage during intervals where Ia = 0. Take
current waveform data that will allow you to determine the time constant of Ia during its fall. This will
allow you to estimate La later.

48
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

Part 2: Class-C (regenerative) chopper circuit

1. The two active switches of the class-C chopper operate separately. Be aware that either one can be operated
only when the other is off. The dual FET box can be configured to provide a "dead time" to avoid any
possible overlap. This is done by setting the switching function of the second FET to the q' (note that there
are three possible settings). Use both devices in your FET control box to set up the circuit in Fig. 11.

2. Use an input voltage of 12 V or 24 V (depending on the motor rating) and a switching frequency of 20
kHz. Observe operation at approximately 50% duty ratio. Sketch the motor voltage and current waveforms,
and record the average motor voltage and current. Measure the peak-to-peak ripple on Ia.

Figure 11. Class-C chopper test circuit

3. Increase the duty ratio to near the maximum amount, then drop the duty ratio abruptly in an attempt to
observe converter action during regeneration. You may need to repeat this step, or spin the shaft externally
by hand or with another motor to observe regeneration behavior. Make note of your observations. Try to
obtain a situation in which Ia reverses, in which case the machine is a generator.

Study Questions —

1. During intervals when Ia = 0, the motor voltage is not necessarily zero. Interpret its value during such
intervals. (Hint: Since Ia = 0, this is an open-circuit voltage.)

2. Compute average power into the motor for each operating condition.

3. Estimate the motor series inductance from the buck converter data. Use this to estimate the current ripple
at 20 kHz, 50% duty ratio. Does the calculation match your measurements?

4. Is the average motor voltage determined by the duty ratio?

5. Why is the class-A chopper incapable of regeneration? What will happen in such a converter if Vt is
suddenly lowered?

49
Experiment #5 — Dc-Dc conversion, Part II

6. What would happen if no dead time were present (i.e. what if the controls for the two switching devices
in Part 2 were to overlap for a short time, such as 100 ns)?

References —

[1] S. B. Dewan, G. R. Slemon, A. Straughen, Power Semiconductor Drives. New York: John Wiley, 1984.

50
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I: Voltage-Sourced Inverters

51
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

Objective — This series of two experiments will examine inverter circuits. Inverters, or dc-ac converters, are used
for generation of backup ac power, for ac motor drives, and for switching amplifiers. Commercial inverters are also
used in alternative energy applications such as solar power. Uses of inverters are growing rapidly with expanded
use of backup power, inverter-based amplifiers, and ac motor controllers.

Square-wave (voltage-sourced) inverters will be studied in this first experiment of the series. Emphasis
will be placed on phase control techniques and resonant filtering.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1. The half-bridge converter shown below has a square waveform for Vout. To avoid any dc component in
Vout, the two switches are operated with a duty ratio of 50% at a frequency equal to the intended ac output.
The capacitor bridge also prevents any dc component from flowing in the output. The intended output
frequency is 50 Hz. Select L to make this load resonant at 50 Hz, so just a single harmonic flows.

a) Sketch the voltage waveform across the load resistor.

b) Sketch the voltage and current waveforms for either of the two large capacitors in the divider network.

c) Can the average output power be varied by adjusting the phase or duty ratios of the switching functions?
Why or why not?

200 V
L

Figure 1. Dc-ac converter circuit for pre-lab assignment

Discussion —

Introduction: Dc-ac converters, or inverters, can be classified according to the properties of the dc source. Those
with a dc current source are often used for sending energy into an ac power system. Dc power regeneration and

52
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

HVDC transmission are two examples. Such inverters blur distinctions between rectification and inversion. In
practice, the only difference between rectifiers and inverters when dc current sources are involved is the direction
of any unidirectional switches used in the circuits and the current flow direction.

Ac-dc/dc-ac converters which involve dc voltage sources are more common, and operate differently from
the current-sourced versions. These voltage-sourced inverters imply an ideal ac current load — rare in practice.
Normally, the “ac current sink” is instead a model for an electrical load such as a motor. In an energy sense, these
loads are passive: they consume energy delivered to them, and can be represented as an equivalent load impedance
under steady-state conditions. A passive load just follows its input waveform, and do not establish a time of
reference for phase purposes. The phase just leads or lags the input voltage by a certain amount. Without a phase
reference, there is nothing to be gained by adjusting the phase of the switching function set, so that approach to
control is not available. An alternative is to use one of the switching functions as a phase reference and then adjust
others relative to it. This gives rise to relative phase control, which is used in some backup systems. Today's
experiment will consider the basic square-wave inverter, widely used for backup power and general ac power needs.

Inversion is important in three general contexts:

1. Transfer of energy from some dc source into an ac power system. Applications include dc motor
regeneration and alternate energy source conversion. Typical examples are inverters for solar power or
fuel cell power.

2. Backup ac power. Since most electrical equipment is intended for ac power from a utility, switching power
converters which produce ac from storage batteries are of growing importance.

3. Ac motor drives. Induction motors, synchronous motors, and so-called brushless dc motors require ac
power at variable frequency. An inverter with adjustment capability is essential for ac motor drive
applications.

The first of these is usually addressed with current-sourced inverters or with voltage-sourced inverters that
apply relative phase control. In the current-sourced case, series inductance is added on the dc side, and the ac utility
line provides an absolute phase reference. Phase advance or delay is used, and the control is just like that in a
rectifier. In the second application, square-wave inverters (perhaps with added filters) often serve the purpose.
There are somewhat more sophisticated backup inverters that create better waveforms, but square-wave circuits
remain the most common. In the third case, we must be able to create a good sinusoid with full control over
amplitude and frequency. Next week's experiment will consider PWM methods for this purpose.

53
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

Basic Theory: The most general dc-ac converter (based on single sources) is shown in Fig. 2. It has at most four
switches. The switching functions are constrained by KVL and KCL as usual, but they must also have a Fourier
component at the output frequency. An important practical consideration is that most ac utility sources involve
transformers and cannot tolerate a dc component. This further constrains the functions. An obvious choice is to
operate the switches in pairs, in a manner similar to the two-quadrant buck or boost dc-dc converters. The switching
functions are given a duty ratio of 50% for symmetry, to avoid any dc component in the ac output.

Figure 2. Basic dc-ac converter

The dc voltage to ac current case is shown in Fig. 3. As in a two-quadrant buck converter, Vout can be either
Vin, -Vin, or 0, depending on the switch combination. Notice the switch types to be used in this converter. The
devices must support current in either direction, although there is only one voltage polarity.

Figure 3. General voltage-sourced dc-ac converter

An induction motor equivalent circuit is shown in Fig. 4. This circuit acts as an inductive load. Since the
current cannot change instantaneously, a current source is an appropriate model over short times. Nonetheless, the
phase of this current source is linked to the phase of the input voltage. Changing the phase of the input voltage will
change the current phase but not alter power. This is a reminder that an absolute phase control approach does not
apply to this type of load.

54
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

Figure 4. Induction motor equivalent circuit for each phase

Figure 5. Half-bridge inverter with R-L load

Because of the ac current source phase behavior, properties of the load are important to converter
operation. A half-bridge converter with an R-L load is shown in Fig. 5. KVL and KCL require ! + ! = 1. The
practical requirement of no dc component in Vout can be met if D1 = D2 = ½. Vout is a square wave at the desired
frequency, and has a value of Vout = (2q1 - 1)Vin. This generates the Fourier series:

4Vin ∞ (
sin nπ )
2 cos nω t − nφ Output current and power depend on the load, in a manner which can be
Vout =
π
∑
n =1 n
( out 0)

'()*+
= $% +&
'
computed term-by-term based on . At steady state, Iout is periodic at the same frequency as
∞
Vout, and has a Fourier series: Iout = co + ∑cn cos ( nωout t + θn ) This series can be differentiated. Let Xn = nωL. Then
n =1

we can solve for Iout, with the final result:

4Vin ∞ sin nπ ( 2 ) cos  nω X 

I out =
π
∑  out t − nφ0 − tan −1  n
 R


n =1 n R +X 2 2
n 

This process can be automated, and the current at any point in time can be found by adding several terms in the
series. A sample current waveform is given in Fig. 6. Some loads of this type will be tested in this experiment.

