The Microprocessor as a Tool in the Teaching of Power Electronic Circuits and Controlled Electric Drives

The needs for a general purpose programmable control module to support the work in teaching laboratories and in graduate research projects is discussed. The requirements for such a module are specified and it is shown that such a module can be built using micro electronic components. Two implementations are presented. The first is for teaching laboratories and has the characteristics of being compact and easy to use. The second, to support project work, is very flexible and can be easily expanded in a modular fashion. It also offers considerable support in programming and testing.