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PLECS is simulation software for power electronics, made by Plexim. Plexim describes it as “the standard simulation software for power electronics.” Engineers use it to model converters, motor drives and their control algorithms, and to estimate semiconductor losses and junction temperature. It comes as PLECS Standalone, or as PLECS Blockset inside Simulink (Plexim product page, read 2026-11-08).
Who this is for: researchers, lab managers and technical staff who have met “PLECS” in a methods section, a lab software inventory or a licence request and need to know what it is and which edition a task implies.
Definition and scope
PLECS is a circuit-level simulation tool whose library covers the electrical, magnetic, mechanical and thermal domains plus control blocks. Its focus is power electronics: switching converters, drives and the controllers around them. It is a software tool, not a standard or a laboratory instrument. Plexim publishes it with a documentation set that includes the PLECS User Manual (version 5.0.7 at the time of reading) and manuals for supported controller targets such as TI C2000, STM32 and Infineon XMC.
How it is used in practice
Plexim’s own manual structure suggests a sequence that most projects follow. Section names below are the manual’s.
- Build the circuit with ideal switches. Plexim says ideal semiconductor switch models are the starting point (manual: How PLECS Works, Using PLECS).
- Add thermal behaviour. Ideal switch models can be combined with lookup tables to simulate the thermal behaviour of power semiconductors. Switching losses are computed from the current and voltage before and after switching, and ready-made loss models from semiconductor manufacturers are available (manual: Thermal Modeling).
- Add controls. PWM generators, state machines and custom C code can be included (manual: State Machines, C-Scripts).
- Analyse. A steady-state operating point can be computed directly, and open- and closed-loop frequency response is available (manual: Analysis Tools). The PLECS Scope shows waveforms during and after simulation.
- Automate. Simulation scripts can run parameter sweeps and post-process results in Octave, Python or MATLAB (manual: Simulation Scripts).
This ordering is a checklist for reading or reviewing a PLECS-based study: a result reported from an ideal-switch model alone says nothing about losses or temperature, and a reader should look for where the thermal and control layers were added.
Products and related concepts
| Product | What Plexim says it does |
|---|---|
| PLECS Standalone | The standalone application, with its own schematic editor and component library. |
| PLECS Blockset | Lets you embed PLECS models in the Simulink environment. |
| PLECS Coder | A paid add-on that converts a block diagram into real-time C code for embedded microcontrollers. |
| RT Box | Plexim’s real-time simulation hardware, listed with the PLECS products and covered by its own manual. |
| PLECS Spice and Web-Based Simulation | Listed as PLECS products; the manual has a dedicated SPICE section. |
Source: Plexim product page and PLECS manual contents, read 2026-11-08. The manual lists “Using PLECS Standalone” and “Using PLECS Blockset” as subsections, so the edition choice is mainly about whether your team already works in Simulink.
Where it matters for labs and procurement
- Licensing is a procurement decision. Plexim offers a perpetual licence or an annual lease, with separate commercial, academic and student options, and a free trial licence valid for 30 days. Pricing is by quotation, so confirm terms with Plexim directly.
- Documentation traceability. When PLECS results go into a paper or a lab report, record the PLECS version and edition (Standalone or Blockset), and the source of any manufacturer loss models. The manual version is on the Plexim documentation page.
- Hardware targets. Plexim publishes target-support manuals for TI C2000, STM32 and Infineon XMC controllers, and a manual for the RT Box. If a project plans to move from simulation to a controller, check that the intended target appears there.
- Schematics. PLECS schematics are simulation models, not drawings to a drafting standard; for symbol conventions see IEC 60617 electrical schematic symbols.
For measurement-side work that validates a model, see data acquisition systems. For another class of simulation method, see agent-based models.
Common misunderstandings
- “PLECS is a general circuit simulator.” Plexim positions it for power electronics. It also provides a SPICE product and manual section, but this page does not compare solver behaviour with SPICE-class tools, because Plexim’s pages do not make that comparison.
- “It needs Simulink.” It does not: PLECS Standalone is a separate application. Blockset is the edition that runs inside Simulink.
- “The trial is the academic licence.” They are separate: the free trial is 30 days, while commercial, academic and student licences are distinct options.
- “A simulation validates the hardware.” A simulation is as good as its component models; the thermal and loss features depend on the loss data supplied.
Sources
- Plexim, PLECS product page, plexim.com/products/plecs, read 2026-11-08.
- Plexim, PLECS documentation downloads, plexim.com/download/documentation, read 2026-11-08.
- Plexim, PLECS User Manual contents, docs.plexim.com/plecs, read 2026-11-08.