55
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

Figure 6. Typical output waveforms of voltage-sourced inverter

Procedure —

Part 1: Voltage-sourced inverter, R-L and R-L-C loads

1. Set up a FET control box with a short dead time between the devices to form a half-bridge inverter. Use a
single supply with a capacitor bridge as depicted in Fig. 7. Do not confuse the FET drain and source leads.

Figure 7. Voltage-sourced inverter test circuit

2. Set the power supply current limit for about 2.0 A. Set the duty ratio dial to 50%. Connect oscilloscope
probes across the load resistor and converter output, as shown in Fig. 7.

3. Turn on the FET boxes and the input power supply. Set fswitch to about 10 kHz.

4. Measure the output average voltage. Is it zero? Adjust the duty ratio to get zero average output. Small
average offsets can swing the current to the power supply current limits. Some supplies must be shut off
to reset if current limits are reached.

56
Experiment #6 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part I

5. Sketch the load resistor voltage and the output voltage waveforms. Record the RMS voltage, current, and
power from the wattmeter. Measure the average input current from the supply.

6. Compute the series capacitance needed for resonance with the inductor at the switching frequency. Add
this capacitor in series with the inductor. Adjust the frequency as needed to obtain near-resonant operation.

7. Sketch the resistor voltage waveform with the R-L-C load. Record the RMS value of the load resistor
voltage, the output power, and the average input current from the supply.

Part 2: Isolated converter with ac link (half-bridge forward converter)

1. Set fswitch to 50 kHz. Wire a toroidal transformer into the circuit shown in Fig. 8.

Figure 8. Isolated ac-link converter

2. Measure the average output voltage of this circuit. Sketch the waveform.

3. Place a 1 µF capacitor across the output terminals. Again measure the average output voltage. Also
measure the average input current.

Study Questions —

1. How do you expect waveforms for an R-L load to change with frequency?

2. An alternate method for control of Vout(wanted) is to add a third switch across the output combination. This
allows zero as a possible output value. The duty ratios D of the first two switches can then be adjusted so
that Vout changes. Assuming that the dc component remains at zero, find Vout(wanted) as a function of D for
this control scheme.

3. What is the effect of a resonant load, such as that in Part I?

4. Why is dead time required in these applications?

5. What is the efficiency of the converter circuits tested above?

57
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II: Pulse Width Modulation

Inverters

58
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

Objective — This second in the series of inverter experiments involves pulse-width modulation circuits. The intent
is to gain familiarity with the waveforms and concepts of pulse-width modulation as it applies to power electronics.
PWM inverters are quickly becoming the method of choice; their use is likely to expand. The PWM inverter will
be examined in the context of an ac motor drive. Basic ac drive concepts will be one feature of this experiment.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1. The PWM waveform shown below has a switching frequency of 5000 Hz and a modulating frequency of
200 Hz. It is applied to a series R-L circuit with R = 8 Ω and L = 10 mH. Sketch the expected steady-state
current waveform. You are not expected to compute it in detail.

Figure 1. Sample PWM waveform for pre-lab assignment

Discussion —

Introduction: Control of output voltage in dc-ac converters is critically important in ac motor drives, and is very
useful in all inverter applications. With output control, the converter can compensate for input changes or allow the
user to set a desired output.

There are two methods in common use for controlling the output voltage (and power) of an inverter. The
first is to use “relative phase control,” in which the two half-bridges in a full-bridge inverter are adjusted in phase
relative to each other. This approach is common in high-power inverters and is also used in low-cost low-power

59
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

inverters. The drawback is that there are significant unwanted harmonics in the output. In fixed-frequency
applications, these can be addressed with resonant filters, as in the previous experiment. Relative phase control
permits slow switches, such as SCRs, to be used in inverters. The switching frequency is the same as the intended
output frequency.

The second method, pulse-width modulation (PWM), decouples the switching function frequency and the
intended output. This method can provide the desired results if the switches operate much faster than fout. Modern
FETs, IGBTs, and GTO thyristors have made PWM possible in nearly all contexts. To understand PWM, consider
a very fast square wave. The duty ratio can be varied slowly between 0 and 100%, in a manner similar to pulse
width control in dc-dc converters. In a buck converter, for example, this would have the effect of slowly changing
Vout(ave). This slow change can be sinusoidal. Vout can change at the rate of 60 Hz if, for example, a switching
frequency of 10 kHz is used. To allow Vout to appear in two quadrants, a full-bridge inverter can be used. This
circuit operating under PWM is identical to a two-quadrant buck converter. The pulse width is now intentionally
varied, rather than held constant.

The drawbacks of PWM include the relatively high switching rates and power losses which increase with
switching rate, the wide range and high magnitude of unwanted components, and radio interference which results
from the unwanted components. Advantages include the ease with which Vout(wanted) can be varied, the fact that
adjusting fout is just as easy as adjusting |Vout(wanted)|, the simplicity of PWM systems, and the possible wide frequency
separation between wanted and unwanted frequency components. This wide frequency separation simplifies
filtering — a low-pass filter is generally all that is used.

We will examine PWM in the context of ac motor control and R-L loads. The ac induction motor, for
example, is mechanically simple and rugged, requires no electrical connections between stationary and rotating
parts, and is inexpensive. Ac motor speed control in general requires adjustment of the motor input frequency.
Unfortunately, ac motors also have frequency-dependent impedance. As the frequency is decreased, input current
and internal magnetic flux rise. To counteract these effects, the voltage must change along with frequency. If the
voltage is altered in the correct manner as a function of frequency, an ac motor can be made to act almost like a dc
motor in terms of speed and torque control. Today, ac motor drives are displacing dc motors in most applications.
These drive units are nearly always based on PWM.

Basic Theory: The half-bridge inverter in Fig. 2 has output Vout = (2q1 - 1)Vin. If the duty ratio is varied with time
as some modulating function M(t), Vout becomes:

60
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

>
4 sin5630 1 7
= ,- /20 1 + 4 cos 6 89:, ;< 1 −6 @−
3 6 ,-
-?

Remember that D must be between 0 and 1. Substitute ½[k⋅cos(ωoutt)+1] for M(t). Then Vout becomes:
 nπ 
∞
sin   k cos ( nωout t ) + 1 
∑   cos nω
4Vin 2
Vout = Vin k cos ( nωout t ) + ( switcht − nφ0 )
π n =1 n

Notice that this is not a Fourier series — time appears in several places, as does sin[nk cos(ωoutt)]. It can be
decomposed into a Fourier series (by using properties of Bessel functions), and the Fourier components that result
appear at frequencies of nωswitch ± mωout. The components drop in amplitude quickly for increasing m, but slowly
for increasing n. If the ratio fswitch/fout is large, very little of the energy appears between ωout and ωswitch.

Figure 2. Half-bridge inverter for PWM control

Since the output is a voltage source, a current-sourced interface such as an inductive load is appropriate.
A series R-L load would act as a low-pass filter (just as in the dc-dc buck converter), separating fout from the
unwanted components. This function can be performed by a deliberate R-L load, a motor winding, or a transformer.
This experiment will illustrate both PWM and the filtering process.

