Power Electronics: Control and Simulation of PWM Inverters

--- ## Course Overview The Global course rating stands at a commendable **4.00**. Recent reviews from students have been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the course's effectiveness in explaining complex concepts related to voltage source inverters (VSI), power converter controls, and three-phase PWM inverters. The content is considered excellent, with many learners appreciating the practical examples and simulations that aid in understanding the theoretical aspects. ### Pros: - **Comprehensive Content**: Students find the course content very good, offering a deep and detailed understanding of three-phase PWM inverters and control. - **Industrial Practice**: The industrial practice of VSI is explained very well, with several learners noting the practical application and utility of the GTI algorithm. - **Simulation Examples**: Simulation examples are noted to be illustrative and effective in aiding comprehension of the theory. - **Versatility**: The course is considered suitable for both beginners who are new to the concepts and those who already have a basic understanding. - **Fundamental Learning**: For students aiming to delve deeper into power converter controls, this course is described as fundamental. - **Resourceful**: The course provides Simulink resources and slides that are helpful for learners. - **Practical Considerations**: Some reviews praise the course for its practical considerations in power electronics and DSP programming. - **Matlab Simulations**: The use of Matlab simulations to understand theory is highly appreciated, making it one of the few courses offering such practical tools. ### Cons: - **Audio Quality**: A recurring issue pointed out by several students is the poor audio quality in some videos, which can make understanding the content difficult. - **Pronunciation and Accent**: A significant number of learners have trouble with the speaker's pronunciation or accent, which affects their ability to grasp certain parts of the course material. - **Monotone Voice**: The tone of the speaker is criticized for being monotonous, with a suggestion to deliver information more dynamically, like in a live speech. - **Clarity in Explanations**: Some students find the explanations for specific control algorithms or simulation setups, such as Park variables alignment and the PLL, not very clear. - **Consistency in Simulations**: There are concerns about inconsistencies in gains across different simulations with the same role having different signs, lacking a reasoned explanation. - **Subtitles and Accuracy**: Subtitles are found to be unreliable, and some formulae are questioned for accuracy. - **Participation and Interaction**: The course is noted as primarily passive information transfer, lacking student participation or interactive elements. - **Additional Information**: Some students suggest that additional information on topics like PI tuning, loss calculations, semiconductor selection, and DC-link capacitor choices would be beneficial. - **References for Concepts**: A request for adding references to the course content has been made to enhance credibility and provide sources for further study. ### Additional Notes: - **Personal Communication Interest**: One student expressed interest in a future Skype discussion regarding AC to DC inverter creation for 500V from 110V AC, addressing the course creator directly. - **Course Relevance**: The course is noted as worth its weight in gold, considering its cost would be around a thousand dollars in industry settings. - **Language Considerations**: Some students come from non-English speaking backgrounds, which can add an extra layer of difficulty to understanding the course material. - **Course Improvement Suggestions**: There are suggestions for additional versions of the course, such as single-phase inverter instruction, and enrichment of the lessons with more detailed explanations and examples. --- **In summary**, this course on voltage source inverters and power converter controls offers a wealth of knowledge and practical applications. While it is praised for its comprehensive content, clear simulation examples, and resourceful materials, it faces challenges due to audio quality issues, unclear explanations in some areas, and a need for greater interactivity and participant engagement. Students recommend improvements in the form of more dynamic presentation styles, clearer explanations, additional information on relevant topics, and the inclusion of references for further study. With these enhancements, the course has the potential to be an even more valuable resource for students and professionals in the field.