“Since 2009 I have been using PSIM and find it indispensable in my business of consulting in the design of a wide range of high-frequency power electronics equipment. I use it in various stages of any design project from feasibility analysis, component selection, performance prediction, design creation, to design fine-tuning. It allows me to quickly evaluate various converter topologies for any project I may be working on. It also allows me to create a virtual prototype of any design that I can test as if it were a real unit. I can then go straight to realizing the physical design that meets all my customers’ requirements, usually with only minor adjustments.
PSIM simulates much faster than SPICE simulators and never crashes. The simulation step time can be selected by the user (within certain limits) so that a choice can be made between fast results or more accurate results. This allows circuits such as PFC pre-regulators to be simulated over a long time period to see how they work over many AC line cycles or allows multi-stage converters to be simulated together. The use of piecewise linear elements is one aspect of the software that speeds up the simulation, and I find that the resulting deviation from real waveforms is minor.
The new Level-2 component models allow component parasitics to be easily included to evaluate their effects on the converter and allows evaluation of details of the converter performance such as conversion efficiency or output switching frequency and spike noise. With parasitics included I find it possible to use a LISN model and Simview‘s Fast Fourier post analysis to measure converter conducted EMI. The AC sweep generator and sweep probes allow loop gain and phase measurement without expensive test equipment!
I find it very easy to create models for any PWM IC or other analog IC using PSIM’s subcircuit feature and its large selection of basic library elements. I have built up a large library of components which I can easily use on future designs.
The Powersim staff are very responsive to questions I may have from time to time, and are willing to include suggestions from users in their program revisions to constantly improve their program.”
