Table of Contents

6. Modeling and Simulation of DC-DC Converters with XMODEL

Modeling and Simulation of DC-DC Converters with XMODEL

Overview

This tutorial provides a quick-start guide to the overall features of XMODEL, GLISTER, and MODELZEN, using a variety of DC-DC converters as examples. The first part covers the basics of top-down functional modeling using the XMODEL primitives and GLISTER environment. The second part covers examples of modeling common DC-DC converter components including buck, boost, and buck-boost converters and their regulation loops with PWM or PFM controllers. Finally, the third part covers bottom-up modeling of the designed DC-DC converter using MODELZEN. This tutorial is suitable for those who want to learn the key features of XMODEL, GLISTER, and MODELZEN in a short amount of time and to learn the full details on the selected topics by reading the documentations or by following the other tutorials.

How To Get Started

1. Install the latest XMODEL package as explained in the XMODEL Installation Guide.

2. Properly setup your Unix shell & Cadence® Virtuoso® environments as explained in the XMODEL Installation Guide or XMODEL Setup Summary documents.

3. Copy the tutorial files to your local directories, for instance:

cp -R ${XMODEL_HOME}/tutorial/xmodel_dcdc ~/xmodel_dcdc

4. Set additional environment variables for the tutorials by sourcing the setup files located in the etc/ directory. For instance, on bash-like shells:

cd ~/xmodel_dcdc
source etc/setup.bashrc

And on csh-like shells:

cd ~/xmodel_dcdc
source etc/setup.cshrc

You may need to modify these setup files according to your own environment.

5. Start the Cadence® Virtuoso® session:

cd cadence
virtuoso &

6. And follow the instructions in the tutorial materials in the ~/xmodel_dcdc/doc directory. Enjoy!

Exercise Package