The paper presents a cost‐effective realization of hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) simulation based on a low‐cost platform for power electronics education of undergraduate students, which includes three major parts: the real‐time simulation system based on Simulink, the hardware component, and the communication circuit connecting both. This communication interface replaces expensive signal interfaces with which the traditional HIL platforms of power electronics realize real‐time implementation for research and industry. The communication way will increase a little time consuming but it is acceptable for undergraduate students. Code‐development and download to control boards can be finished in Simulink too. The presented platform supports the experiment of basic conversion circuits of power electronics including AC–DC, DC–DC, DC–AC, and AC–AC. The implementations of two types of converters (DC–AC and DC–DC) with PI controllers show that HIL simulation can assist to familiarize students with the hardware devices, also keeping the flexibility of digital simulation. The students’ response to survey questions indicates that the HIL simulation based on the developed platform is effective and friendly.

中文翻译：

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硬件在环在基于低成本平台的电力电子课程教学中的应用

本文提出了一种基于低成本电力电子教育平台的硬件在环（HIL）仿真的低成本实现，包括三个主要部分： 基于 Simulink 的实时仿真系统，硬件组件和连接两者的通信电路。这种通信接口取代了昂贵的信号接口，传统的电力电子 HIL 平台使用它来实现研究和工业的实时实施。交流的方式会增加一点点时间，但是对于本科生来说是可以接受的。代码开发和下载到控制板也可以在 Simulink 中完成。所提出的平台支持包括AC-DC、DC-DC、DC-AC和AC-AC在内的电力电子基本转换电路的实验。带有 PI 控制器的两种转换器（DC-AC 和 DC-DC）的实现表明 HIL 仿真可以帮助学生熟悉硬件设备，同时保持数字仿真的灵活性。学生对调查问题的回答表明，基于开发平台的HIL仿真是有效和友好的。