We describe a tool used in the teaching of power electronics that allows users to see how DC motors and AC/DC converters work without complicated circuits or arrangements. It also provides a user-friendly interface owing to its development under the Windows environment. The tool described is called Power Lab. The goal of the tool is to introduce students to the DC motor control area, showing some functions for the motor such as full voltage starting, reduced starting voltage, stopping, reverse rotation, and speed regulation in a closed loop. Through the achievement of the motor's function, students can also observe the performance of an AC/DC power converter with phase-angle control and on/off control. Power Lab has the capability to work either as a stand-alone tool or connected to a power stage. Several examples describe the applications of Power Lab. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 7: 213–220, 1999
Montero-Hern�ndez et al. (Fri,) studied this question.