Procedure —

Part 1: PWM inverter, R-L load

1. Set up the dual FET control box to form a half-bridge inverter, as in Fig. 3. Use a fixed 24 V supply as the
input energy source. Set the box for dead-time between the two switching functions.

2. Set the power supply current limit to about 1.5 A, and the voltage to zero.

3. Set up the waveform generator at your bench to produce a 50 Hz sinusoidal voltage such that the lowest
voltage is 1 V and the highest is 3 V. Remember to use high-Z mode. Connect this voltage to the duty ratio
input BNC jack on the FET box.

61
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

4. Observe both the half-bridge output voltage and the (filtered) resistor voltage. Turn on the FET box and
the input power supply. Set fswitch to about 20 kHz.

Figure 3. Voltage-sourced inverter test circuit.

5. Monitor the average value of Vout and the power supply current. Adjust the function generator to get near
zero average output. Remember that some supplies must be turned off if their current limit becomes active.

6. Sketch the Vout waveform. Can you see the modulation process?

7. Increase fswitch to about 50 kHz. Record the RMS voltage, current, and power into the load resistor. Measure
the average input current.

8. Decrease the amplitude of the function generator modulating waveform by about 50%. Sketch the Vload
waveform. Record meter data as in steps 6 and 7.

Part 2: Induction motor drive

1. Turn off the power supply. Replace the R-L load with a series combination of a 5 Ω resistor and a
transformer winding with a 12.6 V rating.

2. Place a 1 kΩ load across the transformer secondary terminals. Turn on the power supply, and measure the
RMS and average voltage across this resistor, and observe and sketch the waveform. Be aware of the
relatively high voltage level.

3. With the supply off, wire the small quadrature motor into the circuit, as shown in Fig. 4. Apply power.
Sketch the converter output voltage and resistor voltage waveforms (refer to the figure).

4. Change the sine wave frequency and amplitude to observe an ac motor control function.

62
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

Figure 4. Ac motor drive test circuit.

Part 3: Audio amplifier application

1. Set up the audio amplifier circuit provided in the laboratory. Use a power supply of 9 V, and prepare a 1
kHz sinusoidal modulating signal for input. The load can be a loudspeaker or a 6 to 10 Ω resistor.

2. Based on the amplifier data sheets, observe the modulating function, carrier waveform, and switching
function for at least two different amplitudes of modulating signal. Please keep the signal below the
saturation limit.

3. Record your observations.

Part 4: Commercial drive demonstration

Your instructor will demonstrate a commercial PWM ac motor drive.

1. Connect a PWM drive to a motor of proper ratings, then to 208 V three-phase power.

2. Observe current and voltage traces. Turn on the drive.

3. Operate the drive at frequencies of approximately 20 Hz, 40 Hz, and 60 Hz. Record your observations.

Study Questions —

1. For this type of converter, how do you expect waveforms for an R-L load to change with switching
frequency? With modulating frequency?

2. Why is PWM advantageous in ac motor control?

3. Draw the full-bridge inverter for PWM. What relationships would you expect among the various switching
functions?

63
Experiment #7 — Dc-Ac Conversion, Part II

4. The three-phase inverter uses six switches. What waveforms do you expect for line-to-line and line-to-
neutral voltages?

5. Compute and tabulate the converter's efficiency from your part 1 data.

6. Compare PWM with the simpler inverter scheme of Experiment #6.

7. Compare the PWM inverter from Part 2 to the commercial unit of Part 4.

64
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #8 — Real Components, Part I: Models for Real Capacitors and Inductors

65
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

Objective — This series of experiments will study the behavior of real components. In the first experiment, basic
characteristics of realistic capacitors and inductors will be examined, with emphasis on impedance effects. The
second experiment explores the topic of high-side gate driving, a key implementation detail pertinent to many
power converters.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure. There is a considerable amount of data to be
taken for this experiment. The recorder should prepare appropriate tables prior to the lab session. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1) A sinusoidal voltage of amplitude V0 and frequency fs is applied to the series R-C circuit shown.
a) Find the amplitude and phase of Vc as a function of frequency. Tabulate the values of amplitude and phase
for frequencies of 200 Hz, 20 kHz, and 2 MHz.
b) If the capacitor is really a series-resonant L-C pair (as in Fig. 5), what is Vc at resonance?

Figure 1. R-C voltage divider for pre-lab assignment

2) A sinusoidal voltage of amplitude V0 and frequency fs is applied to the series R-L circuit shown.
a) Find the amplitude and phase of VL as a function of frequency. Tabulate values at 200 Hz, 20 kHz,
and 2 MHz.
b) If the inductor has significant series resistance, can the value be determined knowing VL and fs? If so, what
is the value in terms of known and measured quantities?

66
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

Figure 2. R-L voltage divider for pre-lab assignment

Discussion —
dvc
Introduction: The capacitors, inductors, and resistors used in circuit analysis have ideal properties: ic = C ,
dt
diL
vL = L , v = RiR . As in the case of voltage and current sources, real devices are not ideal. In the context of
dt R

power electronics, these effects are often important. After all, we often seek large values of L and C at high voltage,
current, power, and frequency. We often use resistors in high-speed circuits.

Some of the nonideal effects are straightforward: wires have resistance and inductance, coils of wire have
capacitance between the turns, and so on. In order to use passive components in power electronic circuits, it is
important to understand what the effects are, how they are characterized and measured, and the implications for
design. In these experiments, we will examine practical effects in passive devices.

Basic Theory, Capacitors: When two conductors of any shape are placed in an electric field, a charge develops on
each one. The amount of charge changes with the voltage difference between the conductors. In a system which
consists only of perfect conductors and perfect insulators, the
charge Q depends on voltage in a linear fashion, so that Q = CV.
The constant of proportionality is defined as capacitance. Since
Figure 3. Parallel-plate capacitor
voltages perform work in separating charge, the charge and
capacitance represent stored energy, in the well-known form W =
½CV². Current is, of course, the time rate of change of charge. If capacitance is constant (e.g. the conductors are
dv
stationary), this leads to the simple relationship i = C .
dt

A real capacitor must provide conductors to hold the charge, wires to allow application of voltage,
insulation which physically supports and separates the conductors, and a protective package to prevent damage.

67
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

There are two major classes of commercial capacitors. The first consists of two flat metal conductors, separated by
a dielectric layer. The second type, known as the “electrolytic capacitor,” consists of an oxidized metal conductor
and a nonmetallic conductor. Either of the two types is capable of providing storage of electric charge. An excellent
overview of capacitor types can be found in [1].

Both types can be modeled with a parallel-plate geometry, shown in Fig. 3. The capacitance value depends
on the plate spacing d, the plate area A, and the dielectric constant of the insulator, ε, according to the relation C =
εA/d. A large value of capacitance requires large plates, small spacing, and high dielectric constant.

Capacitors possess both current and voltage ratings. The dielectric must not break down. To avoid this,
the electric field magnitude E = V/d must be kept sufficiently low. The voltage rating of a capacitor, then, depends
on d. When the applied voltage changes rapidly, significant currents will flow. The wires and plates must be large
enough to handle the applied current without overheating. In general, one wants to place very large plates in a small
package, along with a dielectric of high ε. The choices mainly involve plate thickness, wire size, dielectric thickness,
and dielectric type. The nonideal effects are also relatively clear: the wires and plates introduce series inductance
and resistance, and an imperfect dielectric could allow some current flow between the plates. A candidate circuit
model emerges:

Figure 4. Proposed circuit model for a simple dielectric capacitor

This circuit model can be simplified at a specific frequency. Then the parallel portion can be transformed into a
series equivalent. This gives the standard model:

Figure 5. Standard series equivalent circuit of a capacitor

Many manufacturers use this standard model as a basis for describing their capacitors. The equivalent series
resistance (ESR, another name for the Rs of the circuit) is often given at a frequency such as 120 Hz. The
equivalent series inductance (ESL) is often given in the form of a “self-resonant frequency,” fr. The properties of
the standard circuit include:

68
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

• The voltage drop across the ESR reduces the stored charge relative to expected values.

