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PLECS Reviews & Product Details

Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
UE
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

I was using PLECS to simulate the losses and control algorithms in power converters. PLECS so far is one of the best tools I have used for power electronic simulations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

The user interface sometimes is small for me to use Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

The switching and conduction losses in power converters. Also, fast simulation is a plus to PLECS Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

PLECS Overview

What is PLECS?

PLECS is a tool for system-level simulations of electrical circuits.

PLECS Details
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Product Description

PLECS is a tool for system-level simulations of electrical circuits.


Seller Details
Seller
Plexim
Year Founded
2002
HQ Location
Zürich, CH
Twitter
@plexim
LinkedIn® Page
www.linkedin.com
43 employees on LinkedIn®

Recent PLECS Reviews

Verified User
U
Verified UserSmall-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"Plecs review based on a development of a control model for PMSM drives"
Modelling techniques and GUI oriented control designs
Verified User
U
Verified UserEnterprise (> 1000 emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"Learn and research power electronics using PLECS"
It has Minimalist design. It can do electrical simulation, thermal simulation, magnetic simulation, electro-mechanical simulation, solar power simu...
Rohit J.
RJ
Rohit J.Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"A true friend to every Power Electronics Engineer!"
The ease of use, the level of flexibility and the vast array of objects to add to any and every simulation. I was especially happy with the experie...
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25 out of 26 Total Reviews for PLECS

4.5 out of 5
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25 out of 26 Total Reviews for PLECS
4.5 out of 5
25 out of 26 Total Reviews for PLECS
4.5 out of 5
G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
Yuba Raj K.
YK
Lecturer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite
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(Original )Information
What do you like best about PLECS?

Fastest and accurate simulation. I like the sample examples given in the PLECS. The good thing about the PLECS is that we can use as a standalone tool as well as use with other tools like MATLAB. I was using MATLAB during my master's program. For the complex simulation, its bit slow so my supervisor refer me to use PLECS and we bought a PLECS license and I started using it. Its really fast and I can run complex simulation so within a few seconds using PLECS.

PLESC has a lot of built-in models and we can use them for the power electronics simulation thereby reducing the time to develop the model.PLECS is overall a good software has a lots of features and functionalities such as integration with MATLAB, Add-on PLECS Coder, Add-on PLECS PIL, Hardware for Real-Time Simulations. Apart from that the webinar and PLECS model of the moths are amazing. I would definitely recommend PLECS to the one who is aspirant to simulate any power electronics product Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

There is nothing about dislikes. I've not aware of the DSP code generation using PLECS. It would be great if it can do that as well. Also, controller design could be added.

-I think its more expensive for a normal user to use it.

-others are fine. I've talked about PLECS RT box during my conference visit and its a wonderful product, however, for students who want to use the systems is a bit expensive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

PLECS is a powerful tool to simulate power electronics circuits. I definitely recommend PLECS Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I've used PLESC to build SST during my PhD. There are many example models that have helped me to build my project simulation. I am still using as a simulation tool for power electronics.

This us a fastest simulation tools I've experienced so far. One important benefits of using PLECS is that it can be embedded in MATLAB/Simulink.

-So far I've not come across any problem during my simulation using PLECS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Joe H.
JH
Project Engineer (HV Electronics)
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

Simple drag and drop blocks, all components are idealised, and basic loss parameters can be inserted. Else, you can build your circuit/system models by manual adding discrete components to simulate your parasitic elements, ensuring that you are defining every part of your simulation in as much detail as you require. This makes PLECS far quicker to get results than a traditional SPICE simulator if you are not concerned with device-physical behaviours.

The software also features the ability to quickly and intuitive build sub-systems within your simulations by masking a prebuilt circuit create a functional block - for example, you may model a multilevel converter, but have it masked under a sub-system block with only the gate signals and power inputs/output available in the main simulation. This keeps your working area nice and tidy and also means you can easily reuse circuit elements across simulations.

The software also possess the ability to do simple thermal analysis by use of thermal resistance/capacitance analogies. By no means as effective as FEA for thermal analysis, but a good starting point for early systems development.

There are also mechanical domain simulation elements included, but I have not tired those in my line of work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

The nature of PLECS means that switches are always assumed to be idealised, therefore control and gate signals aren't simulated in the same domain as the rest of the circuit. Therefore It can be difficult to quantify the effects of less than ideal gate edges in fast switching applications with high dv/dt and di/dt. But this is largely besides the point of the software, as it is not a SPICE type simulator. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

For fast modelling of power electronic systems, this software is a must. I don't think it can ever fully replace a true circuit simulator (SPICE, SABER, etc), but is an essential companion in the electronic's engineers CAE toolkit. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

Rapid prototyping of large industrial converters (25 kW - 1 MW). Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing of control platforms in realtime. Pulsed power applications of Silicon Carbide. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
UE
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

I like that PLECS has Standalone and Blockset version. Blockset can be used as matlab toolbox and is used inside Simulink. This capability offers great modelling tool and flexibilty using with other matlab toolboxes and easy parameter setting from m-script. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

For my needs so far PLECS was great choice compared to some other similar programs which i tried and i can't find thing that I dislike due to lack of experience. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am have been doing control algorithms for DC-DC converters and PLECS is very simple and intuitive to use to build a power electronic system on a high, schematic level instead of building block diagram. Because it can be used with matlab, prototyping of different controllers and circuits is very easy. It also has a good component lirary which can be easily extended with custom user components. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Rohit J.
RJ
Associate Director - Customer Success
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

The ease of use, the level of flexibility and the vast array of objects to add to any and every simulation. I was especially happy with the experience of creating and training models, and with the quick result computation. We used MATLAB earlier, but my seniors at Bombardier suggested we move to PLECS and it was a breeze to use. The simulations were much faster, and the over all experience was a notch or two up. I wrote to the team back then and requested for a particular feature which wasn't part of the plan we used and they gladly upgraded us. Really appreciate the kind gesture.

