SMPS TopoMagic

SMPS TopoMagic

  October 08, 2012    Tahmid

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When I started learning about and designing SMPS circuits in 2008, I read from various books and online resources – application notes, reference manuals, design notes, design tips, circuit designs and various tutorials. I understood most of the concepts. But the mathematics was complex and there were so many formulae and calculations. They were not all present in any single book or document. Making all the necessary calculations using the different formulae available in all the different documents was difficult, tiring and cumbersome.

While I was learning SMPS and started getting a hold of the basics, I was learning Visual Basic at school. During the mid-year school break, I learnt from various tutorials online and practiced during the school vacation to develop my Visual Basic skills. After I learnt most of the basics, I decided to put my skills to the test. It would be good practice and I could make a useful program in the process.

I started coding using the information present in various books and online resources to create the software “SMPS TopoMagic” to help me with the calculations necessary for SMPS circuits employing the flyback, push-pull, half-bridge and full-bridge topologies. After days of coding and debugging, “SMPS TopoMagic” was ready.

I knew that the software was far from perfect. As a student of class VIII, I did not understand many of the associated mathematics and had to occasionally resort to rough estimates and my lessons from hands-on test-and-trial. But it served my purpose.

Here's a little description about the software:

Let's use it for a push-pull design (click on image to enlarge it):

Here's the generated circuit (click on image to enlarge it):

Let's design a circuit with half-bridge converter (click on image to enlarge it):

Here's the generated circuit (click on image to enlarge it):

Let's use the software for a full-bridge design (click on image to enlarge it):

Here's the generated circuit (click on image to enlarge it):

Still I am learning SMPS, but when I gain enough expertise in SMPS, I want to incorporate that knowledge and expertise into this software so that it can be complete and perfect. Then, I hope to upload it online so that anyone can use it for his/her own SMPS circuit designs.