• Any current flow produces loss in the ESR: the higher the current, the higher the losses.

• The resonant effect of the series R-L-C circuit means that a plot of impedance vs. frequency will fall at
first (capacitive impedance), reach a minimum, and then rise (inductive impedance).

• Above fr, the device is an inductor!

• The circuit does not model real behavior well at very low frequencies. For instance, the original circuit in
Fig. 4 shows that some leakage current will flow when a dc voltage is applied. Real capacitors show this
effect. The standard model does not predict it.

The ESR mainly represents the dielectric properties. As you might guess, dielectrics are strange materials,
and do not act in accordance with Ohm's Law. Because of this, the ESR is generally some kind of nonlinear
resistance; for example, it varies with frequency. A traditional way of characterizing such materials is with the so-
called loss tangent. The loss tangent, also called tan δ or dissipation factor (df), is defined as the ratio of resistance
to reactance for a series R-X circuit. For the standard model of the capacitor (at low frequencies), tan δ ≈ ωRC. The
loss tangent has a characteristic value for a given capacitor dielectric material, regardless of the plate geometry. It
also happens that many good dielectric materials are characterized by a loss tangent which is roughly constant over
a wide frequency range. For these reasons, loss tangent or df is often given in capacitor specification sheets. The
ESL is more closely related to packaging and lead structure, since wire inductance is the most important factor.

In electrolytic capacitors, the insulating layer is formed through an electrochemical reaction between the
two conductors. If voltage of the wrong polarity is applied, the reaction reverses, and the insulating layer is
destroyed. The device becomes a resistor, and usually overheats and fails catastrophically. When the correct
polarity is applied, the electrolytic capacitor shows the same general properties as the simple dielectric version,
with two changes: the leakage current levels are much higher, which means ESR is significant; and the effective
plate surface area is very high, which allows high values of capacitance per unit volume. Electrolytic capacitors are
more nearly characterized by constant ESR than by constant df values.

Basic Theory, Inductors: Inductors are formed simply by wrapping a coil around a magnetic material. Current in
the coil creates magnetic flux in the material. If the material is linear, the flux is proportional to current, so that λ =
Li. The constant of proportionality in this case defines inductance. By Faraday's Law, if this flux varies with time,

69
Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

it gives rise to a voltage vL. Thus vL = L⋅di/dt. Magnetic materials are generally not linear; these effects will be
studied in more detail in lecture.

Figure 6. Proposed circuit model for a basic inductor

Even without considering the effects of nonlinearities, some aspects of real inductors are clear. The wire
coil has resistance. Incoming and outgoing wires act a bit like parallel plates. A simple circuit model might be the
one in Fig. 6. Below resonance, the L-C combination can be treated as just an inductor, so an R-L series combination
is sufficient as a model. Since no computation or “equivalencing” is required to find R, it is usually just called the
series resistance. In reality, the magnetic material also shows loss, so other resistances appear. As in the capacitive
case, the loss tangent is defined as the ratio of resistance to reactance. It is hard to build inductors which handle
high power levels and still have very low loss tangents.

Inductor types are defined mainly by the magnetic material. This can be a linear material, such as air, or
any magnetic material. Good linearity is a desirable feature, so most practical inductors have an air gap. In this
experiment, inductors will be tested for their ESR values and resonant frequencies.

Procedure —

Part 1: Reference measurements. Do these as time permits rather than first so teams can trade off.

1. Your instructor will assign a set of capacitors, inductors, and resistors to each team. Use the automatic
RLC meter in the lab to obtain 1 kHz values for Cs/Ls, Cp/Lp, Rs, Rp, and D = df for each of your assigned
parts. Special emphasis should be placed on the values relevant to the various models.

Part 2: Frequency sweeps

1. Insert one capacitor in the circuit shown below. Use the highest available Vin value. If the capacitor is
electrolytic, be sure to observe the polarity marks, and add a dc offset to Vin so that Vc > 0 at all times. If it is
not electrolytic, use an offset of zero. If the capacitor is less than 0.5 µF, substitute a 1 kΩ resistor for Rs.

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Experiment #8 — Real Components, Part I

Figure 7. Capacitive impedance test circuit

2. Set A9 to 1 kHz, and observe Vin and Vc on your oscilloscope. Measure the peak-to peak amplitudes and
the phase shift between them in degrees. (Hint: Phase measurements can be made more easily by using
the oscilloscope cursors to measure time differences.)

3. Look for the resonant frequency of the part by adjusting fs until the phase shift is close to zero. How do
you expect the amplitude to behave? Record amplitudes of Vin and Vc at this frequency.

4. Choose at least three frequencies below resonance and three above it. The frequencies you choose should
cover roughly a factor of 100 in frequency. Record amplitudes of Vin and Vc, and the phase shift between
them, at each of these frequencies.

5. Repeat parts 1–4 for your other assigned components. In some cases, you may want to change the resistor
value to allow better measurements of Vc. If you do this, be sure to use R ≥ 50 Ω and record the actual R
value used. A value R = 1 kΩ is suggested for inductors.

Study Questions —

1) Use data for Vin, Vc, and phase to compute the impedance for each tested component.

2) Plot impedance magnitude and phase vs. frequency for each component.

3) Calculate ESL for each capacitor based on the resonant frequencies you measured.

4) Using your frequency sweep data, calculate ESR at 1 kHz and at a frequency near resonance for each capacitor
and inductor. Compare the 1 kHz results to the RLC meter data.

5) Discuss how your data conform to the proposed simple models.

References —
[1] Donald M. Trotter, Jr., “Capacitors,” Scientific American, vol. 259, no. 1, July, 1988, pp. 86-90B.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #9 — Real Components, Part II: Switching Devices and Gate Drive
Circuits

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Objective — The purpose of this week’s lab is to develop an understanding of the non-idealities of common
switching devices and how they can be controlled to minimize power loss and optimize circuit performance. The
operation of high-side gate drivers will be introduced which will allow the implementation of a buck converter
using discrete components.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1. The MOSFET in the buck converter shown in Fig. 1 has a threshold voltage of 5 V. For this analysis,
assume that it is an ideal switch, meaning that the switch will be fully off (infinite resistance) if the gate-
source voltage is below 5 V, and fully on (zero resistance) if the gate-source voltage is above 5 V. The
MOSFET is driven by a square-wave signal that has a high of 10 V with respect to circuit ground, and a
low value of 0 V with respect to circuit ground. The slope of the square wave is infinite.

a. Calculate the maximum voltage that can be observed at the switching node (labeled NSW) while
the switch is still on.

b. What is the maximum source voltage for the circuit?

Figure 1. Buck converter

c. For the buck converter of Fig. 4, sketch the gate voltage of the transistor with respect to ground,
for an input voltage of 20 V, a switching frequency of 100 kHz, and a 50% duty signal applied to
SW1 and SW2. Note that SW1 and SW2 are operated in a complimentary fashion, so that only
one switch is on at a given time.