The best part about the experience was the fact that this was in line with other tools available in the market, and migrating to this wasn't a task at all. We, while migrating from MATLAB to PLECS could do so in less than a 2 days, with all our simulations up and running. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

PLECS has everything going for it, apart from a higher cost, and some libraries weren't easier to navigate. If the team is able to solve this particular issue, their product has a lot going for it and this can be the go to product prescribed by university's left and right. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

We were designing components for a Metro Car, and where we had limitations using MATLAB, PLECS came to the rescue and helped us power through. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Prabhat Ranjan T.
PT
Research Scholar
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

Thermal analysis for semiconductor losses.

The best part is most of the manufacturers like CREE provide a PLECS model for their semiconductors to analyze the effect of switching frequency, conduction current, on junction temperature rise. This helps in designing a proper heatsink interface for hardware development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

I would like to see more hardware support for DSPs. Although PLECS has introduced hardware support for the C2000 product family from TI, there needs to be more support and tutorials for the hardware integration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

A must-have if you are in the power converters domain. It will definitely help you analyze new control strategies on your designed topologies. The magnetics support provided in simulations is awesome and is better than many simulation software out there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I used PLECS as a simulation tool for designing my power converter topologies and better understand the semiconductor requirements like switching frequency, peak current, voltage, and current stress. Results from PLECS simulation are trustworthy and translate to a practical application if high fidelity models for simulation are used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kiran B.
KB
Drive control engineer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

Drag and drop of library files are easier. And i find it more helpful in simulation and comparison with the matlab mcode and checking the accuracy. I used for my master degree project and also using for some electrical stimulation for my office work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

Can improve the accuracy with respect to other simalation software like saber. And most of the time i used hard license not sure about availability if soft licence. Because soft licence is more easier and it will be not be lost. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

Good and i felt better than simuink. Can prefer Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I simulated synchronous machine model and compared the response of the Synchronous machine model with mcode. Reason was to futher develop the code which had more accurate. And find plex helpful. And also modeled medium voltage inverter to test control alogithm Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Research
UR
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

It has Minimalist design. It can do electrical simulation, thermal simulation, magnetic simulation, electro-mechanical simulation, solar power simulation, wind energy simulation, electric vehicle charging simulation. It can also implement complex scripts using simple C-language and can allow flashing of codes into micro-controllers. It also helps in identifying transfer functions, loop gains, AC sweep analysis, impulse responses, multi-tone analyses, etc. I always use PLECS simulation before executing on hardware. I will reserve high praise for the small signal analysis tools, along with demo models given in the PLECS library. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

Not much to dislike in PLECS. It is a great software. Possibly an additional item to add will be parallel processing. It can really speed up complex multi-domain simulations to achieve faster results. There is no forum for PLECS users to discuss and/or resolve problems. There are small issues such as the start-up from a non-zero time and a stored initial state does not result in steady state start. Rather, it creates a transient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

Power electronics circuit simulation to verify design before implementing on hardware. I use it for projects related to electrical simulation, thermal simulation, magnetic simulation, electro-mechanical simulation, solar power simulation, wind energy simulation, electric vehicle charging simulation. I use it for about 4-8 hours a week. I also use it for teaching purposes, such as teaching under graduate or graduate students. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ettore S.
ES
Electrical Designer
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

Its easy to use interface and the possibility to simulate thermal aspects of power electronic devices such that different heat sink models can be compared. Another aspect of the product is that it is very convenient to integrate with Simulink in Matlab. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

I cannot think of an aspect of Plecs which I dislike. It is an easy to use software with a friendly interface and fast processing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

Compared with other similar power electronics software, PLECS excelled when considering how easy it is to use and to integrate with software such as MATLAB. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I personally use PLECS for thermal management applications in resonant converters. I have used Plecs with Simulink such that I could also use the software while running a MATLAB script. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Design
UD
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

User friendly, flexible, sample models available, well organized, thermal modeling facility available. It's an amazing package, have been using it for years and haven't thought of anything else for this. It also makes it easy to use components, integrate code from C into the simulation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

It's a bit costly, wish there was a limited free version. That's why I use the demo which is 60 min version. Even a few node simulations with all features would be good for trials. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

Its a must have for design engineers and hands-on engineers, the simulations give a really good insight into the equipment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

I have come to conclusions of real-life troubleshooting with power electronic converters, sizing of components, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Balachandra H.
BH
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about PLECS?

1. Simple but elegant UI

2. Readily available all most all the elements/blocks for power electronics simulation

3. Ability to model the magnetic saturation with simplified model.

4. Possibility to integrate the thermal modeling. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about PLECS?

Limitations in the control implementation Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering PLECS:

Highly recommend for the power electronics simulations Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is PLECS solving and how is that benefiting you?

DC-DC converter modeling Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.