Switch-Mode Power Supply Course

Lesson 1 • Energy Conversion Basics

Covers DC and AC power relationships, efficiency, and losses in electrical systems. Establishes the vocabulary and metrics used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 2 • Switching Waveforms and Duty Cycle

Introduces PWM signals, duty cycle control, and volt-second balance. These concepts underpin every converter topology covered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Passive Components in Power Circuits

Analyzes inductors, capacitors, and transformers under switching conditions. Provides component selection criteria critical to every SMPS topology.

Lesson 4 • Semiconductor Switching Devices

Examines MOSFETs, IGBTs, and diodes as controlled switches. Connects device characteristics to switching speed and conduction loss trade-offs.

Lesson 1 • Continuous vs. Discontinuous Conduction

Compares CCM and DCM operation, boundary conditions, and their impact on control design. Prepares students for feedback loop design in the next chapter.

Lesson 2 • Buck-Boost and Inverting Topologies

Covers inverting buck-boost and non-inverting four-switch variants. Extends student ability to design converters requiring polarity inversion.

Lesson 3 • Buck Converter Analysis

Derives voltage conversion ratio, inductor current waveform, and output ripple for the buck converter. Forms the reference topology for all subsequent converter studies.

Lesson 4 • Component Stress and Selection

Applies RMS and peak current formulas to select switches, diodes, inductors, and capacitors. Bridges theoretical analysis to practical component procurement.

Lesson 1 • Compensator Design Techniques

Designs Type I, II, and III compensators to achieve target phase margin and bandwidth. Students apply these compensators to real converter designs.

Lesson 2 • Control Loop Fundamentals

Introduces open-loop and closed-loop concepts, error amplifiers, and reference voltage. Establishes the control framework applied to every regulated converter.

Lesson 3 • Stability Verification Methods

Covers injection-based loop gain measurement and simulation verification techniques. Ensures students can validate stability before hardware testing.

Lesson 4 • Bode Plot Analysis

Constructs gain and phase Bode plots from transfer functions and identifies stability margins. Directly enables compensator design in the following section.

Lesson 1 • Half-Bridge and Full-Bridge Converters

Covers bridge topology operation, shoot-through prevention, and transformer volt-second balance. Targets medium-to-high power SMPS applications above 200 W.

Lesson 2 • Transformer Design for SMPS

Covers core material selection, turns ratio, and winding design for high-frequency transformers. Provides the component knowledge required for all isolated topologies.

Lesson 3 • Resonant and LLC Converters

Introduces series resonant and LLC topologies, zero-voltage switching, and frequency modulation control. Bridges isolated topology knowledge toward high-efficiency advanced designs.

Lesson 4 • Forward Converter Design

Analyzes single-switch and two-switch forward converters, core reset methods, and output filter design. Extends student capability to higher-power single-switch isolated designs.

Lesson 1 • Protection and Fault Management

Implements overcurrent, overvoltage, and thermal protection using controller IC features. Fault management is mandatory for reliable SMPS operation in real products.

Lesson 2 • Gate Driver Circuit Design

Designs gate drive circuits for high-side and low-side switches, including bootstrap and isolated drivers. Proper gate drive prevents shoot-through and reduces switching losses.

Lesson 3 • Voltage-Mode PWM Controllers

Examines voltage-mode controller architecture, oscillator programming, and soft-start configuration. Connects IC-level design to the converter topologies studied previously.

Lesson 4 • Current-Mode PWM Controllers

Covers peak current sensing, slope compensation, and current-mode control advantages. Current-mode control improves transient response and simplifies loop compensation.

Lesson 1 • Input EMI Filter Design

Designs LC input filters for differential-mode and common-mode attenuation. Correct filter design prevents noise from propagating to the AC mains or input bus.

Lesson 2 • EMC Pre-Compliance Testing

Describes near-field probing, LISN-based conducted emission measurement, and pre-compliance test setups. Pre-compliance testing reduces costly formal test failures.

Lesson 3 • EMC Fundamentals for Power Supplies

Introduces conducted and radiated emission mechanisms, common-mode and differential-mode noise. Establishes the EMC framework applied throughout this chapter.

Lesson 4 • Shielding and Filtering Techniques

Covers enclosure shielding, feedthrough capacitors, and ferrite bead application. Supplements PCB layout when additional emission reduction is required.

Lesson 1 • Bridgeless and Totem-Pole PFC

Introduces bridgeless and GaN-based totem-pole PFC topologies for higher efficiency. Extends student capability to state-of-the-art PFC designs above 93% efficiency.

Lesson 2 • Average Current-Mode PFC Control

Implements average current-mode control using a multiplier-based PFC controller IC. This control method achieves low THD and high power factor across the load range.

Lesson 3 • Boost PFC Topology and Operation

Analyzes the continuous conduction mode boost PFC converter operating from rectified AC. Provides the topology foundation for active PFC controller design.

Lesson 4 • Passive PFC Methods

Examines valley-fill circuits and input inductors as low-cost passive PFC solutions. Establishes performance baselines before introducing active PFC topologies.

Lesson 1 • Reliability and Stress Testing

Applies thermal imaging, burn-in, and accelerated stress testing to validate long-term reliability. Stress testing reveals marginal designs before production release.

Lesson 2 • Schematic Capture and Simulation

Builds a complete SMPS schematic and validates it through SPICE simulation before layout. Simulation catches design errors before costly PCB fabrication.

Lesson 3 • Design Specification and Topology Selection

Translates application requirements into electrical specifications and selects the optimal topology. Systematic specification prevents costly redesigns during prototype validation.

Lesson 4 • Efficiency Measurement and Optimization

Measures efficiency across load and input voltage, then applies targeted loss reduction techniques. Optimization closes the gap between simulated and measured performance.

Lesson 5 • Prototype Bring-Up and Debugging

Executes a safe, structured bring-up sequence and diagnoses common prototype failures. Systematic bring-up prevents component damage and accelerates debugging.