Book excerpt: This book is a new enlarged edition of Introduction to Power Electronics. It is designed for undergraduate students of electrical and electronics engineering and provides an accessible and practical treatment of semiconductor power switching devices and their use in several types of static power converters. The book emphasizes the fundamental principles and offers an easy-to-understand explanation of the operation of practical circuits. Beginning with the study of the characteristics of power switching devices, the text offers a thorough treatment of ac-ac converters, ac-dc converters, dc-dc converters and inverters, helping students understand how switching converters can be made to generate almost any wave shape and frequency, how power converters are used in conjunction with electric drives, HVDC transmission systems, and so forth. The topics included in the second edition are: Ideal and real switches and drive circuits for gate commutation devices Single phase series converters and twelve pulse converters Switch mode power supply (SMPS) and switch mode dc-dc converters Resonant converters and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) KEY FEATURES: A large number of waveforms, diagrams that provide a vivid picture of circuit actions. A variety of solved examples to strengthen concepts. Numerous review questions, solved problems and unsolved problems with answers to develop a clear understanding of the basic principles.