Discussion —

Basic Theory of Gate drives: Up to this point in the class, we have largely assumed the existence of ideal switching
devices. In reality, the switching must be performed by a practical device such as a BJT, MOSFET or IGBT. A
BJT can be modeled as a current-controlled current source, and requires current into the base when maintaining the

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

device in the on state. This current is supplied at a low voltage (so that power is low), but can be as high as a tenth
or more of the switch on-state current. Base drives for power BJTs can be a challenge, since they usually must
supply several amps in a precisely-controlled square wave. In the case of the FET and other field-controlled devices,
the steady-state gate current is essentially zero, and the gate voltage determines switch operation. However, there
is still a need for high short-term currents to charge gate regions rapidly and force the fastest possible switching.
These voltage-controlled gate-drive circuits are much easier to design than BJT base drives, which helps explain
the declining use of power BJTs in switching converters. Because FETS have arguably the simplest gate-drive
requirements and have come to dominance in many power electronics applications, they will be used for this lab.

The MOSFET consists of a channel of doped semiconductor (most often p-type) spread between the drain
and source terminals. A small region of heavily doped material of opposite type is implanted at the two terminals.
A layer of insulation is mounted on top of the channel. When voltage is applied to the gate electrode, charge carriers
are attracted into the region near the gate. More carriers come in as the gate voltage rises, until the channel is
“inverted,” and matches the polarity at the source and drain. Current can flow between the source and drain if
adequate numbers of charge carriers are present.

Figure 2. Simplified MOSFET cross section

To turn the FET on, the gate region must be charged. The region represents a capacitance, and the gate
drive must be designed to charge this capacitance sufficiently. The channel will invert when the gate voltage
exceeds a threshold level, Vth, and the gate voltage must be maintained at a level considerably greater than Vth
(usually above 2Vth) so that enough charge will be present in the channel for low effective channel resistance. The
gate drive must therefore apply an overdrive gate voltage on the order of more than 100%.

To turn the FET off, the gate region must be discharged, and the gate voltage must be decreased and
maintained below Vth. Real devices have wide error tolerances on Vth. For example, the IRFP360 FET used in the
FET boxes can have any Vth between 2.0 V and 4.0 V, depending on the device and operating temperature. For
good performance, a gate drive would apply about 10 V between gate and source for such a device.

74
Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

It would seem optimal to supply the highest current possible to the FET gate in order to minimize switch
transition times and corresponding losses. Indeed, this would be true in a circuit with no parasitic inductance.
However, remember that the voltage of an inductor is proportional to the rate of change of current flowing through
it. By forcing the current flowing through the circuit’s parasitic inductances to change too quickly, significant
voltage ringing will be created that can destroy switching components. Provided that the circuit connections have
been made neatly with minimal connection lengths, the FET should be switched at the highest speed possible
without excessive ringing.

The basic objectives of a gate drive circuit can therefore be summarized as follows:

• For turn-on, the drive must rapidly charge the gate capacitance to a voltage much higher than Vth,
without inducing excessive ringing which might exceed the dielectric breakdown limit of the gate
insulator.

• For turn-off, the drive must rapidly discharge the gate to a voltage lower than Vth, again without
inducing excessive ringing.

One of the challenges of designing drivers for N-channel devices is the need to apply a substantial voltage
between the gate and source as long as the device is to be on. In many converters, this is not a trivial matter. As an
example, consider the familiar buck dc-dc converter as shown in Fig. 3. For the circuit in Fig. 3a to work, a voltage
equal to Vin + 10 V must be applied to the FET gate whenever the switch is to be on. If the switch is relocated as
in Fig. 3b, the problem of a high gate voltage is alleviated, but the output is no longer relative to ground potential.

a b
Figure 3. Buck converter with FET switch

High-Side Gate Drivers: The gate potential problem is solved by means of a high-side gate drive circuit. Fig. 4
depicts the functionality of the circuit. With switch 1 closed, the gate of the FET will be pulled to VDRV higher than
the source and the device will be fully on. When switch 2 is closed, the gate of the FET will be connected to the
source and the device will be fully off. Although an isolated source such as that in Fig. 4 is sometimes used in high-
power applications, there are more cost-effective options for typical converters.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Figure 4. Buck converter with functional high-side gate driver

The circuit in Fig. 5 shows the partial implementation of a more practical gate driver. In order to understand
the operation of this circuit, note that the voltage of Nsw is near ground when the diode is conducting and at Vin
when the diode is off. Because the switching function of the diode and FET are opposite, Nsw ≈ 0 V when the FET
is off and Nsw ≈ Vin when the FET is on.

Figure 5. Buck converter with discrete high-side gate driver

During the off time of the FET, when Nsw ≈ 0 V, current is able to flow through DBST to recharge CBST to
the value of VDRV. When SW1 is turned on, Vgs of the FET is charged to VDRV, and therefore the gate of the FET is
raised to VDRV + Vin above ground. Thus, CBST serves the same purpose as the floating voltage source in Fig. 4.
The source of VDRV is typically a separate low voltage supply of 5–12 V, depending on the desired gate voltage.

The control of SW1 and SW2 are the only components of the circuit left to discuss. This control is
frequently accomplished using BJT devices driven by a level shifter. Fortunately, integrated high-side drivers are
available to handle this control, and therefore circuit design only consists of selecting the driver capacitor (CDRV),
CBST, Rgate, and the boot-strap diode. Some devices, such as the LM5101 from TI, contain an internal boot-strap
diode (DBST), as shown in Fig. 6, which further simplifies implementation.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Figure 6. Buck converter with integrated high-side gate driver.

The boot-strap capacitor is responsible for providing the gate charge of the FET (QG), the reverse
recovery charge of the diode (QRR), the leakage current of the boot-strap diode (ILK, D), the quiescent current of
the level shifter (IQ, LS), the high-side gate driver operating current (IQ, DRV), and the gate-body leakage current or
the leakage current between the gate and source terminals (IGS). Based on this information, the required boot-
strap capacitance can be calculated as:
NRST
FG HFII H5JKL,N H JO,KP H JO,NIQ H JGP 7
CCDE =
UNIQ
∆WXPY
.
The following information for the devices which will be used in this lab is available in the device data sheets.

Driver- IRS2183: Diode- FES16DT: MOSFET- IRF100B202:

IQ, LS: 50 µA QRR: 1.2 nC IGS: 100 nA

IQ, DRV: 150 µA ILK, D: 10 µA QG: 116 nC

For a switching frequency of 100 kHz, a boot-strap voltage ripple of 0.5 V, and a maximum duty ratio of 90%,
the required capacitor size is calculated to be 80 nF. For good measure, a 0.1 µF cap will be used for CBST. CDRV
is customarily made at least an order of magnitude larger than CBST, so a 1µF cap will be used. Note that sizing
the boot-strap capacitor in circuits using special control techniques which allow the switch to remain on or off for
multiple cycles will require additional considerations. There are many application notes available from
component suppliers discussing such details.

A great deal of analysis can be invested in the calculation of the correct gate resistance, but this
calculation does not take into account variable parasitics, such as the inductance of the wires used in the lab. In
order to allow for optimization based on the actual circuit construction, the gate resistance will be first estimated
and then tuned during operation. Calculations regarding gate charge and switching times have some merit in that

77
Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

they can provide a result within an order of magnitude or so. However, as you have already seen, parasitic
elements can change the performance of power electronic circuits very significantly.

Fig. 7 shows some of the locations where parasitic inductance affects FET switching. Inductance in the
gate drive circuit (Lgate) can form a tank circuit with the FET gate capacitances and cause oscillations during
switch transitions. Similar ringing can also result from the parasitic inductance in series with the FET. Noting
Lseries in Fig. 7, it can be seen that a sudden change in current flowing in the circuit will result in a large potential
build-up across the inductor. In order to limit the ringing magnitude, the rate of change of current can be reduced
by increasing the gate resistance and thereby increasing the switching time. Alternatively, Lseries can be reduced
by keeping interconnections small.

