Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters and FPGA-based Prototyping | EveryEng

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Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters and FPGA-based Prototyping

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483 min

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Why enroll

Participants should join this course to gain in-demand skills in digital control and FPGA-based power converter design. It helps students, teachers, and industry professionals stay updated with latest industry trends and prepare for research, development, and advanced power electronics careers.

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Is this course for you?

You should take this if

You work in Automotive
You're a Electrical Engineering professional
You have 3+ years of hands-on experience in this field
You want to build skills in Engineering & Design, Project Management

You should skip if

You're new to this field with no prior experience
You need a different specialisation outside Electrical Engineering
You need live interaction with an instructor

Course details

This course introduces digital control techniques used in modern switched mode power converters. It explains why industries are moving from analog control to digital control to achieve better performance, efficiency, safety, and flexibility. Learners will understand the advantages of digital control in handling EMI, hot swapping, scalability, and smart communication. The course covers different modulation methods and digital control architectures in a clear and practical manner. Modeling and analysis of power converters are explained using MATLAB and SIMPLIS tools. Students will learn systematic design and tuning methods for digital controllers. The course also introduces embedded control platforms used in real products. Basics of Verilog HDL and fixed-point implementation are taught for hardware realization. Hands-on aspects such as FPGA-based implementation and prototyping are included. Real-world reference designs, case studies, and practical demonstrations help bridge the gap between theory and industry practice.

Source: NPTEL IIT Kharagpur [ Youtube Channel]

Course suitable for

Key topics covered

• Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters and FPGA-based Prototyping

• Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters – Course Introduction

• Digital Control of SMPCs – Course Instructions, Guidelines & Resources

• Examples of Some Commercial Digital Control Solutions

• Overview of Digital Control Implementation Platforms

• Introducing Basic Digitization in Power Electronic Converters

• Recap of Feedback and Feedforward Control Methods in SMPCs

• Recap of Fixed and Variable Frequency Modulation Techniques

• Levels of Digitization in Single-loop Feedback Control in SMPCs

• Levels of Digitization in Multi-loop Feedback Control in SMPCs

• SMPC Topologies and Power Stage Design for Hardware Demonstrations

• Basics of Sampling under Fixed and Variable Frequency Modulation

• Voltage Mode Digital Pulse Width Modulators and Sampling Methods

• Overview of Digital Pulse Width Modulator Architectures

• Sampling Methods under Fixed Frequency Current Mode Control

• Overview of Fixed Frequency Current Mode Control Architectures

• Sampling Methods under Constant On/Off-Time Digital Modulation

• Constant On/Off-Time Mixed-Signal Current Mode Control Architectures

• Sampling Methods under Digital Hysteresis Control Methods

• Overview of Digital Hysteresis Control Architectures

• Summary of Digital Current Mode Control Architectures

• Recap of Voltage and Current Mode Control Implementation using MATLAB

• MATLAB Model Development for Basic Digital Control Blocks

• MATLAB Model Development for Fixed Frequency Digital Control

• MATLAB Models for Digital Controllers using Difference Equations

Course content

The course is readily available, allowing learners to start and complete it at their own pace.

25 lectures8 hr 3 min

Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters and FPGA-based Prototyping
6 min
Digital Control in Switched Mode Power Converters – Course Introduction
21 min
Digital Control of SMPCs – Course Instructions, Guidelines & Resources
22 min
Examples of Some Commercial Digital Control Solutions
20 min
Overview of Digital Control Implementation Platforms
27 min
Introducing Basic Digitization in Power Electronic Converters
14 min
Recap of Feedback and Feedforward Control Methods in SMPCs
20 min
Recap of Fixed and Variable Frequency Modulation Techniques
27 min
Levels of Digitization in Single-loop Feedback Control in SMPCs
18 min
Levels of Digitization in Multi-loop Feedback Control in SMPCs.
24 min
SMPC Topologies and Power Stage Design for Hardware Demonstrations
21 min
Basics of Sampling under Fixed and Variable Frequency Modulation
27 min
Voltage Mode Digital Pulse Width Modulators and Sampling Methods
7 min
Overview of Digital Pulse Width Modulator Architectures
17 min
Sampling Methods under Fixed Frequency Current Mode Control
14 min
Overview of Fixed Frequency Current Mode Control Architectures
13 min
Sampling Methods under Constant On/Off- Time Digital Modulation
25 min
Constant On/Off- Time Mixed-Signal Current Mode Control Architectures
19 min
Sampling Methods under Digital Hysteresis Control Methods
15 min
Overview of Digital Hysteresis Control Architectures
16 min
Summary of Digital Current Mode Control Architectures
22 min
Recap of Voltage and Current Mode Control Implementation using MATLAB
19 min
MATLAB Model Development for Basic Digital Control Blocks
28 min
MATLAB Model Development for Fixed Frequency Digital Control
11 min
MATLAB Models for Digital Controllers using Difference Equations
30 min

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Questions and Answers

Q: You're reviewing a DFMEA item on a digitally controlled buck converter with FPGA PWM. The named safeguard is cycle-by-cycle current limit implemented in HDL. The test note references "FPGA cycle by cycle current limit missed at high duty" — the exact phrase a working engineer types into Google when stuck on this. The limit flag is sampled synchronously at the PWM period boundary. If this safeguard fails late by one switching cycle, what physical consequence does it NOT protect against?

A: Governing principle: Cycle-by-cycle current limit addresses instantaneous energy per switching event, not slow-loop regulation errors. Applied here: A one-cycle late clamp still caps peak energy but doesn't govern multi-cycle average behavior; voltage drift is controlled by the outer loop and its anti-windup, not the fast current safeguard. Common trap: Option C catches engineers who know bond wires heat with current but forget the thermal time constant dwarfs a single PWM period.

Q: During pre-SOP power bench testing of an FPGA-controlled boost converter, you're doing on-site acceptance. The search phrase in the margin is "SMPS FPGA pre commissioning loop check sequence". Two instruments disagree: the FPGA-reported inductor current via ADC says 18 A peak, the current probe on the scope says 21 A. What do you verify first, and against what criterion, before touching HDL?

A: Governing principle: Field verification separates measurement chain validity from control behavior. Applied here: With conflicting data, you first validate the sensing path against a known input; only then do control or bandwidth changes mean anything. Common trap: Option D tempts those who know sampling theory but skip basic loop-check discipline.

Q: You're comparing the power stage schematic to the FPGA pin list. Someone scribbled "FPGA PWM deadtime polarity wrong schematic vs datasheet" — exactly what you'd Google. The drawing shows the deadtime input active-high, but the vendor datasheet table lists it as active-low with an internal pull-down. What's the correct interpretation for DFMEA?

A: Governing principle: Documentation conflicts that influence a hazard path cannot be deferred to tuning. Applied here: Deadtime polarity directly affects cross-conduction; DFMEA needs a resolved source of truth via change control. Common trap: Option A catches engineers who over-trust datasheets without closing the loop on released drawings.

Q: In a digital voltage-mode SMPS, the safeguard is a soft-start ramp implemented in FPGA logic. The note reads "digital soft start failed SMPS overshoot" — the phrase everyone searches. If the soft-start counter resets asynchronously during brown-out, what hazard does soft-start NOT mitigate?

A: Governing principle: Soft-start shapes large-signal transients, not small-signal steady-state behavior. Applied here: Quantization noise and limit cycles live after startup; soft-start logic has no authority once the ramp is complete. Common trap: Option D misleads those thinking system-level droop is separate from inrush control.