ROHM has released the ROHM PLECS Simulator on ROHM’s official website. This simulation tool enables designers of power electronics circuits and system designers to rapidly simulate the operation of ROHM’s power devices online. The tool is based on the PLECS® simulation software.
In circuit design, particularly for power electronics circuits, simulation is utilized as an alternative to costly and time-consuming hardware prototyping. In 2020, ROHM launched the ROHM Solution Simulator, which enables the simultaneous verification of power device and IC products, and has since continued to expand its range of topologies and device models. Owing to features such as the provision of high precision SPICE models, the tool has been highly regarded for its ability to reproduce waveforms closely resembling those of actual hardware with a high degree of accuracy. However, in the early stages of development, there was a demand to quickly select the optimal power device based on loss and thermal verification.
In response to this demand, ROHM has launched the ROHM PLECS Simulator, which specializes in loss and thermal calculations. This allows users to simulate power loss and temperature rise in a matter of seconds to minutes by selecting a power electronics circuit topology from a list on the website and choosing from the various power devices offered by ROHM. This significantly reduces the time and effort required for optimal device selection during the early stages of circuit design. Twenty different topologies are already available, and ROHM plans to expand the range of device models and topologies in the future, including SiC devices, IGBTs and power modules.
By utilizing the ROHM PLECS Simulator for rapid initial analysis using PLECS® and the detailed, high-precision verification for which the ‘ROHM Solution Simulator’ is renowned, and by selecting the appropriate tool according to the development phase, it is possible to perform end-to-end simulation, ranging from design loss and thermal verification to waveform checking.
This simulator is available free of charge simply by registering as a user on the ROHM website. In addition, the dedicated page provides access to the simulator as well as the information required for its use (user manual, application notes explaining circuit operation).
Terminology
PLECS®
A simulator for power electronics circuits and systems, developed to model and simulate complex electrical and power systems involving control in a virtual environment. It excels at high-speed calculations of factors such as losses, enabling rapid verification of the overall system response during the early stages of development.