Figure 7. Schematic showing the effect of parasitic inductance on hard switching

Fig. 8 through 11 demonstrate the effects of tight circuit wiring on converter performance. Fig. 8
shows the gate switching waveform and FET drain to source voltage for the neatly wired buck converter
shown in Fig. 12. Adding 1 meter of wire between the diode cathode and the FET source results in voltage
spikes during turn-off, as depicted in Fig. 9. Adding an additional meter of wire between the input filter
capacitor and FET drain results in even larger voltage ringing with the peak VDS reaching 84 volts in a
converter with only a 12 volt input. Based on this example, it is easy to understand why poor circuit layout can
damage FETs. The IRF530N device used in this lab has a max VDS of 100 V. The excessive ringing can be
partially remedied by adding gate resistance as illustrated in Fig. 11. By increasing the gate turn-on time, the
peak VDS ringing is reduced to 48 volts.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Figure 8. Tightly wired (Top: Vgate, Bottom: VDS) Figure 9. One meter of wire between diode cathode
and FET source

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Figure 10. Same as Fig. 8 plus one meter of wire

Figure 11. Same as Fig. 9 with added gate resistance.
between input cap and FET drain. VDS peak = 84 V
VDS peak = 48 V

Figure 12. Tightly wired, low-power buck converter on a breadboard

Procedure —

1. Build the circuit depicted in Fig. 13. Use a 0.1 µF cap for CBST and a 1 µF cap for CDRV. Both should be
ceramic and be placed close to the chip. A 500 Ω potentiometer set to 120 Ω will be used for Rgate, and the
PWM signal can be obtained from the signal generator. Refer to the IRS2183 data sheet for the appropriate
amplitude of your PWM signal.
2. Set the power supply current limit to 3 A and the voltage to 12 V. Turn on the electronic load and place it
in resistance mode at 25 Ω, or use a 25 Ω power resistor.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

Figure 13. Buck converter test circuit

3. Set the switching frequency to 100 kHz and the duty ratio to 50%. Verify that the PWM signal is reaching
PIN 7 of the gate driver.

4. Place the differential oscilloscope probe between the drain and source of the FET, and a regular probe
between ground and the cathode of the power diode. Also set up the scope to observe the FET gate and
the output voltage.

5. Power up the converter and capture a screenshot of the gate signal. Measure the time constant of the gate-
charging circuit.

6. Adjust the resistance of the gate drive circuit until the turn-on and turn-off intervals of the FET are about
equal, as long as the VDS ringing does not exceed about 60 volts. Be aware that at higher voltage levels (as
may be encountered in the final project), this ringing can easily destroy the FET if it exceeds switch ratings.
Record Ton and Toff. Note whether Ton, Toff or both are influenced by driver circuit resistance.

7. Adjust Rload to 4 Ω. After waiting about 2 minutes for converter temperature to stabilize, take
measurements of Vin, Vout, Iin, and Iout with which to calculate converter efficiency. Measure FET case
temperature as well.

8. Turn off the circuit and record the potentiometer resistance Rgate. Adjust the potentiometer to 100 Ω, restart
the converter, and again measure Ton and Toff. Take efficiency data and measure FET temperature after
waiting about two minutes for converter temperature to stabilize. Repeat for 200 and 400 Ω, taking data
at each point.

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Experiment #9 — Real Components, Part II

9. Add an extra length of wire (around 1 meter) between the source of the FET and the cathode of the diode,
as well as between the input cap and the drain of the FET. Find the lowest gate resistance at which the
circuit can be operated while keeping the VDS ringing less than 50 volts with both inductances in place.
What is the minimum peak ringing you can achieve? Save a screenshot of circuit operation with both
inductances, with each of the added inductances separately, and without extra parasitic inductance.

10. Do not take apart your circuit, as you will be using it in future labs.

Study Questions —

1. Tabulate your data in an organized fashion.

2. Calculate an approximate value of the gate capacitance of the FET at a VDS of 12V.

3. Calculate and plot the converter efficiency as a function of gate resistance. Comment on whether you were
able to make Ton and Toff equal for your circuit, or whether excessive ringing prevented you from doing
so.

4. List and comment on the changes in FET temperature as the gate resistance was increased. What is the
reason for this additional power loss in the FET?

5. Comment on the effect of adding extra parasitic layout-inductance to the converter and include plots of
normal operation and operation with each of the added inductances separately. Estimate the amount of
parasitic inductance added.

6. Is there anything that prevents you from operating the high-side switch in the on-state indefinitely?

References —

[1] L. Balogh “Design and Application Guide for High Speed MOSFET Gate Drive Circuits” Texas
Instruments Inc. [Online]. [Accessed Aug. 16, 2013].

[2] Advanced Power Technology, Appl. Note APT0102. Rev Oct 29, 2001 [Online]. [Accessed
Aug. 16, 2013].

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Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #10 — PWM Generation and Control

83
Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

Objective — The purpose of this week’s lab is to generate a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) waveform utilizing a
triangle wave generator. The PWM waveform thus generated will be used in a dc-dc power converter.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. Solve the
following on a separate sheet, for submission as you enter the lab. Your instructor may elect to assign another
problem.

1. For the Schmitt trigger circuit in Fig. 4, derive an expression for the low and high threshold values (the
values of Vin when the comparator will toggle). Note that the output voltage will alternate between 0 and
Vdd. By taking the difference between the high and low threshold values, find the hysteresis voltage.
Observe that the hysteresis voltage is the same as the peak-to-peak amplitude of the triangle wave.

2. For the integrator circuit in Fig. 2, derive an expression for the output voltage Vtri in terms of parameters
Rs1, Rs2, Rint, Cint, Vdd, and Vref.

3. For a triangle wave with amplitude of 2.5 Vpp, centered at 2.5 V, calculate the value of resistor Rs1 if Rs2
has value 10 kΩ and Vdd is 5 V. What should Vref be?

4. Derive an expression for the frequency of the triangle waveform generated by the integrating circuit.
Express your answer in terms of Rs1, Rs2, Rint, Cint, Vdd, and Vref. Note that the triangle waveform amplitude
will be as found in part (1).

5. Find the datasheets for the ICs (LM339 and LT1632) needed to build the PWM generator. These will
prove helpful when constructing the circuit.

Discussion —

Basic theory of PWM: A key component of any power converter is the PWM generator. This component is
responsible for generating pulse-widths of suitable lengths to drive the gate of the active switch. Up until now, you
have used the built-in PWM generator of the FET box. In this lab, you will build your own PWM generator, and in
the process gain a better understanding of how they operate. Note that the pre-lab exercises of this experiment are
more rigorous than what you have experienced so far. You are advised to start them early!

The basic task of a PWM generator is to convert an analog input (such as a voltage reference) to a time-
domain series of pulses, where the width of the pulses are proportional to the input reference. Shown in Fig. 1 is an
example of a method to accomplish this, which uses a triangle wave (sometimes referred to as the carrier wave).

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Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

Whenever the reference signal is higher than the triangle wave, the PWM generator outputs a 'high' signal, and
whenever the reference signal is lower than the triangle wave, the PWM generator outputs a 'low' signal. Note that
in addition to triangular waveforms, other signals (such as sawtooth) can also be used as the carrier wave.

1 Carrier waveform
Inputs

0.5 Reference signal

1
PWM output
Output

0
Time

Fig. 1. Pulse width modulation for a constant reference signal using a triangular carrier

PWM generator circuit implementation: Shown in Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of a simple PWM generator. It consists
of a triangle-waveform generator and a comparator. Various components and IC part numbers are also indicated in
the figure. Each of the parts is briefly described in the following paragraphs. The pin configurations of the ICs
LM339 (used for comparators) and LT1632 (used for integrator) are given in Fig. 3. Note: the LM339 is an open-
collector device and therefore requires a pull-up resistor. The advantage of this approach is that the driving strength
of the logic signal can be adjusted as required to optimize power consumption or overcome system noise.

