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DC/AC converters are widely used in several applications; traditionally, they can be classified in two types: the voltage-source inverters (VSIs) and the current-source inverters (CSIs). Their use depends on their application; however, some of them are common for both types of converters. Another possibility for the dc/ac conversion is the multilevel configuration, and the most analyzed is the VSI. In this paper, a different multilevel CSI is proposed: the paralleled configuration. To control the converter, a different sinusoidal pulse with modulation is employed; it consists of modifying the reference signal instead of using multiple carriers. Additionally, a balancing method for the inductor currents is given. The operation, analysis, and implementation are presented; moreover, simulation and experimental results are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a single-stage high-power-factor high-efficiency electronic ballast for compact fluorescent lamps is presented. The proposed topology uses two voltage sources connected in series to feed the inverter ballasting the lamp, one of them consists in the rectified line voltage and the other in a dc-dc converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode. In this way, the converter processes a lower energy than the nominal power of the lamp. The proposed topology presents simplicity, high-power-factor, low current crest factor, and high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the use of the hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation has gained popularity among researchers all over the world. One of its main applications is the simulation of power electronics converters. However, the equipment designed for this purpose is difficult to acquire for some universities or research centers, so ad-hoc solutions for the implementation of HIL simulation in low-cost hardware for power electronics converters is a novel research topic. However, the information regarding implementation is written at a high technical level and in a specific language that is not easy for non-expert users to understand. In this paper, a systematic methodology using LabVIEW software (LabVIEW 2018) for HIL simulation is shown. A fast and easy implementation of power converter topologies is obtained by means of the differential equations that define each state of the power converter. Five simple steps are considered: designing the converter, modeling the converter, solving the model using a numerical method, programming an off-line simulation of the model using fixed-point representation, and implementing the solution of the model in a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This methodology is intended for people with no experience in the use of languages as Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) for Real-Time Simulation (RTS) and HIL simulation. In order to prove the methodology's effectiveness and easiness, two converters were simulated—a buck converter and a three-phase Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)—and compared with the simulation of commercial software (PSIM® v9.0) and a real power converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]