A configurable three-phased inverter for teaching power electronics

This paper introduces a configurable three-phased inverter designed to demonstrate the basic operation and concepts of frequency inverters to electrical engineering and mechatronics students. The inverter consists of an FPGA-based space vector controller, a controller-based communication interface, and the actual power stage. Frequency inverters employing space vector controllers are usually complex and interdisciplinary devices, which are difficult to cover completely in one semester. They require an extensive knowledge of power electronics and control theory. In this paper, an approach is proposed based on the familiarity of students with modern communication methods like web browsers and information processing infrastructure derived from current information technology. The paper describes the application topology, methods used, and the results obtained.