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Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

Fig. 2. PWM generator circuit

Fig. 3. Pin configurations of the LM339 and LT1632

Triangle wave generator: The key element of the triangle-wave generator is the operational amplifier which is
configured as an integrator. As you may should remember from introductory EE classes, the integral of a dc-signal
is a ramp, a fact that is used in this circuit. In case you do not recall the operation of an op-amp based integrator,
you will have a chance to review this material as part of your pre-lab exercises. When the input to the integrating
op-amp is high, its output will decrease linearly (providing the down-ramp of the triangle-wave). Conversely, when
the input is low, the op-amp output will increase linearly (providing the up-ramp). By alternatively providing a
high and a low input to the integrating op-amp, a triangle wave can be produced. The choice of passive components
(resistor and capacitors) will set the slope of the ramps, which will control the frequency of the waveform.

The role of comparator (A) is to provide this alternating high and low-input. We wish for the comparator to change
from a 'high' output to a 'low' output when the down-ramp has reached its desired minimum value. Likewise, we
want comparator (A) to change from 'low' to 'high' when the up-ramp has reached the peak value. To accomplish
this, we need a comparator that has two different thresholds. A regular comparator cannot accomplish this, but
through a technique known as hysteresis, we can make the comparator perform this functionality. The comparator
in Fig. 2 is connected as a Schmitt trigger, a very useful circuit implementation that performs comparison with
hysteresis. The Schmitt trigger creates a switching band with an amplitude equal to

V   Rs1 
∆V =  dd  
 2   Rs 2 

This amplitude will thus be the amplitude of your triangle waveform, labeled Vtri in Fig. 2. By analyzing the

integrating circuit, the operating frequency can be determined to be:

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Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

\]^ cdef 5cgg hcdef 7

Z [ = ^
\]_ \`a+ b`a+ cgg
.

You will derive these relationships in the pre-lab. Ideally, we wish to operate with a triangle waveform spanning
from 0 to Vdd for maximum resolution.

Figure 4. Schmitt trigger circuit

Comparator: The triangle waveform that we have generated can now be compared to a reference voltage, which is
produced by the potentiometer (Rc in Fig. 2). By adjusting the potentiometer, the input voltage of the comparator
(VCTRL) can be adjusted, thereby changing the duty ratio of the PWM waveform.

Procedure —
1. Use a Kenwood DC power supply to provide the 5 V supply for Vdd used in the circuit.

2. The 2.5 V reference required for VREF is generated from the 5 V supply using a simple resistor divider
(implemented using a potentiometer), as depicted in Fig. 2.

3. Build the triangular wave generator circuit shown in Fig. 2 and verify its operation. Make sure that the
rising and falling edges of the waveform are close to linear. Check that the waveform frequency
corresponds to the computed value. Note that you can test the performance of just the integrator by feeding
it with a square wave from a signal generator. Likewise, the hysteresis band of the Schmitt trigger can be
evaluated separately using a signal generator.

4. Wire the output comparator to complete the circuit.

5. By adjusting the potentiometer that provides VCTRL, generate duty ratios of 10%, 50%, and 90%, and save
these screenshots.

6. Generate a sinusoidal signal of frequency 60 Hz and amplitude 3 Vpp, centered at 2.5 V, from the function
generator. Apply this signal in place of the dc signal at the VCTRL terminal.

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Experiment #10 — PWM Generation and Control

7. Capture a screenshot of one fundamental cycle of the PWM output waveform, along with the carrier and
modulating waveforms on the same screen.

8. Attach the output of your PWM generator to the buck converter you designed in experiment #9. Verify
that you can generate an adjustable dc output voltage.

Study Questions —

1. Comment on the harmonic performance of the PWM compared to the conventional square wave inverter.

2. Discuss what will happen if the modulation index/depth is chosen to be greater than 1. What effect will it
have on the inverter output voltage?

3. Is there a disadvantage to making the triangle waveform amplitude too small?

References —

[1] J. Caldwell, “Analog Pulse Width Modulation” Texas Instruments Inc. [Online]. [Accessed Aug. 16, 2013].
(URL: http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slau508/slau508.pdf)

88
Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

ECE 469 — POWER ELECTRONICS LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

89
Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

Objective — An analog PI controller will be constructed with the purpose of automatic output voltage regulation
of the buck converter with high-side gate driver and PWM signal generator from experiments #9 and #10.

Pre-Lab Assignment — Read this experiment. Study the procedure, and bring any questions to class. No pre-lab
assignment is due for Experiment #11. However, it is imperative that you come to lab prepared this week; make
sure you already know how to answer study questions 1–4. The additional circuitry is just two op-amps and a few
resistors; feel free to get a head start. Your instructor may elect to assign another problem.

Discussion —

Basic Theory of Converter Control: An essential function of a power converter is regulation. Regulation typically
means good control of one or more of the converter’s state parameters (e.g. output voltage, input current, etc.). The
most common form of regulation is output voltage regulation. For instance, if your laptop’s logic requires a steady
5 V, then the power converter needs to be equipped with a mechanism that can deal with variations in line voltage,
load transients, component parametric drift, and several other converter disturbances and non-idealities while
maintaining the desired converter state. Without regulation, any changes in load or line voltage could cause the
output voltage to deviate away from the desired 5 V output. This may exceed downstream device ratings and
damage them.

Of the many ways to implement feedback control in a dc-dc converter, perhaps the simplest is called
output voltage control. Here, the output voltage is sensed and subtracted from a given reference value, which
generates the error signal, i 1 . This signal is amplified and applied to the duty ratio input of a PWM generation
circuit to regulate the sensed output voltage to the desired reference voltage. Fig. 1 illustrates this connection.
Keep in mind that low-power voltages are easily generated for reference purposes with conventional analog IC
design techniques, using band-gap references and linear regulators. However, these types of circuits can only
provide a very limited amount of current, and are therefore not suitable whenever high power needs to
be provided.

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Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

Figure 1. Buck converter with feedback

In a buck converter with proportional control, the control output j is strictly proportional to the error signal:

i 1 = k l −

j = m[ n i 1 ,

where m[ is the proportional gain of the control block in Fig. 1. This voltage is used to generate the PWM
signal in the comparator circuit above. Therefore, the duty cycle of the resulting PWM signal is directly
proportional to j. With the addition of a normalization factor 6, the resulting duty ratio is expressed as:
1, j r[ s
o = p 0, j t 0
6 n j, u1viwx yi
The normalization factor is equal to the inverse of the peak voltage of the triangle waveform, denoted as
r[ s, used in the comparator circuit. The equations above lead to the following input-output relationship for a
buck converter with proportional control:
6 n m[ n k l = n ,-

Rearranging:
n 51 " 6 n m[ n ,- 7 6 n m[ n ,- n k l

If m[ is large such that 6 n m[ n ,- ≫ 1, then both sides can be divided by 6 n m[ n ,- to give:

≅ k l

This result applies even when non-ideal voltage drops are included; a large gain will produce an output equal to
the reference value, in spite of changes in supply, load, or other uncontrolled parameters, as long as the converter
duty ratio is between 0 and 1.

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Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

While this style of proportional gain feedback is appealing and useful, it has two important drawbacks.
The first is that the output is not exactly equal to the reference, even in steady state, because m[ cannot be infinite.
This means that there will always be a non-zero tracking error. This is clear when you consider the relation for
o above. Since we expect o to have some value greater than zero, the error result k l = must also be
greater than zero. A second drawback is that if m[ is too large, then any slight disturbance will drive o to the
limits 0 or 1, and the converter output will jump around almost at random.
A way to minimize the steady-state error is to combine the proportional feedback with integral control
in the control block in Fig. 1. The signal | i 1 }1 will rise when the error is positive, fall when it is negative,
and remain constant when the error is zero. When the integrator drives the control parameter j, the output voltage
of the buck converter will vary in the previously described manner until the error is exactly zero. Notice that this
effect is independent of gain. Even an integrator with very low gain will provide zero error in steady state. The
combination of integral control and proportional control is termed proportional-integral (PI) control, and the
control output can be expressed as:
j m, n | i 1 }1 " m[ n i 1 .

Procedure —

Part 1: Error Generation

1. With the buck converter off, construct the error generator in Fig. 2 to generate the negative value of the
desired error signal i 1 . Use one half of the dual op-amp chip (TLE2082AC). The circled numbers in
the error generator box correspond to the pin numbers of the op-amp. Resistor value $ is 10 kΩ.
Potentiometer values $~ and $k l are both 1 kΩ. Set the bipolar outputs of the Agilent E3631A DC

Supply to "5 and =5 , each with a current limit of 0.1 A. These outputs will provide the supply rails
of the error generator op-amp.

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Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

Figure 2. Buck converter with error generator

2. Generate a 50 kHz PWM signal with o 0.3. Use the Kenwood DC supply to provicde the converter
input ,- 12 V, with a current limit of 2 A. Use the electronic load as the converter load and set it to
current mode at 1.5 A. Turn the bipolar supply on and set k l 3.5 V. Turn the Kenwood supply on

and observe the error signal.

3. Record the output of the error generator for 3 V, 3.5 V, and 4 V. Do these values agree with
what is expected?

Part 2: Proportional Control

1. With the power off, use the other half of the dual op-amp chip (TLE2082AC) to construct the
proportional control circuit in Fig. 3 to generate j. Obtain two 50 kΩ potentiometers for $ and $ ,
setting both to 10 kΩ initially.

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Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

Figure 3. Proportional control circuit

2. Turn on the op-amp and comparator supplies. With k l 3.5 , observe the output of your proportional

controller. Does this value agree with what is expected? If not, do not continue until it does.

3. Turn your converter input supply on. Observe and record −e(t) for ,- 10 V, 12 V, and 14 V. Repeat
for % 1 A and 2 A. How much does the output voltage change across these input voltage and load
current ranges? Record any additional observations.

4. With ,- 12 V and % 1.5 A, vary the P controller gain, denoted as m[ , by adjusting the $
potentiometer while everything is powered. Comment qualitatively on the impact of m[ on the error signal.
Vary m[ until you have achieved a small enough error (do not spend too much time on this), and record the
resulting output voltage. Turn the power off and record the final values of $ and m[ . Word of advice: try
to keep m[ below 2.5 before proceeding.

Part 3: Proportional-Integral Control

1. With the power off, modify your circuit to produce the proportional-integral control circuit in Fig. 4. Use a •,
value of 1 µF.

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Experiment #11 — PWM Signal Generation with PI Control

Figure 4. Proportional-Integral Control Circuit

2. Turn on your op-amp and comparator supplies. With k l 3.5 V, turn on your converter input, and enjoy
the magic of PI control. Go ahead, enjoy it. No one is watching. I won’t tell.
3. Record the output voltage and error at the input voltages and load currents in part 2.2. Record your
observations and make note of any improvements over proportional control.
4. If time permits, tune your gains until you are satisfied with the tracking performance. Record any relevant data.

Study Questions —

1. Derive an expression of the output of the error generator in Fig. 2 in terms of k l, , and $. Keep
in mind that this output is the negative of the desired error signal, i 1 . Why are we generating the
negative of the error signal here?

2. Find an expression for j in Fig. 3 in terms of i 1 , $ , and $ . The $ and $ variables can be grouped
as the proportional gain variable m[ . Write down this expression, and calculate m[ for the initial and final
$ and $ values.

3. Describe how the proportional control works, starting from error generation to PWM signal (! 1 )
generation.

4. Find an expression for j in Fig. 4 in terms of i 1 , $ , $ , and •, . The $ and •, variables can be grouped
as the integral gain variable m, . Write down this expression, and calculate m, for the initial and final $
and •, values.

5. Compare your data and observations from the proportional control experiment with those of the
proportional-integral control experiment. Analysis should be both qualitative and quantitative.

95
Appendix

APPENDIX

Standard EIA Decade Resistor Values —

5% tolerance:

1% tolerance:

Color codes —
Black: 0 Brown: 1 Red: 2 Orange: 3 Yellow: 4
Green: 5 Blue: 6 Violet: 7 Gray: 8 White: 9
As multipliers, all these are 10n. Gold indicates 10-1 and silver 10-2.

96
Appendix

Common Waveforms —

97
Index

INDEX

alternate energy 58 ESL 77, 80

ESR 76, 77, 78, 80
back EMF 48 FET control box ix, 3, 7, 40, 43, 44, 53, 54, 62, 69
base drive 86 FET box 4
battery charger 24, 27, 29, 30, 32 filtering 8, 21, 57, 67, 68
boost converter 50, 51 full-bridge inverter 66, 67, 71
braking 48, 50, 51 full-wave rectifier 5, 6, 8, 12
buck converter 40, 41, 42, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51, 55, 59, fuse vii
67, 68
buck-boost converter 39, 44 gate drive 87
gate signals 20
cathode 6 grading xvi
center-tapped transformer 5, 33 ground iii, vii, 3, 6, 7, 20, 87
chopper 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55
controlled rectifier 3, 12, 20, 24, 26, 35 half-bridge inverter 62, 68, 69
current probe ix, 18, 20, 44, 53 half-wave rectifier 13, 32
current spikes 15 heat sink ix
curve tracer x HVDC 58

data sheets xv illness x

dc motor 24, 26, 30, 32, 36, 42, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, induction motor 60, 67
58, 67 inertia 49
diode-capacitor circuits 12, 15
diodes 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 39 KCL 26, 33, 40, 59, 60
dissipation factor 77 KVL 25, 26, 33, 40, 59, 60

efficiency 4, 27, 29, 30, 45, 64, 71 latching 15

electrolytic capacitor 76, 77 loss tangent 77, 78
emergency iii, v, x
equivalent series inductance 77 magnetic flux 67, 78
equivalent series resistance 76 make-up sessions x

98
Index

midpoint converter 32, 33, 37 residual current 13

modulating function 68 residual voltage 13

resonance 63, 74, 78, 79, 80

motor drive ii, 39, 47, 48, 50, 52, 53, 57, 58, 66, 67, resonant load 64
69, 70, 71 ripple 42, 43, 45, 53, 54, 55

notebook xi, xii sample graph xiii

notebook format xi sample table xiv
SCR control unit 3

overdrive 87 self-resonant frequency 77

switching function3, 34, 35, 39, 42, 54, 57, 58, 59, 67,

patents xii 69, 71

phase delay 7, 27, 29, 30, 35, 36

P-N junction 13 tan δ 77

polarity marks 79 three-phase power vii, 71

power access vii, viii thyristors 5, 67

pulse transformer 3 time shift 3, 18

pulse-width modulation 66, 67 transformer bank 2

PWM waveform 66 transistors 3, 5, 39

TRIAC viii

radiation ii trial method 14

ratings ii, iii, xvii, 2, 3, 13, 53, 71, 76 two-phase 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 33, 35

regeneration 48, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 58

zero-crossing 14

99